Week 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers
A.J. Green has three games this season with double-digit targets, and his lowest single-game total this season was 7. He is the main option on the Bengals offense. He had a 189-yard receiving game against Buffalo before the bye week and scored a touchdown for the third straight game.
He will now face the rival Steelers, who are ranked fifth in aFPA to wide receivers. With the exception of last year's game (he missed the second meeting in 2016), Green has had a lot of success against Pittsburgh. Couple that with the targets, and Green is a top-five fantasy receiver for Week 7. Start him in all leagues and formats as a strong WR1.
Week 5 vs. Buffalo Bills
A.J. Green was okay against Cleveland last Sunday. He did reach the end zone for the second straight week, but considering how good Cincinnati looked on offense, Green only had 7 targets and 5 receptions for 63 yards.
That shouldn't discourage anyone as Green is still one of the best fantasy WRs every week. Even going against a Bills defense ranked sixth in aFPA to wide receivers, Green will put up very good WR1 numbers. Start him as a top-5 fantasy receiver for Week 5 and expect the targets to be higher than last week.
Week 4 at Cleveland Browns
Although the Bengals have struggled on the offensive side of the ball, A.J. Green has still been a strong fantasy receiver. He put up WR1 numbers in Week 3 with 13 targets that produced 10 receptions for 111 yards and his first touchdown of the season. The Bengals are a much better team when Green is targeted 10+ times.
Green will face a Cleveland defense ranked 26th in aFPA to wide receivers. He has had two 100+ yard performances against the Browns in his last two matchups. Expect another good day for him.
Start Green in all leagues and formats as he ranks a top-5 fantasy wide receiver for Week 4.
Week 3 at Green Bay Packers
Despite playing on an offense that has yet to score a touchdown, A.J. Green's numbers have not been as bad as the Bengals have looked. He still has had a least 8 targets it both games, recording 10 catches for 141 yards. Yes, those numbers might be low for Green, but the Bengals changed offensive coordinators and you have to think Cincinnati will get on track this week.
The matchup for Week 3 is very good as the Bengals face Green Bay, who is ranked 31st in aFPA to wide receivers so far this season. Cincinnati still knows Green is their most valuable weapon and we expect him to put up typical A.J. Green numbers as the Bengals offense rights the ship. Start Green as a top-five fantasy wide receiver for Week 3.
Week 2 vs. Houston Texans
Despite the atrocious offensive performance overall by the Bengals offense, A.J. Green still had some decent numbers. He was targeted 10 times, which we can expect every week. He caught 5 of his 10 targets for 78 yards. Cincinnati was shut out, so there were no touchdowns for anyone.
It might not get much better this week because the Bengals don't have a whole lot of time to correct things (short week) and the Texans defense is very good against the pass.
Still, Green will always be a factor when on the field and he will be a fantasy factor Week 2 against the Texans. Start him in all leagues and formats, but expect a low-end WR1 performance.
Week 1 vs. Baltimore Ravens
A.J. Green is back and healthy, so the rest of the AFC North needs to be on notice. It should be another good fantasy season for Green. Green did not face Baltimore last season, but he owned them back in 2015. It seems he always plays well against better defenses. The Ravens were 13th in aFPA to wide receivers last season. Green is going to be a WR1 all season long and for Week 1, he is a top-five receiver. Start him in all leagues and formats.
Fantasy Upside
A.J. Green continues to thrive, putting up top-5 fantasy wide receiver stats every year whenever he's on the field. He has gone over 1,000 yards receiving every season, except in 2016 when he missed six games (still recorded 964 receiving yards). Green also remains QB Andy Dalton's favorite target and is the Bengals' most important offensive weapon.
Fantasy Downside
Not much in the negative department for Green. He is 29 and missed six games last year and three games two seasons ago. But he is fully healed from last year's hamstring injury and has always played at a high-level when healthy.
2017 Bottom Line
If Green plays 16 games, he will be a fantasy WR1. You can take that to the bank. But how high can he go? His ADP is nine overall, making him a first round draft pick. In both standard and PPR leagues, you can take him as high as seven and you will get value. 4for4 has Green ranked as their WR4, so don't think the missed games last year will affect his performance in 2017.
Week 16 at Houston
A.J. Green is expected to return to the field this week after missing four games with a hamstring injury. The impact Green has on the Bengals offense is significant and he was definitely missed. The question is how effective can he be and how much will the injury limit him.
The Texans are a tough matchup, as they are ranked second in aFPA to wide receivers. There is no doubt Green will be their focus, and the Bengals will also try to get the ball to him as much as possible. Start Green, but be wary of how healthy he really is. He rates a high-end WR3 or flex for Week 16.
Week 11 vs Buffalo
A.J. Green continues to be strong and targeted. QB Andy Dalton threw to Green 11 times last week, and although his numbers weren't huge (seven catches for 68 yards), he did score his fourth touchdown of the season.
Every week, you know what you are going to get with Green. This week should be a big one, as Buffalo is ranked 27th in aFPA to wide receivers. As long as the targets stay in double digits, Green will produce top-5 numbers. Start him in leagues and formats as one of the top fantasy wide receivers for Week 11.
Week 10 at New York Giants
A.J. Green is coming off back-to-back 100+ yard receiving games before the bye week. The one glaring issue with Green's fantasy value from the first half of the season is he has only scored 3 touchdowns. However, he is still averaging 7 receptions and 112 yards per game.
Green has a touch matchup Monday night against the Giants. New York is 10th in aFPA to wide receivers, but that doesn't usually affect Green's performance. Although he is not the top ranked wide receiver for Week 10, he is a solid WR1 against the G-Men.
