The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding TE Brock Bowers.
Is Brock Bowers Playing in Week 9?
Bowers was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice with a rib injury. Barring any unexpected setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Raiders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Brock Bowers in Week 9?
The star rookie has been either a top-five producer at the position or outside of the top 15 in every game this season. That can be a frustrating profile — but not at the tight end position. Having access to an elite upside is what drives decision-making because so few players have it.
Bowers’ target share elevates in one-score games (27.3%), and that’s a sign that this team is very willing to label him as the alpha in this offense. This offense may not put him in a position to be the most consistent producer, but that doesn’t mean you second-guess his status in your starting lineup. Not this week. Not this year. Not for the rest of the 2020s.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Brock Bowers’ Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Bowers is projected to score 18 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.5 receptions for 98.7 yards and 0.6 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Cincinnati Bengals Defense
After teasing us with a couple of good weeks, the Cincinnati Bengals’ defense regressed straight back to its true self, a bottom-five unit that might yet turn out to be the worst in football. They have now ranked last on two separate occasions, allowing a combined 75 points in those two games. They have allowed 25 points or more on four occasions and lost all four of them.
It is hard to find anything to be positive about with the Bengals, who count their No. 18 ranking in turnover rate as their best trait this year. To overcome a defense this bad, you need an offense that can consistently score 30+ points a game. That is a tough ask and one that the Bengals have not been able to live up to so far. Even when they have scored 30 points, they are 1-2 in those games.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Brock Bowers’ Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship TE PPR Rankings
1) Travis Kelce | KC (vs. BUF)
2) Dallas Goedert | PHI (vs. WAS)
3) Dalton Kincaid | BUF (at KC)
4) Zach Ertz | WAS (at PHI)
5) Noah Gray | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Dawson Knox | BUF (at KC)
7) John Bates | WAS (at PHI)
8) Grant Calcaterra | PHI (vs. WAS)
9) Ben Sinnott | WAS (at PHI)
10) Quintin Morris | BUF (at KC)
11) Peyton Hendershot | KC (vs. BUF)
12) E.J. Jenkins | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Anthony Firkser | NYJ ()
Las Vegas Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals Insights
Las Vegas Raiders
Team: The NFL team average is 4.5 yards per carry—the Raiders failed to reach 3.5 in five of eight games last season (Week 8: 21 carries for 33 yards).
QB: Gardner Minshew’s average depth of throw over his past four appearances (ending with Sunday’s mark against the Chiefs): 8.3 – 7.7 – 6.2 – 4.6.
Offense: The Raiders either scored or went three-and-out on every drive on Sunday against the Chiefs.
Defense: Before Sunday, the Raiders hadn’t allowed more than five third-down conversions in a game this season (28.9% conversion rate). Amidst Kermit Gate, Patrick Mahomes picked up 12-of-16 (75%) opportunities.
Fantasy: What made Jakobi Meyers great on Sunday? A season-low 5.8% aDOT and 42.2% slot usage (under 23% in each of his two games before his injury).
Betting: The Raiders have covered five of their past seven road games, with three of those covers coming by more than six points.
Cincinnati Bengals
Team: The Bengals have three wins this season – against the Panthers, Giants, and Browns.
QB: Joe Burrow’s red zone completion percentage is down to 53.7% from 67.4% last season
Offense: The Bengals have averaged under 5.0 yards per play three times this season, two of which have come in the past two weeks.
Defense: Cincinnati blitzed 28.6% of the time on Sunday (their highest since Week 3), but created pressure on a season-low 13.6% of Philadelphia dropbacks.
Fantasy: With Tee Higgins sidelined, Mike Gesicki’s role reappeared. The tight end had twice as many targets on Sunday (eight) as he had in the month prior.
Betting: The Bengals are 0-4 ATS at home this season, failing to cover three of those games by double figures.
