Cincinnati Bengals - Fantasy News

Giovani Bernard 2017 Fantasy Projections

by Mike Rose

8/13/17

NFL

Cincinnati Bengals

After making the playoffs five straight years, the Marvin Lewis-led Cincinnati Bengals failed to qualify last season. They finished 6-9-1, and the lack of success was in large part due to a subpar running game.

Despite Jeremy Hill leading the way, backup rusher Giovani Bernard failed to carry his load averaging just 10.4 Dober Fantasy Points (No. 118) per week. Reports state that he is progressing well from last year’s ACL tear, though, so fantasy players may be able to find a quality back each week in Bernard.

Why Giovani Bernard Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Stud

Something that could end up working to Bernard’s advantage—even though Hill and rookie Joe Mixon will get carries each week—is the fact that the Bengals ranked 8th in the NFL in rush play percentage (44.2) last season. The overall unit accumulated 1,769 yards on the ground.

In limited action last year, Bernard showed his team and fans that he is a dual back. He ran for 337 yards and two touchdowns and was equally effective catching the ball out of the backfield, reeling in 39 receptions for 336 yards and a score. That’s huge upside for himself and fantasy owners if he can stay healthy in 2017.

The Andy Dalton-led offense ranked 13th in the entire NFL last season. The unit accumulated 356.9 yards per game, and that included 110.6 yards on the ground. Hopefully that number alone plays into a healthy Bernard’s favor even though there are now more mouths to feed.

Why Giovani Bernard Will Be A 2017 Fantasy Football Bust

The unknown factor.

Bernard tore his ACL last season in Week 11 against the Bills, so you never know how someone is going to respond after having a crucial injury. Fantasy owners are going to be skeptical of him heading into the 2017 season and more than likely stay away when setting their Dober Fantasy Football weekly lineups. However, if he can bounce back and stay healthy, he could always be an option down the line.

The Bengals have a lot of decisions to make at the running back position. A lot of those will be based on Bernard and how he continues to progress from the brutal injury he sustained.

Hill will most likely be the starter come Week 1, and the team added Mixon out of Oklahoma in the second round of the 2017 Draft. Having three capable backs on the roster when he does return doesn’t bode well for Bernard in his quest at notching a nice batch of Dober Fantasy Points each week. The three-headed rushing attack could account for why Bernard will be a Dober Fantasy Football bust in 2017.

In his seven games against AFC teams last year, Bernard performed much better than he did in his three against the NFC. Versus the AFC, he accumulated 475 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Against the NFC, he managed only 219 yards and one score. If given a full season in 2017, he’ll need to perform better against the NFC teams on the schedule, as fantasy goodness is all about consistency. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens with him this upcoming season.