The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Bengals vs. Dolphins Week 5 matchup.
Find a breakdown of every Week 5 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Cincinnati | Rank | @ | Miami | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -7.5 | Spread | 7.5 | ||
| 25.0 | Implied Total | 17.5 | ||
| 24.3 | 14 | Points/Gm | 11.5 | 32 |
| 21.3 | 13 | Points All./Gm | 25.3 | 21 |
| 62.3 | 15 | Plays/Gm | 52.5 | 32 |
| 60.8 | 13 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 59.3 | 7 |
| 5.7 | 11 | Off. Yards/Play | 5.1 | 19 |
| 5.7 | 24 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.7 | 22 |
| 33.33% | 31 | Rush% | 45.71% | 13 |
| 66.67% | 2 | Pass% | 54.29% | 20 |
| 36.21% | 2 | Opp. Rush % | 50.63% | 28 |
| 63.79% | 31 | Opp. Pass % | 49.37% | 5 |
- The Bengals are one of two teams (the other being the Jets) without a run of 15 or more yards yet this season.
- The Dolphins are the only team to run 100% of their second-half offensive snaps trailing.
- Miami has allowed points on 50% of opponent drives, ahead of only Dallas (51.3%).
- Miami is one of two teams (the other being the Saints) that have allowed the opponent to score first in every game so far this season.
- The Dolphins face third and long (needing 7 or more yards) on a league-high 31.8% of their sets of downs.
- The Dolphins have converted a league-low 33.3% (3 of 9) of their red-zone trips into touchdowns.
Trust = spike production for that player
Bengals vs. Dolphins Fantasy Quarterback Preview
Joe Burrow
It was far from a clean game for Burrow on Sunday, but he still put up fantasy production and finished the week as the QB2 (23.7 points).
Burrow attempted a season-high 54 passes, completing 39 for 428 yards (7.9 Y/A).
He threw 2 interceptions (both in Jacksonville territory) but also added a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak.
The Bengals came out of Week 4 with injuries to both Ja'Marr Chase (concussion) and Tee Higgins (groin/core).
Cincinnati has a bye in Week 6, so we may not see either player in Miami this week.
We will follow both players' status this week and adjust as more information becomes available.
Even if one of these guys plays, Burrow gets a major lift in a great matchup.
For now, we'll play it cautiously and assume both could miss Week 5.
That would cast a cloud on an otherwise tremendous matchup.
Even if both Chase and Higgins are out, I still wouldn't stream for Burrow.
Miami struggles the most where Burrow thrives as a high-success-rate passer.
The Dolphins have allowed a league-high 77.9% completion rate.
On throws within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, they have allowed a 90.5% completion rate (67 of 74 passes completed) and a 6.8% touchdown rate (28th).
I still believe Burrow can thrive in that area of the field with the remaining weapons.
Malik Willis
Things have trended south for Willis.
He has been the QB14, QB21, QB28, and QB34 in weekly scoring.
It will be hard to be lower than last week's output.
In a brutal matchup against Minnesota, Willis went 9 for 17 (52.9%) for 85 yards (5.0 Y/A).
What we haven't gotten from Willis is the consistent rushing to raise his floor.
He has rushed for 39, 6, 56, and 11 yards so far.
He only has 6 designed runs so far.
He leads the NFL with a 10.2% scramble rate, but it's hard to scramble without a dropback.
Willis is averaging 31.8 dropbacks per game, which is 23rd in the league.
Miami has thrown the ball 7.7% below expectations, 31st in the league.
Willis is a back-end QB2 for fantasy.
The matchup is not overly rough on paper.
The Bengals are middle of the pack in pass defense, allowing a 64.3% completion rate (15th) and 7.8 yards per pass attempt (21st), but they have allowed only a 2.9% touchdown rate (5th).
They have allowed 30 rushing yards to Baker Mayfield and 29 yards to C.J. Stroud, giving Willis an avenue to produce rushing yards.
Bengals vs. Dolphins Fantasy Running Back Preview
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More Week 5 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Week 5 NFL Games | Time |
|---|---|
| Bucs @ Cowboys | Thursday Night Football |
| Eagles vs. Jaguars | Sunday -- 9:30 a.m. ET |
| Giants @ Commanders | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Steelers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bears @ Packers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Lions @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| 49ers @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Ravens @ Falcons | Sunday Night Football |
| Bills @ Rams | Monday Night Football |
