Bengals demise your surprise

By Gus Bode

Heading into Week 3, it only seems practical to start any and all offensive players fortunate enough to play the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals’ defense has thus far been atrocious, and teams are taking notice.

For crying out loud, even the Cleveland Browns whooped up on this sorry excuse for a secondary.

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I even had to look up the Cleveland quarterback’s first name – which is Derek Anderson – to find out who put up such gaudy numbers against what I thought was a decent team.

Anderson, who started the season as a back up and basically a filler until Brady Quinn arrives on the scene, busted out against the Bengals’ secondary for 328 yards and five touchdowns. That’s right, five. And he only threw one interception.

And it wasn’t just a secondary flaw either. Jamal Lewis, who has been out of his prime for some time now, posted 216 yards and a score against Cincinnati.

Which leads us to our point: Play any and all offensive players against the Bengals.

The Bengals have games in Seattle, against New England, a bye week, against Kansas City and in New York to face the Jets. If you have anyone on these teams, prepare for a good week.

In two games this season, the Bengals’ defense has surrendered 434 offensive yards per game while allowing 35.5 points per game. With numbers such as these, fantasy owners should be salivating at the opportunity for their players to face Cincinnati.

This week would be a good week to start – or add off the free agent list – Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander (a no-brainer). But more importantly, owners can cash in on little-known or drafter Seattle receivers Bobby Engram or Deion Branch.

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Elsewhere in the fantasy world, after two weeks of logging stellar fantasy numbers, Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson may have hit a roadblock. Johnson is listed as questionable for this week due to a sprained knee.

While Johnson is doubtful for this week, owners should take notice to the fine job Houston quarterback Matt Schaub is doing. This season, Schaub has thrown for more than 200 yards in each game and has thrown three touchdowns and one interception on the season.

Although Schaub is not considered a top tier fantasy quarterback, he could be used wisely in the next few weeks.

The Texans, who have gotten off to a surprisingly swell start, have a relatively easy schedule for the next month or so. After Indianapolis, who isn’t an easy defense, the Texans will face Atlanta, Miami, Jacksonville and Tennessee. Not until Week 8 will they face another solid defense when they play San Diego.

Look for Johnson, Schaub and running back Ahman Green to all post pretty solid numbers until later in the season.

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