The Cincinnati Bengals have confirmed that running back Gio Bernard will miss the team’s Thursday Night Football game against the Cleveland Browns and rookie Jeremy Hill will get his second-straight start.
Coach Marvin Lewis made the decision official and said that Bernard will miss the game with a hip injury that sidelined him last week. The decision comes as no surprise as Bernard was not close to playing Sunday and there is no reason to risk the running back’s health on a short week.
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No surprise but Bengals HC Marvin Lewis told @RossTuckerNFL that RB Giovani Bernard will not play tonight. Jeremy Hill time.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 6, 2014
Hill remains a great running back option for fantasy football as the Browns rank 30th in the league against the run. As the feature back, Hill is the No. 7 ranked running back in fantasy this week according to Fantasy Pros consensus rankings, but the No. 27 running back for the rest of the season.
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The Cincinnati Enquirer believes that if Hill puts on another show that rivals his 24 carries for 154 yards and two touchdowns, he could force his way into a 50-50 split of carries with Bernard when he returns.
“Giovani Bernard won't play Thursday and his stranglehold on the feature back job is loosening. Hill was wildly impressive last week, putting 24-154-2 on the Jags' underrated run defense. If he eats against the Browns, beat writer Paul Dehner Jr. said he "will have earned an increase in his reps, particularly on first and second down." Bernard hasn't exactly been a chain mover this season, averaging less than 4.0 YPC in 5-of-7 games. The powerful Hill is at 4.71 YPC on the season.”
Bernard is a must own on all formats, but his value could soon be crushed by the emergence of Hill. Hill is a must own in all formats as long as he remains the starter and will be a player to watch when Bernard returns.
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