Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver depth took a hit on Monday with news Marvin Jones will miss the next several weeks after suffering a broken left foot in Saturday’s practice. Jones emerged as a contributor for fantasy football owners last year, with 51 receptions for 712 yards and 10 touchdowns. His best stretch of the season came from Week 6-Week 9, with 19 receptions for 316 yards and six touchdowns, highlighted by a eight-catch, 122-yard, four touchdown game against the New York Jets in Week 8.
Mohamed Sanu is in line to take over as Cincinnati’s No. 2 wide receiver while Jones is sidelined, but does his fantasy outlook for this year change much?
Sanu had 47 receptions for 455 yards and two touchdowns last season after missing time as a rookie in 2012 with a foot injury of his own. He has grabbed some positive buzz during training camp, and hints he could be used in a multi-purpose role date back to June. Any plan to use Sanu as anything other than a wide receiver may be scrapped now, but overall that is good news for his fantasy potential.
Sanu had 115 receptions for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns during his final season at Rutgers in 2011, so increased target volume may drive a boost in his production and he has the size (6’2″, 210 lbs.) to be a capable red zone option. All six of Sanu’s touchdowns through two seasons have come in the red zone, including five from 10 yards out or less, despite totaling just 18 red zone targets in that time.
A six-week timetable has been offered for Jones’ return to action, which would mean Week 3 of the regular season at this point. He is candidate to be placed on injured reserve/designated to return just prior to the start of the season, at which point he’d miss the first eight weeks.
I don’t expect Sanu to emerge as a fantasy stud, with the Bengals looking likely to have a run-heavy offense under new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. But the opportunity is there for him to become a starter for a significant chunk of the season, and with A.J. Green grabbing attention from opposing defenses there will be targets available. At this point, barring significant progress from Jones between now and Week 1, Sanu is worth a long look late in PPR drafts.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter or connect on Google +.
