FanHouse Laveranuescoles

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet The ...
Team best known for self-destruction and felonies! Yes, only in America ... it's the Cincinnati Bengals. Honestly though, the troubled times seem to be in the past, as the Bengals are preaching team unity and singing a new tune heading into the upcoming season. Under the radar? Sleepers? Well, when was the last time we heard such chatter as it relates to the Bengals? Hold tight, let's watch this story develop. However, you heard it here first (sort of): The Bengals have some fantasy potential.

They possess one of the top quarterbacks in the league (when healthy), a stable of cast-off running backs, a troubled receiving corps with "rebound" potential and the capability to be an explosive offense, again. Will the line hold up to keep Carson healthy? Will Ochocinco snap back into circa 2005 form? A lot of questions, but you already know there is gonna be risk with these guys. However, this year they do offer a sliver of hope that they will indeed reward.

After saying that he and Carson Palmer "were like Brokeback Mountain," it only made sense that Chad Ochocinco would move in with the Bengals quarterback this summer. That was the plan (according to Mr. Ochocinco), anyway.

Palmer's wife -- and I'd assume Palmer, too -- had other ideas. The family just had twins, and even if they hadn't, I'm not sure they would be interested in introducing crazy into their home. Via the Dayton Daily News' Chick Ludwig:

Even Carson Palmer, the unassuming Opie Taylor-looking Bengals quarterback, has his limits. After spending most of the 2008 season on the sidelines with a bum elbow, the 2003 first-overall pick is healthy and participating in voluntary workouts. Which, like previous offseasons, isn't the case with Chad Javon Ochocinco.

He's reportedly working out in Los Angeles, and I don't doubt that -- Chad always seems prepared, at least physically, for the start of the NFL season -- but that's not really the point. Cincinnati won just four times last year, and hasn't had a winning record since 2005, also the last time they advanced to the playoffs. (Coincidentally, that was the other time Palmer suffered a significant injury. Thanks Kim von Oelhoeffen!)

Brett Favre isn't going away. Just accept it, cope, and try to move on. Last week, Yahoo! Sports reported that the ole gunslinger was done. A day later, speculation suggested otherwise.

And now it's like every other offseason: Favre doesn't know what his NFL future holds, we'll spend months talking about it, and, ultimately, he'll return for one more season. Good times.

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

Any potential turnaround in Cincinnati is going to be keyed by a healthy Carson Palmer. The quarterback missed most of last season with a bad elbow, and both he and replacement Ryan Fitzpatrick took too many hits to be truly effective. In order for the Bengals to improve, they have to find a way to shore up the leaky offensive line, while also continuing to build the groundwork for an effective, consistent defense.

After watching their team flounder to a 4-11-1 record -- largely without him -- in 2008, Bengals fans likely can't wait to see Carson Palmer healthy and leading their offense again.

Based on what we heard during the start of offseason workouts Monday, Palmer is on the right track. In fact, he's more than just on the right track. Palmer says he's ready to go.

Matt Jones has been out of work for three days now, but rangy wide receivers who can run -- even the mediocre, seemingly apathetic ones -- are forever at a premium. And that probably means he won't be jobless for long.

The New York Daily News' Bob Glauber writes that the Jets and Cowboys -- two teams in need of big-play threats -- could be interested in Jones' services. It sounds like nothing more than speculation at this point, but the Jets gave Laveranues Coles his release earlier this month, and they don't have a legit No. 1 wideout currently on the roster. They also don't have a legit No. 1 quarterback, so maybe it doesn't matter.

For a four-year span, the Cincinnati Bengals were an offensive juggernaut, a fantasy player's delight. In 2009, though, that all came unraveled in almost exaggerated fashion. It's true we warned you to be afraid of the Bengals, but even the FanHouse geniuses couldn't have predicted this. The Bengals finished dead last in football in total offense. They checked in, again, at number 32 with only a paltry 12.8 points per game.

That's embarrassing territory for a team who had grown accustomed to lighting up the scoreboard. Can we expect a bounce-back from the once dominant offense?

While the rest of the NFL is taking part in a free agent spree, the Chicago Bears have been incredibly quiet. I'm not necessarily talking about signing guys, because sometimes that stuff is out of your control. I'm talking about the Bears not being mentioned in any rumors for any free agent or possible trade target.

It's not as though the team doesn't have needs, as I outlined five in the offseason roadmap. I unintentionally omitted another need, which was astutely pointed out by the first commenter -- that they need an able-bodied backup to Matt Forte in the backfield as well. So that makes six pretty important needs.

On Monday, the Seahawks signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh to a five-year, $40 million deal. Great news for Seattle -- Matt Hasselbeck will finally have a legit pass-catching threat (a seldom-healthy Deion Branch doesn't count) -- but the Bengals were suddenly down to Chad Ocho Cinco in the reliable wide receiver department. (Yikes.)

Apparently, the thought of starting the season with Chris Henry, Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell was enough to motivate historically cheap Bengals owner Mike Brown into action, presumably at the behest of head coach Marvin Lewis. Whatever the impetus, Cincy has a new-old Houshmandzadeh: Laveranues Coles. Via NFL.com's Adam Schefter, Coles signed a four-year, $28 million contract.

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