Bengals at Titans (+2.5) – 43.5 point total

Tennessee are home underdogs for their matchup with the Bengals this Sunday. This seems slightly surprising considering the Titans are 7-3, leading their division, and continue to find ways to win close games. This is an important game with playoff implications for both teams so I expect it to be a tight, relatively low scoring contest, and Vegas agrees.

The big question for the Bengals offense is whether or not Ja’Marr Chase will be able to return from the hip injury that has held him out since Week 8. His return would be a big boost for Joe Burrow but would lower the projections of his fellow pass catchers. If Chase sits, the Fantasy Life consensus rankings have Tee Higgins as a top-12 WR.

As usual, the Titans offense will run through Derrick Henry, but the passing game has shown some life in recent weeks with Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine delivering the first two 100-yard receiving performances of the season in the Titans two most recent games. 

My gut wants to trust the Bengals to win here, but I know that underestimating the Titans usually ends badly. If Chase ends up sitting, I’ll roll with the Titans plus the points.