Monday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Commanders

Both the Commanders (1-1) and Cincinnati (0-2) are working through some struggles, but the Bengals look like they might start roaring back into their more commonly known form in this game after looking like a non-playoff team through two weeks otherwise. Washington was supposed to miss the playoffs, but the Bengals starting 0-2 is a substantial hit to their ambitions. With Tee Higgins back the Bengals passing game appears to be at full strength, just in time to face a Washington defense that might be the worst in the NFL. Rookie Jayden Daniels will try to match Joe Burrow in this game, both of them former LSU stars, so there could be a bit of a shootout in play if the rookie can round into form here. The Bengals are favored by 7.5 points with an over/under of 46.5.

QUARTERBACKS

Jayden Daniels ($10200 DK, $15000 FD) is a heavy road underdog here but that doesn't necessarily negate his fantasy appeal. Indeed, Daniels' rushing usage is so high through two games (26 carries) and his speed gives him such big-play ability that even in a blowout loss it would be easy to imagine Daniels racking up fantasy points. Then again, if the Washington backfield claims a substantial amount of rushing production then it would only leave so much room for Daniels to carry the ball. As a passer things appear more bleak – Daniels has shown no ability to push the ball downfield, yet has also taken sacks at a rapid rate. If you aren't even trying to throw more than six yards and still get sacked constantly there's something wrong.

Joe Burrow ($10600 DK, $14000 FD) will almost certainly throw at least two touchdowns in this game, because the Bengals offense is regaining its strength just as it faces its easiest matchup of the year. The Bengals could use a confidence boost, too, so they might run up the score a little bit even if it's a blowout. Rather than Burrow falling flat here, the bigger threat to his cashing potential on this slate would probably relate to the risk of spread-out usage from scrimmage – if only Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins rake at receiver then stacking all three could be the key to the slate, but if Burrow throws a touchdown to Andrei Iosivas, Mike Gesicki, Zack Moss, etc. it could allow rosters with those guys to imitate Burrow's fantasy points while saving money for some other important pickup. In general, though, this looks like an extreme get-right spot for Burrow.

RUNNING BACKS

Brian Robinson ($9800 DK, $13000 FD) appears set up well here, both because defenses are inviting the run and because Cincinnati might be without both of their starting defensive tackles. To thwart Daniels defenses are keeping safeties over the top, blocking Daniels' favorite throw, but to do that they have to leave Robinson room between the tackles. There should be easy yardage for Robinson, as if the Bengals are daring Washington to take it, and they probably will. Austin Ekeler ($7400 DK, $11000 FD) has shown the ability to coexist with Robinson as a fantasy asset, though in Ekeler's case more it's more so driven by pass-catching production. If Daniels throws the ball but continues to struggle to push the ball downfield, Ekeler could be a busy receiver here even if Robinson has a big game on the ground.

Zack Moss ($7800 DK, $12000 FD) appears to be the clear RB1 for Cincinnati at the moment, having logged 50 snaps in Week 2 compared to only 11 snaps for RB2 Chase Brown ($4400 DK, $8500 FD). Moss hasn't exactly made the Bengals look like geniuses for committing to him so enthusiastically – Moss only has 78 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries so far – but this should be a spot where Moss produces more efficiently. If his usage share holds, it could be a truly big game for he former Utah standout. Brown is plenty capable, but in the meantime it's not clear whether the Bengals are on some bit about keeping him benched.

WIDE RECEIVERS + TIGHT ENDS

Ja'Marr Chase ($11600 DK, $15500 FD) almost has to get going in this extremely easy matchup, and he's priced accordingly as the most expensive player on the slate. Whether that price proves worth it on the single-game slate remains unsettled, but if Chase disappoints here it would probably be because he did a lot of damage early and the Bengals took their foot off the gas afterward. If this is a four-quarter game then Chase would probably do substantial damage. Tee Higgins ($8800 DK, $12500 FD) is a major talent in his own right, though, and Higgins could produce somewhat at the expense of Chase's ceiling in this one. Even guys like Andrei Iosivas ($6600 DK, $9500 FD) and Mike Gesicki ($5600 DK, $10000 FD) might find themselves wide open in this one.

Terry McLaurin ($9600 DK, $10500 FD) is an excellent player but it's not clear whether Washington is prepared to utilize him effectively. As Daniels struggles to make a variety of throws, defenses are sitting on the few routes Daniels does throw effectively, leaving McLaurin with very little room to pressure the defense. If something changes for the better then McLaurin could go off, because these problems clearly have nothing to do with him. Zack Ertz ($5400 DK, $9500 FD) is in line for some amount of usage, and could be a good source of catches in this game for the price. It's not clear whether a second wideout will emerge for Washington this year, but the candidates in the meantime are Luke McCaffrey ($2800 DK, $7000 FD), Noah Brown ($3200 DK, $7500 FD), Dyami Brown ($2400 DK, $6000 FD) and Olamide Zaccheaus ($2000 DK, $8000 FD).

KICKERS

Evan McPherson ($5000 DK, $9000 FD) is a distinguished kicker and one capable of kicking with both range and volume, but it's not obvious whether the Bengals will need either of those elements here. The Washington defense is bad enough that McPherson might more so kick extra points Monday, and safe to say the struggling Bengals would prefer that scenario over one where they scrape their way to field goals instead.

Austin Seibert ($4800 DK, $9000 FD) can probably be described as an accurate kicker on the other side, but Seibert badly lacks range and is almost a non-consideration from more than 50 yards. Field goal opportunities could occur here still, it just would probably require at least two field goal conversion for Seibert to approach double-digit fantasy points.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

The Bengals ($4000 DK, $8500 FD) have a decent setup here in theory as heavy home favorites, but the absences or limitations of both starting defensive tackles might leave the already dubious Cincinnati run defense in a difficult spot against a Washington team compelled to run the ball at major volume. They should get the win either way, but it might be a bit of a shootout if the Bengals can't coax Daniels into making some risky throws, which he generally doesn't do.

The Commanders ($3600 DK, $8000 FD) defense just doesn't have anything going for it. Sorry.