Quick Slant: Don't Be Ashamed - It's Okay to Be a Little Excited About Bengals vs. Giants on SNF

Bengals at Giants, Sunday @ 8:20 PM

The Bengals aspired to be AFC contenders. Largely perceived to have a talented roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Cincinnati started with a shocking loss to the Patriots, who haven’t won since. They’ve battled harder against better teams in the time between, but they are still only 1-4. They stand alarmed, now aware they're on a trapdoor, hoping they can carefully slink out of harm’s way before they are swallowed up by gravity's inevitability.

The Giants of two years ago seemed promising under new HC Brian Daboll; the Giants of 2023 couldn’t have fallen flatter. Week 1 Daniel Jones looked like a mess – among the worst in the league. Steadily, the ship has been mostly righted. Ignited by four consecutive solid performances by Jones, a finally competent (if not great) group of pass-catchers, and most recently, the dynamic play of electric rookie RB Tyrone Tracy, the Giants are suddenly competitive and no longer a fantasy wasteland.

Sunday night may feature two teams with a combined 3-7 record, but the matchup is still plenty compelling, and both teams have several players who offer plenty of fantasy intrigue.

Bengals’ Implied Team Total: 25.5

With the third-best EPA per play and the third-worst EPA per play allowed, the Bengals are all gas, no brakes. This is an optimal biosphere for fantasy points to germinate.

Their passing offense, in particular, has been exceptional, especially when all of its key pieces are healthy. They rank third in EPA per dropback and second in offensive success rate on dropbacks. They are high volume through the air, ranking third in pass rate over expected – not entirely uncommon in the Zac Taylor era.

They are led by Joe Burrow, who has shown long flashes of elitism, particularly in 2021, when he ranked first in FPOE and led his team to the Super Bowl as a sophomore. In recent seasons, he’s battled injuries to his knee, calf, and wrist that have appeared to affect him substantially. With almost two years off-balance, compromised physically, and barely able to find room to ramp up, he has practically been set aside and forgotten as one of the league's best.

Well, he is finally ramping up. He now ranks second in EPA +CPOE composite and every significant stat has been on the rise weekly since that dismal Week 1.