Bills vs. Bengals Fantasy Football Running Back Advice

Have one of the running backs in the Bills vs. Bengals game on your fantasy team and need some advice? Read on.

LeSean McCoy has had some extra time to allow his hamstring to heal and that’s the best thing Buffalo has going for it coming out of the Bye week. He’s the focal point of their offense and when he is running the ball with success against an opponent the Bills offense has a different feel to it. They are able to sustain drives which helps gives their own defense a rest.

McCoy had a solid game against a tough Seattle defense getting 21 touches for 85 yards on Monday Night Football. With two more weeks to rest up his hamstring, he should go for over 100 yards this week against the Bengals. Cincinnati gives up the 24th most rushing yards per game as a defense and the Bills have the advantage this week despite the fact that they may have new faces in two positions on the offensive line.

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The Bills are finally starting to get Mike Gillislee more involved in the offense. In the past four weeks, he has gotten at least five touches in each game. He averages a solid 6.0 yards per carry this season and does a great job spelling McCoy. The issue is he doesn’t get enough touches consistently from the team and so he only merits being a handcuff to McCoy and on your bench when Shady is healthy.

Jeremy Hill is the Bengals lead running back but they split time between him and Giovani Bernard. Bernard has gotten at least five carries in every game and has four games in which he has double-digit carries.

Giovani Bernard is having a tough season running the ball. In five of the nine games that he’s played he has rushed for under 25 yards. The most yards that he has put up this season in a game is just 80. His three total touchdowns on the year and 3.8 yards per carry just doesn’t cut it.

He adds some value in the passing game where his 296 yards receiving is the second most on the Bengals. He’s consistently been an asset in the passing game during his career but it’s how many touches in the running game that restricts him and makes him not worth starting in fantasy.

Jeremy Hill is the team’s primary back and he’s having a much better year than Bernard rushing the ball. He averages a more robust 4.7 yards per carry, he has six touchdowns rushing compared to Bernard’s two and has the 15th most yards rushing in the NFL this season with 561.

Next: Bills vs. Bengals Fantasy Football Defense Advice

Buffalo has been hit or miss against opposing running backs this year. In this week, they may focus a bit too much on the Bengals passing attack which means Hill and Bernard combined could have impressive numbers. The problem is sorting out which one of them will get the production. Hill is getting double digit carries in most games so he’s the guy to go with if you are determined to start either him or Bernard.

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