Jared Contestabile 
As the self-proclaimed biggest Cincinnati Bengals fan in the universe (for the record, the relationship has been EXTREMELY abusive over the last 30+ years), I can’t wait for this game. Not only are Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson two of the best QBs in the game, they are also two of the best personalities in the NFL. These two teams combined to score 58 and 62 points in their two meetings last season. Remember when Burrow set the NFL record for most passing yards against a single team in a season against these Ravens in 2021? Ok, that’s enough about Joe for now. Back to him soon. Let’s find the upside in this one.
DraftKings and FanDuel each have a slightly different setup for Showdown slates, with DraftKings using a “Captain” spot. Captain earns you 1.5X points, BUT also costs you 1.5X in salary. FanDuel uses an “MVP”, which is ALSO 1.5X points, but salaries are the same, regardless of position. DraftKings uses 5 FLEX spots, and FanDuel uses 4 “AnyFLEX” spots to fill out your roster.
Make sure to join our Discord to jump into our conversations with the team and share your successes (I am “Myrtle Beach Mermen”, if you understand the reference, we will get along right away! We have a TON of great tools for you to check out, make sure you’re taking advantage! You can find projections here and try out the optimizer here.
Captain/MVP Plays
Joe Burrow, Bengals ($15,900 DraftKings, $15,500 FanDuel)
Dictionary.com defines a masterpiece as “a consummate example of skill or excellence of any kind”. I can tell you with 100% certainty that phrase is in DIRECT reference to what Joe Burrow did to this Ravens team in 2021. If you are unaware, I am more than happy to present you with the numbers:
23/38, 416 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
37/46, 525 yards, 4 TD
While it may be unwise to expect that type of production again, Burrow has an enormous ceiling here. Only the Raiders, Dolphins, and Lions have allowed more fantasy PPG to opposing QB this season. Burrow and the Bengals have been right at the league average with a 60% pass rate on offense. The Ravens have allowed almost 1000 yards to opposing WR alone.
This rivalry has become personal, and “Smokin’ Joe” is ready to fire up a stogie again.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens ($18,300 DraftKings, $17,000 FanDuel)
Listen, you can call me a homer whenever you want, but there is a reality in this one. The Bengals have been tough against the run in 2022. They have very solid safety play with Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell. The CB play has been solid. This sounds like Lamar hate. Trust me, it isn’t. I’m getting there. Here’s an interesting stat from Warren Sharp (@sharpfootball):
Lamar Jackson 2022 splits with Rashod Bateman on or off the field :
Bateman ON the field (81 att): +0.14 EPA/att, 8.8 YPA, 9 TD, 1 INT
Bateman OFF the field (36 att): -0.18 EPA/att, 4.9 YPA, 2 TD, 3 INT
Lamar will have to put the world on his shoulders in this one with Marquise Brown thriving in Arizona and Bateman already ruled OUT for this one. Running the ball is certainly an option if the game is close, especially with Cincinnati still missing DJ Reader. Lamar is priced like someone who will be expected to shoulder the entire offense load, and he is as capable as anyone of doing it.
Lamar is averaging over 32 DraftKings PPG this season, and that is INCLUDING last week against Buffalo where he totaled just 15.06. He has rushed for 119, 107, and 73 yards in his last three games. If this game turns into a shootout, no Lamar could mean no cash.
JaMarr Chase, Bengals ($16,500 DraftKings, $13,500 FanDuel)
There are two types of people in this world.
Person 1: People like you and I, who watched and saw JaMarr pull off an insane spin move at full speed during a TD against these Ravens.
Person 2: People who are in denial about the sheer greatness that is JaMarr Chase. Much like fellow sports legend Ricky Bobby, Chase wakes up in the morning and pisses excellence. He averaged 163 yards per game against the Ravens during his spectacular rookie campaign.
I can’t guarantee you a certain number of fantasy points for Chase here, but I can guarantee you one thing. The relationship between JaMarr Chase and Joe Burrow has lasted longer than most of the relationships you or I have ever or will ever have.
Only Marquise Brown has had more offensive snaps than Chase in 2022. Only six WR have had more targets through Week 4 than Chase’s 41.
The bad? He hasn’t reached the 100-yard bonus on DraftKings since Week 1. He only has two scores on the season.
The good? He also has the 4th-most red zone targets among WR and the 2nd-most targets inside the 10. The breakout game is coming, and what better time than a divisional battle against a Ravens secondary that is allowing 50, yes FIFTY, fantasy PPG to opposing WR in 2022?
If you don’t play JaMarr on Sunday night, you may need a miracle to chase down a GPP.
FLEX/AnyFLEX Plays
Devin Duvernay, Ravens ($5,600 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel)
As mentioned above, Rashod Bateman won’t be suiting up Sunday Night. Duvernay led the Ravens’ WRs with 45 snaps last week, and someone is going to have to pick up the slack here. I’m expecting plenty of points in this one, and Lamar needs some support from his wideouts for once.
Duvernay had a season-high five targets last week, and has already found the end zone three times in 2022. I like him quite a bit here. Added bonus? He returns kicks and is one of the best in the game at doing it. His ceiling is even higher than you may think.
J.K. Dobbins, Ravens ($7,000 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel)
Listen, I’ve seen people on Twitter saying that you’re chasing points with Dobbins in this one, but I’ll respectfully disagree. He has been on the field for 36 passing snaps since he returned in Week 3, and has run a route on 28 of them. He had 13 of the 22 carries by a Ravens RB, and should be a focal point of the offense here once again. I already mentioned the absence of DJ Reader, and the Bengals may be missing him in a major way on Sunday night if Dobbins gets going.
Joe Mixon, Bengals ($8,800 DraftKings, $12,500 FanDuel)
This could be the Skyline Chili fan in me, but I do believe that the Bengals win this game handily. If that is the case, the Bengals will turn to Mixon to slam the door shut. Baltimore is 22nd in the NFL in fantasy points allowed per game to opposing RB. Mixon is a workhorse who has seen more snaps at RB than any player not named Saquon Barkley. He is viable in the bonus spot too, so don’t forget about him if you are doing MME.
I’ll never try to talk you out of playing my dude Tee Higgins, but I can’t just list the most expensive guys across the board. Tee has shown that he is as good as any WR in the game and we all know how suspect this Baltimore secondary has become.
I’ll go ahead and give you my fade of the night. Mark Andrews. In his last two games against the Bengals with Lamar Jackson on the field, he has totaled 7/75. Of course he could explode at any time, but I’m betting on Logan Wilson and company to focus on taking him out of the game. I’m not saying it will be a complete shut down, but I’m taking my chances on him not paying off a high price tag. Leverage play for me.
Other Options
Tyler Boyd has 5+ targets in three of four games this season, and Hayden Hurst has 7+ in two games. In a shootout, they are cheap pieces to consider.
Gimme some Cincinnati defense here. I could see a performance much like the 49ers vs. Rams we took advantage of last week.
Demarcus Robinson saw nearly 40 snaps last week, and Lamar could send a few extra looks his way this week with Bateman out.
In case you didn’t know, Justin Tucker and Evan McPherson may just be the two best kickers underneath the sun. I’m fairly certain either one of them could kick a ball “over them mountains”, Uncle Rico style too. You’re going to want some exposure to these two.
Good luck on Sunday Night! Make sure to follow me on Twitter @BigItaly42 if you aren’t already, and let’s meet at the top of the leaderboards!
