Tautological Thursdays
I’m fully expecting the Bengals to route the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cincinnati is 2-1 and fresh off a victory against division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Jags have come into the season as 0-3, with an upset against a 5 point underdog. Jacksonville has picked up right where they left off after last year’s 1-15 record.
Up to this point, I’ve been pretty disappointed with Lawrence’s performances. Sure, some of Urban Meyer’s decision-making is baffling, the offensive line has been atrocious and Lawrence’s playmakers have been dropping the ball like it’s New Year’s Day, but Lawrence’s hot and cold execution often forces the team to come back from early game deficits.
James Robinson is barely averaging more than 10 carries a game. Early game deficits nullify his effectiveness, which causes the team to decrease his workload, opting instead to throw the ball to try and get back into the game. That’s because, you don’t want to run the clock when you’re behind, as it leaves less time for you to get back into the game. Robinson is exceedingly expensive, he’s a dangerous red zone threat, but who’s to say that the Jaguars make it into the red zone? Or that, Lawrence doesn’t vulture a rushing touchdown should they ever make it anywhere near the opposing 20-yard line.
These three lineups are trying to have as much exposure to the Bengals play makers as possible.
The first lineup has the Bengal’s Defense, and Carlos Hyde. Carlos was just the best Jaguar player I could grab with my remaining budget, whereas the Bengal’s Defense have a legitimate chance to cause 2+ turnovers in their first matchup against rookie Trevor Lawrence.
The second lineup bets against Joe Burrow. When the Bengals beat the Steelers last week, Burrow only had 19 throw on the day. This is a matchup that has a much larger margin of victory for the Bengals, and so we may see another low-attempt, hyper-efficient performance from Joe Burrow that won’t be worth the expensive $11,600 price tag.
The third lineup is another variation of the first lineup. Swapping out the Bengals Defense for Tyler Boyd, Evan McPherson for CJ Uzomah, and Carlos Hyde for Luke Farrel. Joe Mixon is also starting at the Captain’s spot, in case Cincinnati begins to take to the ground early.
I’m feeling really confident about these three. As long as we avoid injuries, or the Jaguar’s don’t have a huge upset against the Bengals, I think at least one of these lineups will money.
