Stat Factors: Week 1
NFL Advanced Data is more accessible than ever, and with the power of providers like Sports Info Solutions and PlayerProfiler.com, RotoGrinders is here to bring them to your doorstep. Each week, Stat Factors will compare 99 team level metrics and hundreds more advanced player level analytics to bring you five key “Stat Factors” that matter for each game. We’ll then break them down and teach you how to empower your decision making for the week using these factors. The best DFS players in the world supplement their process with sports analytics, and we’re here to help you get a fast start to your week of research.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Indianapolis Colts
If I gave you 32 guesses at who ran the most plays in Week 16 and Week 17 of last season, you would need plenty of them to land on the Bengals. The Bengals totally abandoned the Ken Zampese offense in favor of Bill Lazors Week 16, and it was a huge shift. Even with this #1 ranking for Weeks 16 and 17, they still ranked dead last on the season in total play volume. The late-season shift was a total 180 under the Lazor system, and that’s the system they’ll run this season. I am not suggesting the Bengals will have the highest play volume, but I am suggesting you need to erase your memory of that 2017 squad.
Can the offensive line keep Andy Dalton clean? The Colts defense struggled to sack the QB in 2017 but is under new management that promises to deliver more Cover 3 looks than the 30th most they executed under Ted Monachino and Chuck Pagano. The Bengals offensive line features the unlikely question marks of Cordy Glenn’s ability to protect the left side (was once seen as a top player) and 1st round draft choice Billy Price’s ability to strengthen the interior (did not wow people in the offseason). The remaining trio of starters all graded under 70 per Pro Football Focus.
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