Week 14 fantasy football recap for Bengals players

For the first time in a long time, nearly every Bengals skill player produced at a high level in Week 14. In fact, if you rostered every Bengals player with at least 30 percent ownership in Yahoo! leagues, you'd actually have a pretty competitive team for the week. They were simply that good. There's a lot to discuss from Sunday's win over the Indianapolis Colts, so let's get to it.

Who Performed

Andy Dalton: Wow. After spending the majority of the past month putting up sub-par fantasy numbers, Dalton finally ignited as a top-five fantasy quarterback for Week 14. Dalton finished with 275 yards and four total touchdowns. Anyone who gambled on Dalton with their fantasy playoffs on the line certainly took a risk, but it paid off. As impressive as Dalton's numbers were, he'll be a risky play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

A.J. Green: With 72 yards and a touchdown, hopefully Green kept fantasy owners afloat as they move forward in their fantasy playoffs. PPR owners were rewarded with six catches as well. If fantasy owners can survive with Green through Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they'll have a dream match up during their fantasy Super Bowl against the Minnesota Vikings.

Marvin Jones: It almost got to the point where I was going to stop bringing up Marvin Jones in my Bengals sit/start articles. He didn't have more than 12 receiving yards for three straight games, and his ownership percentage was dropping well below 40 percent, and rightfully so. Jones finally reemerged with 60 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. I don't know that this necessarily means he's worth starting in your fantasy playoffs - we'll discuss that later in the week of course. Regardless, he was pleasant surprise for owners that were starting him in desperation.

Giovani Bernard and BenJarvus Green-Ellis: Bernard didn't find the end zone this week, but his 99 rushing yards were helpful for fantasy owners. Add 49 receiving yards to Bernard's afternoon, and you've got solid RB2 numbers for the week. He'll continue to be a low-end RB2 with great upside especially in PPR leagues. Green-Ellis' 48-yard performance salvaged from his two touchdowns on Sunday. In standard scoring leagues, Green-Ellis finished with more fantasy points thanks to his two end zone punches. He's still a risky flex play every week, but there's no question he's getting a decent workload regardless of the hot hand in Cincinnati.

Jermaine Gresham: He caught five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. It was one of those rare weeks when a Bengals tight end was a borderline top-ten fantasy tight end. Both he and Tyler Eifert will be difficult to trust moving forward, but owners that plugged him into their lineup in desperation were likely relieved by his Week 14 performance.

Who Struggled

Cincinnati defense: After ranting about how they continue to overachieve in fantasy, the Bengals finally fell flat. I admittedly picked the wrong week to finally give in and demand that you start them in Week 14, and they cost me in several leagues. It was simply a rare week when the Bengals gave up too many points without making plays. With no sacks, interceptions, fumble recovery, or score on defense (or special teams), it was Cincinnati's lowest scoring week of the season. We'll talk about their fantasy value against the Steelers later in the week.

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.