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A preseason foot injury for wide receiver Marvin Jones moved Mohamed Sanu into a bigger role for the Cincinnati Bengals, and also put him on the radar of fantasy football owners for at least the first few weeks of the season. Sanu did not have a great game in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, with four catches for 36 yards (along with a two-point conversion) and one carry for four yards, so the needle on his fantasy value did not move dramatically.
A.J. Green was limited in practice leading up to Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with a foot injury, but the Bengals’ top wide receiver was able to suit up and all indications were he was ready to go. But Green left the game early with what was later diagnosed as turf toe, and Sanu finished with three receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. Sanu also showed off his arm strength, with a 50-yard completion on a trick play.
Green has said he hopes to play in Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans, but I expect him to be considered questionable at best throughout the practice week. With a Week 4 bye on the horizon it makes sense to hold Green out if there is any doubt about his health, and Jones is on track to return after Cincinnati’s bye week himself. So at least for one game, Sanu could clearly be the Bengals’ No. 1 wide receiver.
The Titans have not been incredibly generous to opposing wide receivers through two games, allowing an average of 10.5 receptions for 119.5 yards and a 0.5 touchdowns per game to the position. Andy Dalton had just 23 pass attempts against the Falcons with Green out for most of the game, so the running game will surely be featured prominently again (45 rush attempts on Sunday) if Green is out next Sunday. That said, even if he is unable to break free for a 76-yard touchdown like he did against Atlanta, Sanu should see enough targets to produce another solid game.
Sanu’s fantasy outlook over the rest of the season is iffy at best, since it may only be a matter of a game or two before he goes back to being Cincinnati’s No. 3 wide receiver. That keeps him far from being a top waiver wire addition in all league formats, but for Week 3 Sanu has value in PPR leagues as a WR3 or flex.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter or connect on Google +.
