NFL Week 6 Fantasy Football: Bengals vs Bills starts and sits

The Bengals are in Buffalo for a Week 5 clash with the Bills.

As has been the case all year, Cincinnati will have several players you'll want to be starting in fantasy football. Here's a look at which Bengals you need to be starting and sitting this week.

Start 'Em

QB Andy Dalton
Not only is Andy Dalton playing like an elite quarterback on the field, but he's dominating in fantasy football scoring. Through five weeks, Dalton is the No. 1 fantasy scorer with 137.4 total points, according to FFToday. He's also the No. 2 player in fantasy points per game (27.5), just behind Patriots QB Tom Brady (29.9), while being ahead of both Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (25.7) and Panthers QB Cam Newton.

While it's surprising that Dalton has scored that much, it's not that big of a shock to see him back among the top fantasy quarterbacks. Though the Bengals are built to have a dominant ground game, their schedule and running back play has forced them to rely on the arm of Dalton more than most expected.

That will likely be the case again this week against a Bills defense allowing the sixth-most points to quarterbacks this season.

WR A.J. Green
Adding to the prefacing remarks on Dalton, the Bills are allowing the seventh-most points to opposing receivers through their first five games. Stephon Gillmore and Ronald Darby are two good corners, but shoddy play at safety is allowing offenses to get big yards through the air, and A.J. Green could be poised for a big game.

In what may have been his toughest matchup last week against Richard Sherman and the Seahawks, Green still caught six passes for 78 yards and even had a 72-yard touchdown wiped out by a holding penalty. Green remains a must-start every week.

RB Giovani Bernard
The Bills defense is great at stopping running backs that run between the tackles, but guys like Giovani Bernard who can hit the edge with speed might be able to pick up big yardage against Buffalo. In fact, Bernard totaled 100 all-purpose yards and one score as a rookie in 2013, a game in which the Bengals won in overtime.

A total of 72 of those yards and the score actually came in the air, and Bernard is averaging 94.6 yards per game this year. He's also getting the bulk of the touches right now, and until that changes, he's the Bengals back to start.

TE Tyler Eifert
Andy Dalton has been looking for Tyler Eifert early and often this year as the third-year tight end has become a focal point in the offense. He's averaging 4.8 catches for 62.4 yards and one score per game this season--a great stat line for any tight end. He's become a guy you start every week, and that's no different against a Bills defense that's allowed the fifth-most catches to tight ends this season.

Sit 'Em

RB Jeremy Hill
It's been a rough start this season for Jeremy Hill, and not all of it can be blamed on him. If you read our Bengals running back fantasy football preview, you'd know they were going against a brutal schedule in terms of defenses' ability to stop running backs. They were set to face the No. 1 (Ravens, twice), No. 3 (Seahawks), No. 4 (Cardinals), No. 5 (49ers), No. 6 (Bills), No. 9 (Rams), No. 10 (Broncos) and No. 11 (Chiefs) defenses in number of points allowed by opposing running backs last season.

Three of Cincinnati's first five games in 2015 have come against the aforementioned teams, and all three helped limit the Bengals' ground game and force the offense to rely on the more speedier Giovani Bernard, who can get big yards outside the tackles while also catching several passes per game.

That's not what Hill does best. He runs between the tackles and right at the teeth of opposing front sevens, which is a big reason why he's not doing much thus far. The trend might continue and he probably won't be highly-effective against a Bills defense that's allowing the seventh-fewest points to opposing backs this season.