Sleeper Watch

Last year, the Cincinnati Defense was a miserable fantasy option. The Bengals allowed 24 points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league (ahead of only the Giants, Falcons, Chargers and Cardinals), while giving up 351.3 yards, nearly 100 more than league-leading Dallas. They were vulnerable against the pass and the run, didn’t impress with high sack or turnover marks, and only scored one defensive touchdown all year. In short, this was a unit fantasy owners were best off avoiding.

The Bengals did make an effort to improve through this year’s draft, using six of their first seven picks to bolster their defense. The rookies, which include CB Keiwan Ratliff, S Madieu Williams and LBs Caleb Miller and Landon Johnson, will certainly help, as will new additions such as Deltha O’Neal or Nate Webster. It certainly appears as if Cincinnati is headed in the right direction, and the defense looked very sharp in holding defending champion New England to just three points in its second test of the preseason.

Nonetheless, expecting too much of this unit this season would be a mistake, and at this point, the Bengals don’t seem like a viable starting fantasy defense. Yet there is one reason why Cincinnati might be worth drafting after all: a relatively easy schedule during the fantasy playoffs. After facing New England in week 14, the Bengals host Buffalo and the Giants, who tied for the second-fewest points scored in 2003.

If your primary defense faces tough opponents in late December, when every game is do or die, consider stashing a team like the Bengals or Bills (who face Cleveland, Cincinnati and San Francisco in weeks 14-16) on your bench. It never hurts to have a backup plan.