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Most fantasy football players may have the assumption that at 6-foot-1, 238 pounds, rookie running back Jeremy Hill would see the majority of the goal-line carries. That assumption appears to be wrong.
For second-year back Giovani Bernard, the ways he will be used in the offense seems to change from week to week. Earlier reports suggested that Bernard would be used more heavily in the passing attack, which would increase the rushing work for Hill or BenJarvus Green-Ellis. If Green-Ellis makes the final roster, it doesn’t seem that he will gain a significant amount of work, making Hill an attractive option. Now that Bernard will reportedly see some goal-line carries, Hill’s value will take a hit.
The changing of how Bernard will be used just appears to be the excitement the Cincinnati Bengals have for the 22-year-old back. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson stated that Bernard has had an outstanding camp, and he has excelled in protection, blocks, receiving and his explosiveness. At this point I don’t think Bernard will be relegated to mainly a receiving or rushing role, but I do think that this news means he will be out on the field more than his counterparts. The Bengals want to give him as many touches as possible, and less carries will obviously hurt the upside of Hill.
Surprisingly, Bernard had three rushing touchdowns of three or fewer yards, one rushing touchdown of seven yards and an outlier rushing touchdown of 35 yards. Again, this doesn’t mean he will completely take over when the Bengals need to rush the ball in close, it just means that the team has enough faith in him to make plays happen. He won’t be a complete goal-line vulture, but he will take opportunities away from Hill.
Hill still has upside for your fantasy football team, but if you want to own the highest-scoring back for the Bengals, Bernard should be your guy.
Jack Delaney is a fantasy football writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @jackbmore13, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google
