Beat writer Coley Harvey on the role of Giovani Bernard if he makes his return in Week 12: With the Bengals taking his rehab slowly, I can't imagine he'll play his regular load, and I can't imagine he'll be taking the pounding up the middle that he had before. The Bengals have been able to absorb Bernard's loss quite well. Rookie Jeremy Hill has been better than advertised, ripping off a pair of 150-yard rushing performances in his absence. It's not far-fetched to make the claim right now that Hill is the best running back the Bengals have. That said, Bernard is the starter, and has ability in the pass-catching game that Hill and others don't. You'll see a heavy dose of Hill on Sunday. But if Bernard does play, it might not be the role Bengals fans are used to.
We currently have Hill ranked several spots ahead of Bernard, who will likely be limited in his first game back. Hill is a solid RB2 while Bernard is more of a RB3/flex-type this week.
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