Tyler Boyd rightfully tabbed as Bengals’ most underappreciated player

Tyler Boyd slots as one of the most underrated players on the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of underrated players on the roster.

Cincinnati tends to fly under the proverbial radar as it is and especially with the team struggling so much over the past few years.

But one of the biggest underrated names?

Tyler Boyd, as argued by NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund:

“There weren’t many bright spots in the Bengals’ offense last season (Joe Mixon was one of the few), but it seems Boyd isn’t getting the respect he deserves. He ranked sixth in the NFL last season with 661 receiving yards from the slot, per Next Gen Stats. When you add in the context of Cincinnati’s extremely subpar offensive line and A.J. Green’s season-long absence, Boyd’s impact starts to come into focus. For rookie QB Joe Burrow, Boyd’s on- and off-ball impact will be a key in the passing game.”

Frelund used a model that calculated player value and looped in factors like production on each snap, draft positioning, salary and more.

Boiling it down in simpler terms, Boyd is great. With A.J. Green mostly sidelined in each of the last two seasons, he functioned as the No. 1 wideout while going for 1,000-plus yards both years and scoring 12 touchdowns with 50-plus first downs both times.

Now add in the surrounding circumstances like iffy quarterback play behind a shaky line and a lack of serious threats at the other skill positions — one begins to see why Boyd was so undervalued on a national scale.

Not to take shine from Boyd, but Joe Mixon, Trey Hopkins and a handful of others could also fall under this same classification. As things improve though, Boyd stands at the forefront of Bengals who could be ready for a massive breakout, shedding this label for good.

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Tyler Boyd, John Ross make 2020 Bengals-Browns rivalry more interesting on social media

Tyler Boyd and John Ross just made Bengals vs. Browns more interesting.

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The Cincinnati Bengals might be falling back into quiet offseason mode now after a fun trip to free agency and the draft itself.

Just don’t tell the players.

Wideouts Tyler Boyd and John Ross each had some interesting thoughts on social media recently pertaining to the Cleveland Browns — which naturally has stirred up plenty of debate.

Boyd started things off by laughing off a duo comparison from NFL Network, suggesting the Joe Burrow-A.J. Green tandem is better than Baker Mayfield-Odell Beckham.

Ross wasn’t too far behind in suggesting Joe Mixon is better than both Browns running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

The reality is a little more muddied. Burrow is a rookie and Green has been hurt. Mixon is easily a top-10 back, though. From a Browns’ perspective, the last few years have been a big disappointment.

The good news? These guys won’t have to wait long to put the proclamations to the test. The Battle of Ohio starts in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football and picks up again in Week 7, settling things for the 2020 season before the calendar even turns to November.

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Chad Johnson recruiting Higgins, Green, Ross and Boyd for workout

Chad Johnson wants to link up with Bengals stars like A.J. Green — and rookie Tee Higgins.

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Chad Johnson continues to be one of the most prominent voices for the Cincinnati Bengals in the aftermath of 2020 NFL draft season.

Johnson specialed in a feature welcoming Joe Burrow to the Bengals. He also made it clear publicly he wasn’t happy Tee Higgins fell out of the first round…until the Bengals grabbed him to start the second round.

And now Johnson is trying to get all of the star Bengals wideouts together.

Monday, the man formerly known as OchoCinco took to Twitter and tried to recruit A.J. Green, John Ross, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins for a workout session, while also dropping a line about being an assistant coach:

Some of the names involved — including Green — responded:

It should go without saying, but this needs to be streamed on some sort of platform if it ends up happening over the offseason.

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Tyler Boyd is tired of just another Joe Burrow-Bengals narrative

Tyler Boyd isn’t having it.

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Like most Cincinnati Bengals fans, star wideout Tyler Boyd is tired of the Joe Burrow narratives.

The most recent, in not-so-surprising fashion, comes from Colin Cowherd, who once again lobbied for the Bengals to trade out of the 2020 NFL draft’s top pick because he’ll struggle with the Bengals (passing on the first overall pick because other teams in the division might be better is an interesting hill to defend).

Boyd, as seen in his tweet below, decided to speak out against the narrative.

It’s all nonsense of course — and giving it attention is what those behind such narratives want.

The latest silliness comes after the Bengals committed more than $100 million to multiple free agents in unexpected fashion, as well as on a tag for A.J. Green.

As if Green being around to help Burrow wasn’t enough, he’ll also get a line returning first-round pick Jonah Williams and Joe Mixon in the backfield. Oh and don’t forget Boyd himself, who has consecutive 1,000-yard seasons while acting as the No. 1 wideout despite little else around him, iffy quarterback play and a bad offensive line.

Burrow-Bengals narratives have long been attention-seeking narratives that don’t make sense. Here, Boyd just went public against one.

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Bengals players aren’t happy with team’s portrayal in the media right now

Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon and others spoke out.

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Cincinnati Bengals fans haven’t been given much of a fair shake lately as the combine and draft nears.

Which means players haven’t either.

The national spotlight on the Bengals has been notably harsh, as has the speculation that Joe Burrow might not want to play for the team — which is blatantly false as of this writing while missing important quotes that suggest otherwise.

Fans have hit back on the coverage plenty and now players have joined the fray too via social media.

Tyler Boyd, the team’s No. 1 wideout over the past two years who signed an extension to stay in town, kicked things off before Joe Mixon and others joined in:

 

Understand Bengals fans and players alike know all too well the team has to play better to change the narrative and earn respect.

But when it feels like much of the coverage has merely lazily glossed over past successes of the franchise and when it feels like the coverage tries to influence what happens at No. 1, this is the result.

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Tyler Boyd ranked among NFL elite in slot production in 2019

Tyler Boyd was elite again in 2019.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to find out Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tyler Boyd ranked as one of the most productive slot wideouts in the league last year.

According to NFL Matchup, Boyd put up 661 yards on a 13.8 average from the slot last season, good for seventh in the NFL right around names like Cooper Kupp and Larry Fitzgerald.

Impressive, as on the whole Boyd had another 1,000-yard campaign with five scores despite no A.J. Green on the field for a struggling team under a new head coach that benched the starting quarterback for a stretch (got all that?).

The idea of No.1 play from Boyd is why the Bengals front office hit him with that four-year extension worth $43 million over the summer.

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Report: Robby Anderson doesn’t plan on giving Jets hometown discount

Not willing to give a hometown discount, Robby Anderson is looking to cash-in as he becomes a free agent for the first time in his career.

With the Jets season coming to a close, the team has a decision to make about impending free agent wide receiver Robby Anderson.

Anderson has a big opportunity to cash-in as the fourth-year receiver out of Temple will hit free agency for the first time in his career. Since Anderson and the Jets failed to come to terms on a contract extension prior to the beginning of the regular season, his price tag has gone up and he will likely command around upwards of $12 million on the open market.

At 26 years old and entering the prime of his career, Anderson is in a position to earn the biggest contract of his NFL career. With this in mind, a hometown discount for the Jets during bidding for his mind doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

“You got to talk to my agent,” Anderson told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News following the Jets 13-6 win over Buffalo. “I don’t think that makes sense.”

After a slow start to the season, Anderson had a second-half surge that could earn him a nice payday. He finished the season with 52 receptions for 779 yards and five touchdowns.

“I would say that I played the cards that I was dealt and made the most out of what I could,” Anderson said of his 2019 season.

Anderson will be seeking a contract similar to what receivers Tyrell Williams, Sterling Shepard and Tyler Boyd have signed recently. He is going to command a competitive market in free agency given his ability to take the top off the defense and game-breaking speed. Also working in Anderson’s favor is his underneath route-running skills, which developed nicely as 2019 progressed.

The Jets would be wise to get Anderson signed to a long-term deal before the legal-tampering period begins. Just don’t expect him to take a cheaper deal with the team that took a shot on him as an undrafted free agent.

Andy Dalton, Tyler Boyd say those hoping for Bengals loss aren’t ‘true fans’

Two Bengals stars had some interesting comments after the loss.

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Cincinnati Bengals players didn’t come close to quitting during Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins.

But fans of the team could be forgiven for hoping for a loss — doing so meant the Bengals wrapped up the first pick in the 2020 draft.

But team leaders like Andy Dalton and Tyler Boyd aren’t happy about the segment of fans hoping for a loss.

Here’s what Dalton told the media after the game:

“You don’t view that. None of those people are — those types of fans, they aren’t true fans. If you’re a fan of the team, you want them to win, you want them to be successful. Every time you’re out there, you want to win.”

And Boyd:

Odds are Dalton probably wishes he could have that one back. It’s silly to decry fans as not “true” fans because they cheer for a certain result — cheering for a loss Sunday was because those fans believe it is truly in the best interests of the franchise for the long-term.

Fans don’t need this watered down to understand — most surely get that they should be rooting for this team no matter what, and especially the individuals on it putting in the work. But they can’t blindly pretend they don’t understand the draft implications, either.

Particularly for Cincinnati fans, it’s unfortunate to hear this sort of wording from players given what they’ve been through over the years. That these true fans have stuck through it all and finally have something to be excited for isn’t something they should feel guilt over now.

Luckily for all, everyone can get back on the same page now — everyone wants to see the Bengals whip the Browns to close the season.

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Fantasy football: 5 sleepers to start, 5 starters to sit in Week 16

Five starters to sit and five sleepers to start in Week 16/ Championship weekend in Fantasy football.

It’s championship time in fantasy football.

A little scouting and you can avoid a crucial late-season loss or do just enough to cross the finish line with a win this week in the title game. We’ve got you covered with a quick scouting report to help you out.

Here are five sleepers to start and five starters you’ve got to sit in fantasy football Week 16:

Starts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

QB Jameis Winston

Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston is fresh off two back-to-back awesome games, despite not having some of his best playmakers. Can he go for the hat trick? Yes, he realistically could. Winston and the Bucs face the mess that is the Texans’ secondary this weekend. They’re the No. 28 pass defense in the NFL,  allowing 266.1 yards per game. Houston has also allowed 30 scores through the air this year.

RB Tarik Cohen

The Bears are out of it but their opponent, the Chiefs, are not. Kansas City will want to put Chicago away in this one in their battle for AFC playoff seeding. The Chiefs’ dynamic offense should get ahead in this one, which will make Tarik Cohen a menace out of the backfield via his hands. He’s averaged 5.5 catches per game over the last six games.

Stephon Gilmore jabs at Tyler Boyd after head-to-head matchup

The Patriots corner had some words for Tyler Boyd.

The small back and forth between the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots in the wake of their Week 15 encounter apparently isn’t over just yet.

Stephon Gilmore got the best of the Bengals in that matchup, picking off two passes and returning one for a touchdown. He’s also not done talking in response to comments made by Tyler Boyd.

Gilmore, when asked about Boyd saying he won matchups all day against New England, said the following on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak and Bertrand,” (h/t NESN):

“I don’t know, maybe he was confused, or, maybe, I don’t know. I don’t know what he was looking at. False confidence.”

Gilmore had previously said he knew what routes Boyd was running on both interceptions thanks to film study.

Allegations of predictability aside, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had said his wideouts got beat all day in matchups while defending Andy Dalton. Boyd very publicly said the opposite.

In reality, bad ball placement from Dalton and one of the NFL’s best outright defenders created a combination that ultimately led to the Bengals going down, 34-13.

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