Evan Silva’s Matchups: Bengals at Ravens

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Thursday Night Football

Cincinnati @ Baltimore

Team Totals: Ravens 29.5, Bengals 23.5

The Bengals appear likely to play TNF without WR Tee Higgins (quad/groin) but may get back LT Orlando Brown (knee/leg), who returned to practice on a limited basis Tuesday. Joe Burrow did show he’s capable of putting up big box-score stats sans both in Week 9’s five-touchdown dissection of the Raiders, while this contest offers shootout possibilities as Week 10’s highest-totaled game. Only two NFL teams have allowed more fantasy QB points than Baltimore, while the Ravens openly admitted their lack of pass-defense confidence by trading for CB Tre’Davious White (Rams) on Tuesday. … In Zack Moss’ (neck) Week 9 absence, Chase Brown parlayed a career-high 32 touches into 157 yards and a TD while logging 80% of Cincy’s offensive snaps. The Bengals traded for Khalil Herbert on deadline day, but he won’t be ready for much of a workload with two days to prepare. This will be Brown’s backfield for the foreseeable future should rumors Moss is headed to I.R. prove true. There is nothing favorable about Brown’s Thursday night matchup, but Brown’s usage projection and big-play ability give him RB1/2 valuation in a potentially high-scoring affair.

The Ravens’ struggling secondary has hemorrhaged big-time receiving lines of 10/193/2 (Ja’Marr Chase), 7/122/0 (Courtland Sutton), 9/110/1 (Davante Adams), 7/103/0 (Rashee Rice), 7/99/2 (Cedric Tillman), 9/83/2 (Tee Higgins), and 6/53/2 (Terry McLaurin). Chase is a top-three WR1 in Week 10. … Mike Gesicki’s stat lines in Higgins’ last three missed games are 5/100/2, 7/91/0, and 7/73/0. The Ravens have yielded the league’s fifth-most catches (52) and third-most yards (608) to tight ends, and Gesicki will likely have to play even more after the Bengals lost versatile rookie TE Erick All Jr. to a torn ACL last Sunday. … Andrei Iosivas is worth consideration on single-game DFS tournament slates only. His stat lines in Higgins’ four games missed are 3/26/0, 1/10/1, 2/7/2, and 0/0/0. Iosivas did lead all Bengals pass catchers in Week 9 playing time (91%), so we can at least count on him to be out there a ton. … No. 3 WR Trenton Irwin, block-first TE Drew Sample, and No. 3 TE Tanner Hudson are touchdown-or-bust punts in single-game DFS. The Bengals reportedly wanted explosive third-round rookie WR Jermaine Burton to take on an increased role sans Higgins last week, but Burton was scratched after he skipped last Saturday’s walkthrough.

The Ravens enter Week 10 having scored 40+ points in three of their last five games set to face a Bengals defense permitting the NFL’s eighth-most per-game points (25.2). Since Todd Monken became Baltimore’s offensive coordinator at the beginning of 2023, Jackson has faced Cincy DC Lou Anarumo’s defense three times. In them, Jackson is a combined 66-of-101 passing (65.3%) for 849 yards (8.4 YPA) with a marksman-like 8:0 TD-to-INT ratio and 54.3-yard rushing average. … Derrick Henry is a bellcow on a team favored by nearly a touchdown at home. In Ravens wins this year, Henry is averaging 22.2 touches for 154.3 yards and 1.7 all-purpose TDs per game. … Justice Hill could become a factor in one-game DFS in the unlikely — but possible — event the Ravens fall behind on the scoreboard. … I’m stashing Keaton Mitchell where logical in deep season-long leagues. Due back soon from last year’s ACL tear, the dynamic sophomore would have a shot to emerge as Baltimore’s lead running back should something happen to Henry. Mitchell practiced fully this week.

UPDATE: The Ravens officially ruled out Isaiah Likely (hamstring) for Thursday night’s game.

Making a full-on sophomore leap, Zay Flowers enters Week 10 ranked No. 11 among NFL wide receivers in targets (67), No. 12 in catches (46), and No. 5 in yards (654). He cooked Cincinnati’s backend for 7/111/0 on 12 targets in these clubs’ Week 5 meeting and is worth betting on regardless of opponent. … Isaiah Likely’s (hamstring) probable absence fuels Mark Andrews’ projection fire, especially against a Bengals defense surrendering the NFL’s sixth-most fantasy tight end points. Extremely efficient of late, Andrews has caught 18 of 20 targets (90%) for 224 yards (12.4 YPR) and four touchdowns over Baltimore’s last five games. … Playable in season-long-league bye-week crunches, Rashod Bateman does not yet appear at significant risk of losing No. 2 WR duties to Diontae Johnson. At least for the moment, the Ravens look to be viewing Johnson as a punt-return upgrade and threat to No. 3 WR Nelson Agholor. … Charlie Kolar will be playable in single-game DFS if Likely sits.

Score Prediction: Ravens 30, Bengals 24