Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard 2015 Schedule Outlook

I listen to a lot of podcasts about fantasy football. I read a lot of tweets and articles. Recently I have heard a lot of industry folks singing the praises of both of the Bengals running backs. I'm here to give you Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard 2015 schedule outlook.

Image source: Creative Commons Fletcher45005

Cincinnati is facing the third toughest run defense opposition in the league in the 2015 season. Averaging the ranks of the run defenses they will face gives you an average of the 13.75. On top of that, the Bengals have 8 weeks of facing opponents that were in the top 10 run defenses from last season. That makes for a brutal season of tough grinding to gain yards on the ground.

The first 4 weeks of the season are good for Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard's 2015 schedule outlook, and then it quickly goes downhill after that. The Raiders, Chargers, and Chiefs are 3 of their first 4 opponents, and judging by last seasons numbers, those could set up nicely for the duo. After those first 4 games the only team that the Bengals will face in the rest of the season that was ranked worse than 14th in rushing yards allowed last season is their 2 division games against the Browns.

Last season Hill was somewhat streaky. According to ffconsistency.com, Hill had a consistency rating of 63%, meaning he scored 11 points in a PPR format. Of his 1124 rushing yards, 701 of them came in only 5 weeks of the season. That is a whopping 62% of his yards in only 5 weeks. Add to that the fact that Bernard missed 3 games in which Hill racked up 361 of his yards as the only real running threat, and was force fed the ball 2 of those 3 weeks. Hill did catch a few passes, but the yardage and PPR points were negligible.

Bernard was similarly streaky. His consistency rating from ffconsistency.com was 62%. Gio rushed for 680 yards last season, and caught 43 passes for 349 yards. His best receiving games were against the lower tier pass defenses. The upcoming slate of pass defenses will be difficult for the Bengals this season, and average of 14.06 ranked pass defense and also 8 top 10 opponents. He also missed 3 games with injuries last season. Now sure, injuries can't be predicted, but given his smaller frame, they can be more likely.

Add to the mix that the passing game is in for a rough season in 2015 as well. As i told you in my article on quarterbacks, Andy Dalton and the Bengals passing game have a lower third schedule of passing defenses. The combination of strong defenses all around might leave a little space for Hill and Bernard to have a few good weeks, but you can do better for your fantasy teams than what I think they will offer you this year.

Given Jeremy Hill and Goivanni Bernard's 2015 schedule outlook, and the time share in the backfield, I cannot justify the prices you will have to pay. Currently the average draft position on myfantasyleague.com is 18 for Hill, and 46 for Bernard. Bernard is definitely a slightly better value at those prices, but his workload figures to be less than Hill, and I think I would rather take a player like Jonathan Stewart, Latavius Murray, or even Frank Gore in that same spot in the draft.

IR Designated To Return

The past few seasons the NFL has had a spot for teams to place a player on the injured reserve list for a portion of the season and bring him back later. Often times, unless your league has an IR spot in it, these players get dropped and forgotten until they are returning. This is your chance to get out in front of the return of a couple of these players that may have some big fantasy implications.

Image source benglas.com

Tyler Eifert (CIN) is a tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals who dislocated his elbow at the beginning of the season. Eifert was placed on the IR to return list, and soon should be active again around week 11 for the Bengals. The passing game in Cincinnati has been challenged to say the least so far this season after the injuries to Eifert, Marvin Jones, and AJ Green. When Eifert returns you can expect him to get a decent amount of targets in the passing game and help to shore up a tight end position that has been fraught with injury and lack of production this season. Don't wait for the news to hit the main stream media that Eifert has returned to practice. The time to grab and stash is now. If your tight end has been underperforming, pick him up and stash him for the late season push.

Image source: buccaneers.com

Another name that has a chance to see significant playing time when he returns to the active roster is Charles Sims. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a disappointment all around so far this season. Sims was rumored to be part of a committee coming out of training camp when he went down with an ankle injury. Sims has already returned to practice in week 8, and with Doug Martin and Bobby Rainey not providing good production for the Bucs, look for Sims to get a shot soon after being activated to the Bucs roster. At 1-5, the Bucs are sitting on the brink of a lost season and will likely decide to take a look at the young running back that was drafted by the current regime.

I recommend adding one or both of these players to your roster if you need help at either position. They could end up being difference makers for your fantasy season, or hopefully your playoff run.