DieselDeac
Gamma Omicron '00
I really miss this guy....
Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)
Bright spot: Safety Jessie Bates
Although fantasy players know about the stunning ascension of wide receiver Tyler Boyd, a more subtle story has taken place at safety. The Bengals are generally conservative with giving their draft picks playing time as rookies, which is why it was shocking to see Marvin Lewis cut veteran George Iloka during training camp to hand the job to Bates, the 54th selection in the 2018 class.
Bates has been one of the few healthy, stabilizing forces on a team whose season was ripped to shreds by injuries. The 21-year-old has three interceptions, including a pick-six of Jameis Winston, and has helped lock down the center of the field for the Bengals. Cincinnati ranks ninth in DVOA on throws to the middle of the field but no better than 21st on throws to either side of the hash marks. Iloka, meanwhile, wasn't even the first one off the bench to replace Andrew Sendejo in Minnesota after the starter went down because of a groin injury, as special-teamer Anthony Harris has taken over the strong safety role and excelled. Bengals fans don't have a lot to get excited about with Hue Jackson potentially looming in their future, but Bates is a promising player.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25576095/bright-spots-16-nfl-teams-playoff-picture-2018
Cincinnati Bengals (6-8)
Bright spot: Safety Jessie Bates
Although fantasy players know about the stunning ascension of wide receiver Tyler Boyd, a more subtle story has taken place at safety. The Bengals are generally conservative with giving their draft picks playing time as rookies, which is why it was shocking to see Marvin Lewis cut veteran George Iloka during training camp to hand the job to Bates, the 54th selection in the 2018 class.
Bates has been one of the few healthy, stabilizing forces on a team whose season was ripped to shreds by injuries. The 21-year-old has three interceptions, including a pick-six of Jameis Winston, and has helped lock down the center of the field for the Bengals. Cincinnati ranks ninth in DVOA on throws to the middle of the field but no better than 21st on throws to either side of the hash marks. Iloka, meanwhile, wasn't even the first one off the bench to replace Andrew Sendejo in Minnesota after the starter went down because of a groin injury, as special-teamer Anthony Harris has taken over the strong safety role and excelled. Bengals fans don't have a lot to get excited about with Hue Jackson potentially looming in their future, but Bates is a promising player.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25576095/bright-spots-16-nfl-teams-playoff-picture-2018