Week 7 fantasy football recap for Bengals players

It was another week of strong offensive performances for the Bengals. Aside from the running game and defense, nearly every position contributed to fantasy owners' rosters. As usual, we take a look at who made big contributions and who may have cost you your week.

Who Performed

A.J. Green: He reminded fantasy owners that he's a true WR1 in all formats. Green caught six passes for 155 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Bengals win over the Lions. His biggest play of the afternoon was an 82 yard touchdown early in the first quarter. Green owners could have seen even bigger numbers, but Andy Dalton had several under-thrown passes that Green couldn't adjust to. Despite the occasional struggles from his quarterback, Green is benefiting from Dalton's ability to spread the ball around much more efficiently.

Marvin Jones: Jones caught four passes for 57 yards and was able to reach the end zone for a second week in a row. He's difficult to trust moving forward because Dalton has plenty of mouths to feed in fantasy, but back-to-back scores certainly make Jones worthy of the "Who Performed" list for Week 7.

Andy Dalton: He once again surprised fantasy owners as a top-three quarterback in most formats against the Bills in Week 6. Dalton once again climbed up the fantasy leader-boards with an impressive 372 yards and three touchdowns. Dalton has offered extremely impressive numbers for two weeks in a row. It's worth mentioning that Dalton could have seen an even bigger afternoon if it weren't for a handful of inaccurate deep balls thrown against a very beatable Lions secondary. Dalton is excelling at completing high-percentage passes. He's spreading the ball around more to his offensive weapons, which is keeping defenses from constantly committing to Green on the outside.

As successful as Dalton has been lately, it's still worth monitoring him to see if he can sustain the kind of output we've seen over the past few weeks. He saw similar success in October of 2012, but his numbers came back down to earth in December with just three passing touchdowns in four games. Regardless, he's a great addition in two-quarterback leagues and worth stashing in all other formats as Dalton looks to take the next step in his third year.

Who Struggled

Bengals running backs: Giovani Bernard owners were a little disappointed on Sunday as the rookie running back managed just 27 yards on seven carries. Bernard also caught five passes for 32 yards in Sunday's win over the Lions. Cincinnati's backfield was quiet for most of the afternoon. The Bengals chose to focus more on the passing game while giving their running backs a total of 17 attempts. BenJarvus Green-Ellis saw 10 carries and gained just 24 yards on the ground.

Even though the Bengals chose to limit their rushing attempts for the afternoon, it was encouraging to see Bernard targeted six times in the passing game. There were several plays in which Bernard was an extra step from breaking off for a big play, but he often found tacklers right at his heels all afternoon. He's always capable of an explosive play, and he just couldn't pull one off in Week 7. Regardless, Bernard is a strong RB2 option against a tough Jets run defense in Week 8. Green-Ellis continues to be a low-end flex option in deeper leagues due to his end zone opportunities.

Cincinnati defense: I wasn't a fan of them in fantasy against the Lions offense, but I didn't expect them to end up outside of the top-20 for Week 7. The Bengals did no favors for fantasy owners outside of avoiding negative points. They'll likely bounce back against a Jets offense that has given the fifth most fantasy points to opposing defenses.

Honorable Mention

Tyler Eifert: Eifert hauled in three catches for 45 yards and managed to get his first career touchdown. The fact that he found the end zone is promising, but he'll continue to be a frustrating start with Gresham sharing targets on the field.

Be sure to check out Who Dey Weekly's Nick Seuberling and I during the Fantasy Kickoff show every Sunday morning. Follow us on Twitter @FantasyKickoff and send us your questions before the end of the week.