The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 5 matchup between the Bengals and Lions.
Find a breakdown of every Week 5 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Detroit | Rank | @ | Cincinnati | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -10.0 | Spread | 10.0 | ||
| 29.5 | Implied Total | 19.5 | ||
| 34.3 | 1 | Points/Gm | 15.3 | 30 |
| 22.0 | 15 | Points All./Gm | 29.8 | 27 |
| 61.3 | 18 | Plays/Gm | 52.3 | 32 |
| 57.5 | 7 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 69.8 | 31 |
| 6 | 5 | Off. Yards/Play | 3.9 | 31 |
| 5.1 | 12 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.7 | 26 |
| 48.57% | 5 | Rush% | 36.36% | 29 |
| 51.43% | 28 | Pass% | 63.64% | 4 |
| 42.61% | 14 | Opp. Rush % | 43.01% | 17 |
| 57.39% | 19 | Opp. Pass % | 56.99% | 16 |
- The Bengals have allowed a league-high 38 points off turnovers so far this season.
- Detroit has 14 more sacks plus takeaways than their opponents, the best margin in the league.
- 24.4% of the Bengals' yardage gained has been via rushing, which ranks 31st in the league.
- The Bengals are averaging 85.8 fewer rushing yards per game than their opponents, the worst margin in the league.
- The Lions average 45.0 more rushing yards than their opponents, third in the league.
- The Lions have scored a touchdown on 35.6% of their drives, second in the league.
- The Bengals have allowed a touchdown on 29.5% of opponent drives, 26th in the league.
- The Bengals are averaging 1.39 points per drive, ahead of only the Browns (1.22) and Titans (1.16).
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Jared Goff (TRUST): Goff has only posted one week inside the top 20 for fantasy so far.
He has faced two of the better defenses in the league, Green Bay and Cleveland.
He let down for fantasy in the other as Detroit ran in 4 touchdowns.
That could be the outcome here again, but his spike week came against a soft defense versus Chicago.
This Cincinnati defense could be worse.
The Bengals are 28th in pressure rate (29.1%) and 27th in sack rate (3.8%).
They have allowed 7.1 yards per pass attempt (21st) and a 5.2% touchdown rate (20th) to go along with 16.4 passing points per game (24th).
Over the past three weeks, Cincinnati has allowed 19.2 fantasy points to Trevor Lawrence, 15.3 points to Carson Wentz, and 25.7 points to Bo Nix.
Detroit has a team total just below 30 points here in a don’t overthink it spot.
Jakle Browning: It has been a rough runout for Browning in his second stint as a starter.
He has had back-to-back challenging assignments on the road in Minnesota and Denver, closing those weeks as QB29 (5.9 points) and QB31 (5.4 points).
Browning has been pressured on 45.8% of his dropbacks these past two weeks.
When pressured, Browning has been the league’s worst quarterback, posting a 25.8 rating.
Under pressure, he has completed 43.3% (13 of 30) of his passes for 3.9 yards per pass attempt and 4 interceptions.
He gets to start at home, but things are marginally better in this matchup.
Detroit has a 36.9% pressure rate (15th) and a league-high 10.6% sack rate.
They have allowed 7.6 yards per attempt (25th) and a 5.9% touchdown rate (26th), but the only QB1 scoring week they have allowed was Lamar Jackson.
Browning is a QB2 for fantasy, but if there is any hope for his weapons to have a better outlook here and help out his own fantasy line, the Detroit secondary is banged up entering the week.
Detroit lost cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed to injuries on Sunday.
Arnold’s injury is not believed to be serious, but he is expected to miss this week, while Reed is likely to land on injured reserve.
Amik Robertson and Avonte Maddox will be forced to step up, while Detroit added Tre Flowers via free agency this week.
Both have played in a small sample size this season, but Robertson ranks 67th in coverage per Pro Football Focus, while Maddox does not have enough snaps to qualify.
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 5 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| 49ers @ Rams | Thursday Night Football |
| Vikings @ Browns | Sunday -- 9:30 a.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Colts | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Giants @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Cowboys @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Broncos @ Eagles | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Dolphins @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Texans @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Titans @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Bucs @ Seahawks | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Lions @ Bengals | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Commanders @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Bills | Sunday Night Football |
| Chiefs @ Jaguars | Monday Night Football |