JACKSONVILLE (at Cin.): The Jaguars have put themselves in the Super Bowl conversation, with blowout wins over the Browns and Patriots around a 20-13 loss at Denver. Their +46 point differential leads the AFC. They visit a Bengals team sending mixed messages again, allowing 30 points to the Steelers after showing clear defensive improvement in the first two games. Both offenses can put up points, as reflected by the week's highest total (51.5). These teams played a 31-27 game early last season.
Trevor Lawrence largely got back on track last week after the Denver defense limited him in Week 2. He threw for just 182 yards but 3 scores, giving him 7 touchdown passes on the season, and rushed 4 times for 25 yards. He's spread the ball around, with four different receivers catching touchdowns. Lawrence had a big game against the Bengals last season, throwing for 272 yards and 3 TDs. Cincinnati had no answer for Aaron Rodgers last week (292 yards, 3 TDs), a week after allowing C.J. Stroud to throw for 353 yards without Nico Collins. The Bengals now rank 29th in pass defense (287 yards per game), and after allowing 246 passing yards per game and 33 touchdown passes (tied for 3rd-most) last season, there's little evidence they've improved.
Bhayshul Tuten remains the lead back after rushing 15 times for 73 yards and a score last week, with Chris Rodriguez getting only 8 carries. Tuten averages 15 carries per game, and that workload looks enticing against a Bengals defense that allowed 6.0 yards per carry to Jaylen Warren and the Steelers last week (138 rushing yards). Cincinnati played the run well in the first two weeks (now 9th overall at 96 yards per game), but it ranked dead last in 2025 at 147 yards per game. The Bengals have also struggled covering running backs the last two weeks, including 3 catches for 49 yards by Warren. They allowed the 4th-most receiving yards to backs in 2025, along with 7 touchdowns to the position (2nd-most), giving more reason for Tuten optimism.
Parker Washington had another strong game in Week 3, with 3 catches for 40 yards and a score. Jakobi Meyers and Josh Cameron have each scored in 2 of 3 games, with Cameron turning just 3 total receptions into 2 touchdowns. Brian Thomas had only 1 catch last week and 7 on the season; he played just over a third of the snaps last week, same as Cameron. The Bengals allowed touchdowns to three different Steelers wideouts last week after keeping Tampa Bay and Houston receivers out of the end zone in the first two games. Despite their overall troubles, covering wide receivers was a strength last season (117 yards per game, 5th-best, with just 9 TDs), so there are mixed signals for this group.
Brenton Strange hasn't done much since his Week 1 touchdown, totaling 7 catches for 72 yards through 3 games. If he's going to break out, this could be the week. The Bengals were again roughed up by tight ends last week (5 catches for 97 yards) after allowing 140 yards to Dalton Schultz in Week 2. They haven't allowed a tight end touchdown yet, but a year ago they ranked last against the position in both yards (85 per game) and touchdowns (16).
Cam Little missed a 70-yard attempt at the end of the first half on Sunday after missing from 54 yards in Week 2. The NFL record-holder for longest field goal has 22 points to show for his efforts (14th among kickers), despite the Jaguars averaging 27 points per game. The Bengals have allowed 9 kicker points per game, and with a big leg and the week's highest implied total, Little looks very good.
There's little debate that this is the Jaguars Defense's biggest test of the season, after facing the Browns, Broncos, and Patriots. Cincinnati has averaged nearly 27 points per game, and this offense is always a threat for big numbers with Joe Burrow healthy. Jacksonville leads the league in scoring defense (12 points per game) and has made big plays, with 4 interceptions and 8 sacks. But it had all sorts of trouble with the Bengals in Week 2 last season, losing 31-27 on the road even with Burrow leaving with an injury. This unit looks legitimate after finishing 8th in scoring defense and 11th in total defense last season, with 31 takeaways, but there will be better weeks to use it.
This report is just a small snippet of the Week 4 edition of Fantasy Index Weekly, part of the In-Season Analyst & Super Fanatic Packages. The newsletter includes our player rankings and 20-plus pages of matchup previews, plus stat projections and custom rankings for the games being played this weekend.
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