Should You Start Bengals Players vs. the Ravens in Week 1

Every time one of your fantasy football players goes up against the best defenses in the league there is a temptation to bench 'em. While this is understandable, it is not always your best option.

This Monday night, the Bengals go against the Baltimore Ravens. This affects a number of the top fantasy football players in the league due to the Bengals explosive offense. Here are some key stats for the top Bengals players against the Ravens.

• Carson Palmer - 91.5 QB rating, 10 touchdowns 7 interceptions in 6 games.
  
• Rudi Johnson - 52.7 yards a game, 4 TDs in 9 games.
• Chad Johnson - 61 receptions...76.8 yards per game...6 TDs in 12 games.
  
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh - 55 receptions...87.1 yards per game...5 TDs in 4 games.
  

Based on these stats, it seems very safe to play Palmer and TJ on Monday. The only players that warrant hesitation are CJ and Rudi Johnson. However, there numbers, although below par, are not terrible. If you have a deep bench at RB, you may have someone that can replace Rudi Johnson this week. But it is unlikely that you will have a backup WR that is any more of a sure thing than CJ. (CJ had 8 catches for 91 yards in the Bengals last game against the Ravens....a respectable performance.........Rudi had 78 yards and a TD in the first game against the Ravens last year).

Bottom line: Play the Bengals players this week. It may not be their highest scoring fantasy football week of the year, but they are all elite players and should still put up acceptable numbers. Unless you have a really deep bench, you are not likely to have any better options on your team.