2016 AFC North Rankings by Position: Running Backs
By Joe Serpico
No. 2: Cincinnati Bengals running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard
If you are a fantasy football player, these two running backs drive you insane. You never know which guy is going to be the one who carries the load for the Bengals each week. Marvin Lewis and his team do not care about fantasy. They know they have a duo that they can attack defenses with in many ways.
Hill is the classic straight line runner that makes a living off of punishing would-be tacklers ahead of him. He is a touchdown machine, scoring 23 touchdowns in his two years in the NFL. He finished with 11 rushing touchdowns in 2015, the most of any player in the league. He is also averaging 4.3 yards per carry for his career, and that is with a good chunk of his carries coming in short yardage or goal line situations.
When Hill isn’t on the field, Bernard is wrecking havoc of his own. When he takes the field, defenses do not know if he is going to carry the ball or be a threat out of the backfield. He too is sporting a 4.3 yards per carry and has 17 total touchdowns for his career. Hill has only 42 career receptions, but Bernard does a lot of his damage in the passing game, averaging nearly 50 catches per season. He is a home run threat any time he gets his hands on the ball.
The duo is the present day version of “Thunder and Lightning” with the traditional power back complimented by the speedster. With both players under the age of 24, the Bengals have two of the game’s brightest youngsters at the position and they will be a menace in the AFC North as long as they remain teammates.
Next: The Ravens Big Unknown