In support of: Brain Aneurysm Foundation
Our Mission is to promote early detection of brain aneurysms by providing knowledge and raising awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors. Work with the medical communities to provide support networks for patients and families, as well as to further research that will improve patient outcomes and save lives. The Brain Aneurysm Foundation is the globally recognized leader in brain aneurysm awareness, education, support, advocacy and research funding.
Nominated by Andrew Hall FF (@AndrewHallFF)
“I’m doing this (and am donating 10% if all my winnings this year) to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, largely in memory of James “The Brain” Kotoulas who died from a brain aneurysm last year right around the start of the season. He had a SFBX team that Scott just let play out without touching it and it did really well. But it affected me because while I only had a few interactions with James he was a great guy and big contributor in the community, and it reminded me that life is short and we could all go at any minute. So it’s partially because of him and just in general because I don’t know when my time is up so I have to live each day to the fullest. I pick a different charity every year and it just felt right for this year.“
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: AFC North
2020 Finish: 4-11-1 (4th in AFC North)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 59% (13th)
- Neutral Game Script: 60% (9th)
- Offensive Scheme: Air Coryell
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 76%
- 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR) = 15%
- 10 Personnel (1RB, 0TE, 4WR) = 5%
- 00 Personnel (0RB, 0TE, 5WR) = 2%
- 21 Personnel (2RB, 1TE, 2WR) = 1%
- 22 Personnel (2RB, 2TE, 1WR) = 1%
- 13 Personnel (1RB, 3TE, 1WR) = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Zac Taylor
Zac Taylor is entering his third season in Cincinnati and many believe he is on the hot seat. The Bengals are 6-25-1 in his two years as the head coach. He came to the NFL with limited experience outside of being an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Rams (2017-18) and the Miami Dolphins (2012-15), but the front office still believes that he can lead this team. Taylor’s fate may lie in his decision to draft Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell in the 2021 NFL Draft. Taylor rolled the dice and it just might pay off as Chase is reunited with his college teammate Joe Burrow. This offense is loaded at the skill positions with Burrow, Chase, Joe Mixon, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd. With an improved offensive line, the return of Joe Burrow, and the addition of Chase, it’s time for Taylor to put it all together in year three as a play caller. He will either get all the credit or all the blame. Stay tuned.
Offensive Coordinator: Brian Callahan
Brian Callahan is also heading into year three with the Bengals and looks to help Taylor improve this offense. In 2020, the Bengals offense was ranked near the bottom in almost every defensive category including total offense (29), passing (27), rushing (24), points scored (29) and sacks allowed (27). Callahan came into the NFL in 2010 as a coaching assistant for the Detroit Lions and had stints with the Denver Broncos (offensive quality control coach), Detroit Lions (quarterbacks coach), and Oakland Raiders (quarterbacks coach) before becoming the OC in Cincinnati under Zac Taylor. His time in Cincinnati will be tied to the success of the 2021 offense.
Overall Rank: 30th/32
OL Room
LT Jonah Williams – PFF 70.1, Pass Blocking 75.8, Run Blocking 53.4
Jonah Williams was drafted out of Alabama where he received several awards including All-American honors as a junior and the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the conference. He missed his entire rookie season due to a torn labrum, but he played 634 snaps in 2020 and graded well as a pass blocker. The Bengals will look to Williams as a leader of this unit entering the 2021 season. With the addition of offensive line coach Frank Pollack, Williams has a legit chance to be one of the best young left tackles in the NFL.
LG Quinton Spain – PFF 56.7, Pass Blocking 44.8, Run Blocking 62.4
Quinton Spain will be in a camp battle with Xavier Su’a-Filo for the starting nod in 2021. Spain was a mid-season addition courtesy of the Buffalo Bills and filled in at three different positions due to injuries across the OL. Spain played 720 snaps last season allowing 1 sack and 19 quarterback pressures.
C Trey Hopkins – PFF 63.8, Pass Blocking 64.3, Run Blocking 62.1
Trey Hopkins will be coming back from a torn ACL injury he suffered in the final week of 2020. Initially, it was believed he could miss the start of the 2021 season, but he is ahead of schedule and should be ready to go when the season starts. Hopkins has been a full-time starter for more than three years and had his best season in 2020 with a 63.8 PFF grade.
RG Jackson Carman (Rookie)
Jackson Carman was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Clemson where he played LT and protected Trevor Lawrence. Carman earned All-ACC honors as a sophomore (third team) and a junior (second team) and was a finalist for the Anthony Munoz National Offensive Lineman of the Year coming out of Fairfield High School. He will make the move to right guard and plug in as a day one starter.
RT Riley Reiff – PFF 71.4, Pass Blocking 74.9, Run Blocking 60.8
Riley Reiff will replace Bobby Hart who gave up 44 pressures in 2020. For comparison, Reiff played 1003 snaps in 2020 and only gave up 21 pressures and 1 sack. This is a quality upgrade for Joe Burrow and the offensive line. He will move from left tackle to right tackle in Cincinnati and will provide some veteran leadership.
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Bobby Hart (14/13), Alex Redmond (9/7)
Overall Rank: 26th/32
QB Room
Joe Burrow (QB11)
Joe Burrow, entering his rookie season, was coming off a historical season at LSU where he won the National Championship, the Heisman Trophy, and set an NCAA record with 60 touchdown passes in a single season. His 5,671 passing yards ranked third all-time in an FBS season and launched him into the number one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The magic continued during his rookie season in the NFL, as Burrow was on pace to break several Bengals’ single-season passing records and NFL rookie passing records. He was the first player in NFL history to complete 264 passes in their first ten games. Unfortunately, Burrow would suffer a season ending knee injury that included a torn ACL and MCL in a week 11 game against the Washington Football Team. Joe Burrow will be ready to go and looks to lead, what should be, a very exciting offense in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 623 attempts, 67.6%, 4804 yards, 33 touchdowns
Rushing: 62 attempts, 321 yards, 3 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 350.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Ryan Finley (5/1)
Position Fantasy Rank: 12th/32
RB Room
Joe Mixon (RB14)
Joe Mixon is one of the most talked about names in fantasy football circles every off-season. He has never started all 16 games in an NFL season, but fingers crossed, this is the year! In 2018, his second year in the league, Mixon had 1,464 total yards and nine touchdowns. He followed that up in 2019 with 1,424 total yards and eight touchdowns. Unfortunately, his 2020 season was cut short after a foot injury against the Indianapolis Colts in week 6. Mixon is looking to have a bounce back year in 2021 and with a healthy Joe Burrow and the addition of Ja’Marr Chase, he should be able to find room to work both in the run and passing game. In just six games with Joe Burrow he had 26 targets and 21 receptions which would have put him on pace for approximately 74 targets and 60 receptions.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 299 attempts, 1228 yards, 7 touchdowns
Receiving: 87 targets, 63 receptions, 446 yards, 3 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 290.1
Chris Evans (RB74)
Chris Evans may not be the logical choice as the RB2 in the Cincinnati backfield so we will just call this a hunch. There are plenty of reasons to doubt his impact at the NFL level. Evans was suspended for the 2019 season due to academic issues and in 2020 he only played in six games (only one start) and his results did not jump off the stat sheet. He had 16 carries for 73 yards and a single touchdown to go along with 9 receptions for 87 yards. Not to mention he was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Not exactly great draft capital. Remember, I said it was just a hunch. On a positive note, he graded in the top 94th and 92nd percentile on his burst and agility score, respectively and he has fresh legs. Does it make sense now or nah?
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 35 attempts, 134 yards, 1 touchdown
Receiving: 19 targets, 13 receptions, 76 yards, 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 45.7
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Giovani Bernard (16/10)
Position Fantasy Rank: 29th/32
WR Room
Ja’Marr Chase (WR35)
Ja’Marr Chase won the Biletnikoff Award in 2019 with the LSU Tigers. You know who else was on that team? Justin Jefferson. Yes, THAT Justin Jefferson that just torched the NFL in his rookie season for 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns. In just 14 games. Guess who the quarterback was on that LSU team? Yes, you guessed it. Joe Burrow. The Burrow to Chase connection has been restored. Chase finished the 2019 season at LSU with 84 receptions, 1,780 yards, and 20 touchdowns. There is a reason the Bengals passed on Penei Sewell with the fifth pick in the NFL Draft. Chase is special. You better believe he wants to make a run at the jaw-dropping numbers his former teammate put up in Minnesota and I’m sure Joe Burrow is all for it.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 112 targets, 75 receptions, 1044 yards, 7 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 221.4
Tee Higgins (WR16)
Tee Higgins was worth every penny of the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was targeted 108 times as a rookie and came away with 67 receptions, 908 yards, and 6 touchdowns. This was without Joe Burrow for almost 6 games. Higgins is 6’4 and uses every bit of his big frame to gain an advantage in the vertical passing game. He finished 2020 with 24 deep targets (10th), 1,262 air yards (24th) and 11 red zone targets. I expect Tee Higgins to be even better in 2021. I know this much, Burrow and Chase will be talking an awful lot about that 2019 National Championship Game against Higgins’ Clemson Tigers.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 137 targets, 89 receptions, 1264 yards, 9 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 269.5
Tyler Boyd (WR34)
Tyler Boyd has emerged as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. Boyd has been targeted more than 100 times in each of the last three seasons and finished 2020 with 79 receptions, 841 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Boyd completes one of the best wide receiver trios in the NFL and should have more room to operate in the middle of the field in 2021.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 125 targets, 87 receptions, 985 yards, 6 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 221.7
New Toys: N/A
Old News: Alex Erickson (16/2), John Ross (3/1)
Position Fantasy Rank: 5th/32
TE Room
C.J. Uzomah (TE28)
C.J. Uzomah finally got his opportunity to be the starting tight end for the Bengals in the 2018 season. He capitalized and had his best season as a pro with 43 receptions, 439 yards, and 3 touchdowns. In 2019, those numbers dipped a bit (27-242-2), but he had high expectations for 2020. Unfortunately, in week 2 he tore his Achilles and his season was over. Drew Sample stepped into the starting role and played well, but I believe Uzomah will once again take over the TE1 role.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 50 targets, 35 receptions, 384 yards, 3 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 91.2
New Toys: N/A
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Rank: 25th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #5 (.539 138-118)
2021 Predicted Finish: 6-11 (Last AFC North)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
