Getty Bengals John Ross & Carlos Dunlap
To say Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross lll has impressed thus far this season would be an understatement. Brown, who many decidedly stamped with the bust label after two horrid seasons to begin his career, has been a revelation to kick-off 2019.
John Ross leads the entire NFL in receiving yards through two weeks of play (DJ Chark surpassed him on Thursday). However, a tough matchup against the Buffalo Bills clouds his fantasy value in Week 3.
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John Ross Fantasy Outlook vs. Buffalo Bills
Bengals WR John Ross
No Cincinnati Bengal is more excited about the arrival of new head coach Zac Taylor than John Ross. Rumors circulated early this offseason that Ross would be traded before ever playing a snap for the Taylor-led Bengals. Instead, the first-year head coach has shown unwavering faith in the former first-round wideout.
Ross has averaged 10 targets per game through two weeks of play. He has made the most out of those added looks this season, averaging 135 receiving yards and 28 fantasy ppg, which is the second-most fantasy points by a wideout this season.
Ross was a waiver wire darling over the last two weeks and is now owned in 81% of Yahoo leagues. Unfortunately, owners may not reap the scoring output in Week 3 that they may have expected when adding Ross to their roster.
Buffalo Secondary is Stingy
Buffalo surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers last season. They currently rank as the 11th best unit against wideouts this season. The Bills have allowed an average of just 198 passing yards per game in 2019, the sixth-fewest in the NFL.
Ross’ biggest attribute is his speed. He has averaged a staggering 24.5 yards per reception this year. The big play wideout has also had a receiving play of at least 55 yards in each of his first two games of the 2019 season. Unfortunately for Ross owners, the Bills secondary has blanketed the big play thus far. Buffalo allows the league’s fewest yards per reception at just 4.9 yards. The Bills have allowed just two receiving plays of 20+ yards this season, which is second-best in the league. The defense is also one of just five teams to allow a passing play of 40+ yards.
Should You Start or Sit John Ross in Week 3?
In Ross’ defense, Buffalo has faced off against the likes of Jamison Crowder and Bennie Fowler over the first two weeks of play. Ross certainly poses as the biggest receiving threat the Bills will have played against to this point of the season.
However, Ross has proven to be a legitimate fantasy option for two whole games, while Buffalo has proven to be a stellar defense for multiple years now. Ross always has the chance to get behind the secondary and make us look foolish for sitting him. Still, the stats point towards Ross putting up his first underwhelming performance of 2019 on Sunday.
Ross may rank as a top-eight fantasy scorer regardless of position over two weeks, however for Week 3 against the Bills he’s not much more than a flex flyer.
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