Predictions Summary Projections by Position Projection Team Boxes

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Prediction: CIN 23, PIT 27 (Line: CIN by 1.5)

Here’s a big game in the AFC North. The 6-0 Bengals head to play the 4-3 Steelers who should be back to full strength for the first time since Week 3 when Ben Roethlisberger was injured. The Bengals are coming off their bye but having all the boys back together in Pittsburgh will be energizing.

The Steelers swept the Bengals last year, winning 42-21 in Cincinnati and later 27-17 at home.

It is rare air for the Bengals to be 7-0 and coming off their bye and playing in Pittsburgh will not be an easy path to 8-0. The second half of the season will be more daunting but this is undeniably one of the most balanced Bengals teams for a long time. As good as the Bengals have played and scored, the surprising part is how little A.J. Green and Jeremy Hill have been involved.

QUARTERBACK : Andy Dalton is on pace for a career year. He’s already thrown 11 touchdowns and ran in two more. Dalton is on a three game streak with 300+ yards and has just two interceptions.The second season of Hue Jackson’s offense is spreading the wealth and Dalton owners are getting rich.

RUNNING BACK : Jeremy Hill will turn in the occasional good game – he had three scores versus the Chiefs and then caught a score in Buffalo. But his fantasy value relies on those touchdowns. He hasn’t rushed for more than 63 yards in any game and averages just 39 yards. He’s caught just three passes all year. Giovani Bernard is more effective rushing with roughly the same workload and he adds about three catches per game. This unit is not nearly as productive as last year but the increase in passing has more than made up for the shortage from the rushing offense.

WIDE RECEIVER : Tough times for A.J. Green owners. He’s been as good as 227 yards and two scores back in Week 3 versus the Ravens but otherwise he’s done very little. He hasn’t scored since Week 3 and all other games this year have been between 82 and 36 yards. He’s been no difference maker this year and was a fantasy liability in a few games.

Marvin Jones is more productive overall with two efforts of 90+ yards and a score including the last game. Jones is not above a bad game either, but scored in four games instead of just the two by Green. Both players lose out in scoring to Tyler Eifert.

TIGHT END : Tyler Eifert leads the Bengals with six receiving touchdowns though most games have only produced moderate yardage and he was even blanked in the Ravens game when A.J. Green had his one big performance. of the year. Eifert is the main end zone target and that’s propped up his fantasy value in most weeks.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Steelers finally allowed their first rushing score just last week but that was in a road game. No reason here to expect any improvement for either Jeremy Hill or Giovani Bernard and likely a lesser effort than most weeks. Dalton faces a secondary that is playing much better in recent weeks and that has allowed just four passing touchdowns in the three home games. The Steelers have not allowed more than two scores to an opponent since the season opener. Dalton should be good for those two scores and could have good yardage as well. Tyler Eifert is a must start since the Steelers not only rank 30th against tight ends, but that considers playing against several teams that did not use their tight end. Eifert should do not worse than 60 yards and likely better. The most productive wideouts have all been slot receivers so that favors Marvin Jones though historically Green has been a Steeler killer.

This isn’t New Orleans but the return of Big Ben means “let the good times roll.” The Steelers have exceeded expectations winning two of the four games since he was out. This is the chance to get back into the race with only minor damage done and draw within two games of the division leading Bengals. After this home game come two more at Pittsburgh against the Raiders and Browns before reaching the Week 11 bye. The road to the playoffs won’t be easy but at least it is still very possible.

QUARTERBACK : Ben Roethlisberger is finally expected to return this week and he should make a big difference to an offense that struggled to pass without him. Big Ben’s two games to start the year both had over 350 yards and the home stand versus the 49ers posted three passing touchdowns. Barring any setback, Roethlisberger will return to the cheers of every Antonio Brown owner. And this just in – Martavis Bryant

RUNNING BACK : Even without the specter of a passing game to respect, Le’Veon Bell performed very well in the absence of Roethlisberger and turned in four of five games with over 100 total yards including three that topped 110 rushing yards alone. Bell has not been used as a receiver as much in recent weeks but that should see an uptick with Roethlisberger back. Bell’s money every week and that only gets better when opposing defenses have to worry more about the passing offense.

WIDE RECEIVER : The Michael Vick era was death to the wideouts but Antonio Brown came back to life last week with only Landry Jones at the helm. Brown started the year with 100+ yards in each game started by Roethlisberger but then disappeared for three cruel weeks. Brown posted 124 yards on six catches in Kansas City. He hasn’t scored since Week 2 but that should change soon enough. As if that wasn’t encouraging enough, Martavis Bryant played just two games and scored three times and blew up with 137 yards in the Cardinals game. This will be the first time that Roethlisberger plays with all his receivers back and that was deadly in 2014.

TIGHT END : No fantasy value and even with Roethlisberger returning there is no reason to expect much from Heath Miller.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Bengals are only average against the pass and that’s after facing below sub-par quarterbacks almost every week. There’s no reason to expect less than two passing scores with healthy yardage, particularly with Brown and Bryant both in play. Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown and Bryant and must starts every week and even more so in a home game against a divisional rival.

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