I haven’t gotten back into the swing of writing for some time now (my daughter runs my life, and it’s the best), but after receiving a lot of emails and private messages asking me to get with it I decided to see if I can make it work within my schedule once again.

NFL VIEW 32 is a series of articles that basically drops some quick hit opinions, fantasy relevant information and a baseline for my yearly predictions. I may get more in depth on certain aspects than others, and I might completely ignore some things that you want to read about in an effort to keep it short but, please, feel free to message me in the comments sections with any questions you may have. I promise I will do my best to respond to each and every one.

Ok, enough of the preamble. Let’s see what’s shaking in the NFL for 2021!

CINCINNATI BENGALS

For Cincinnati Bengals fans, the future arrived with the first pick of the 2020 NFL draft. Joe Burrow was selected to be the franchise quarterback of the orange and black, and to finally be the passer they so desperately needed to bring them back to AFC North relevance. And, I will say, right up until Burrow suffered his season ending knee injury, he appeared to be everything that Cincinnati had hoped for.

Now, the future has to be reset to start 2021. Burrow is on track to be back in charge of the offense to start the season and the Bengals went out and got his favorite college target in the draft to help him be all he can be. Ja’Marr Chase should immediately provide a dynamic element opposite of second year wide receiver Tee Higgins that will cause headaches for opposing defenses. Throw in Tyler Boyd for good measure, and the chance for the Bengals to have one of, if not the, best young wide receiver trios in the NFL is almost a guarantee.

And I haven’t even mentioned star running back Joe Mixon yet…

Tight end is a group that the Bengals will undoubtedly upgrade at over the next couple seasons, so working with what they have this year is less of a blemish and more of a work in progress.

The offensive line will have some new faces, and one that’s newly returned. Jonah Williams will get a crack to live up to his lofty draft status and be the player Cincinnati was hoping for with his first round selection in 2019. Reilly Reiff was brought in to address right tackle, and Jackson Carman was drafted to be an eventual lynch pin on the interior of the line. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Carman work into a starters role by the end of the season.

However, the win column for the Bengals will undoubtedly be hamstrung by a defense that has a lot of work to do before Cincinnati can start challenging for AFC North titles again. There are some key pieces in place that may provide long term cohesion for that side of the ball, but there are legitimate questions to be answered at all three levels of the defense.

First, will the defensive line, that will feature 3 starters brought in through free agency, become a strength quickly? Adding Trey Hendrickson may be an upgrade over the now departed Carl Lawson, but we have to see it first. Will D.J. Reader and Larry Ogunjobi be the force in the middle that the Bengals were hoping for when they signed them? As of right now, I have some confidence that this group will be a solid force when lined up with Sam Hubbard to get after opposing quarterbacks and stuff up the run. Throw in rookie Joseph Assai and the immediate starters look good to go, but the depth is a big concern that cannot be overlooked.

At linebacker, I think this should be the season that this starting group come together to form the core for the next several years. Akeem Davis-Gaithers, Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt provide the kind of range that can get after it sideline to sideline. But again, depth is a huge concern here as there is very little behind this starting trio that can step in to be a multiple game fix in case of injury.

As for the secondary, well, it’s a bit more of a nuanced conversation than what the first two groups were. While some are on board with the moves Cincinnati has made on the back of the defense (PFF’s Ben Linsey has them at #15 going into 2021) but producing on the field will be different than simply adding bodies. Jessie Bates is the bright spot of a rather unspectacular looking list of names, but there aren’t any real significant holes to point at across the starting set. All in all, the secondary looks like the deepest unit on the defense and should be a reliable strength throughout 2021.

All in all, the Bengals will be coming into this season overlooked within their division by both the national media and their rivals. It’s a perfect scenario for them to sneak out an extra win or two and set the table for continued success in 2022 and beyond.

Over/Under Wins in 2021 
Vegas – 6.5
L4SN – 7.5

I have the O/U on the Bengals win total at one full game ahead of Vegas. A lot of that is based on the schedule Cincinnati has in 2021 and the potential to squeeze out an extra win, or two, in some spots that might be getting overlooked nationally. Specifically, the road game with NYJ and the potential for an upset with LAC at home in early December.

Fantasy Depth Chart
QB
Joe Burrow
Brandon Allen
Kyle Shurmur
Eric Dungey

RB
Joe Mixon
Samaje Perine
Trayveon Williams
Chris Evans
Jacques Patrick
Pooka Williams

WR
Ja’Marr Chase
Tee Higgins
Tyler Boyd
Auden Tate
Riley Lees
Trenton Irwin
Scotty Washington
Mike Thomas
Trent Taylor

TE
C.J. Uzomah
Drew Sample
Thaddeus Moss

Depending on whether or not your league is dynasty based, the value for a player like Ja’Marr Chase is going to change rather drastically. You can easily make an argument for him to be the #1 overall player on the board in a dynasty format that includes PPR, considering the longevity of the position and the potential for dominance in his new offense with his old quarterback. In a dynasty format that runs with standard scoring, he’s no worse than #2 overall behind only Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Najee Harris. In a redraft league, Chase should be considered a solid option to take starting about when the WR board slips into the high to mid 20s. He shouldn’t be relied on as a clear WR2, for those of you that go running back heavy early, but he is a solid complimentary bet with starters upside once we get later into the season.

Joe Mixon has the potential to be a dominant touch hog throughout the year and no running back behind him on the depth chart should be viewed as his clear handcuff until we see what the beginning of the season brings out in the Bengals offense.

Joe Burrow has the potential to be a sneaky second quarterback taken in standard leagues, but in a dynasty format you will likely see him come off the board within the top 8 passers. Is that an overpay? Well, it’s really dependent on whether or not he has any lingering affects from the injury. If not, then he’s easily worth that buy considering the weapons he will have and the opportunities for late game statistical shootouts that he will likely be involved in. If you can trade for him on the cheap before the season starts, do not hesitate to pull the trigger as his value is set to sky rocket by season’s end.