The Cincinnati Bengals will be without Giovani Bernard on Thursday in Week 10 and that means fantasy football owners should start Jeremy Hill in his place against the Browns, while Andy Dalton will be looking to AJ Green and Mohamed Sanu as his two best targets and those players have the chance to put up some big numbers against Cleveland for fantasy owners.
Bernard will be out again after missing action last week and that gave way for Jeremy Hill, who had a fantastic game with over 150 rushing yards and now he will get the chance to start again. Hill played very well against the Jaguars and he is a high end RB2 or a low end RB1 this week with a number of players on byes, including Arian Foster and Alfred Morris. Fantasy owners have been pleased with Hill, as he has been healthy all season and has been getting steady carries behind Bernard.
According to head coach Marvin Lewis, Bernard is dealing with a hip injury and he will be out for Week 10 and the Bengals are hoping that he can return next week with the long layoff. Hill is the top RB option for the Bengals and he is a very good starter option for fantasy owners with Bernard out, as he can also catch passes out of the backfield. Andy Dalton needs the rushing game to stay consistent and with AJ Green back in the lineup, both Green and Mohamed Sanu should have plenty of chances in the offense.
Hill had 24 carries for 154 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars and he was able to bounce back for a huge performance after a tough first half. Hill now has over 340 yards this season and he is averaging nearly five yards per carry. AJ Green returned after being injured and he played in over half of the snaps for the Bengals against the Jaguars and he ended up with three catches for 44 yards and a TD. Sanu is a good option alongside Green, as he has shown he can also put up numbers when both are on the field. Sanu had four catches last week for 95 yards and a TD against the Jags.
Bernard has 446 yards this season and has been very productive in seven games and he also has 22 catches for 179 yards and five touchdowns this year. Bernard had a strong rookie season last year and played in all 16 games, rushing for 695 yards and adding another 500 in the air on 56 catches. Bernard is a fantastic PPR player and Hill is developing in that area and Bernard has the chance to come back soon after dealing with an ailing hip.
In the last game he played, Bernard had 45 yards and a touchdown and he has had two touchdowns in his past three games, rushing for over 150 yards in that span. Bernard has had only one 100-yard game this season, but he has had at least two catches in each of his last four games played and he should be a huge factor once again when he returns.