Week 1 vs. Houston Texans
According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Rex "Burkhead is cleared to play in the opener but expect him to be eased into the mix because there is an acclimation process that still needs to take place." That could mean goal-line work for Jeremy Hill, but this situation is far too murky to consider Hill in your lineups.
Week 8 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Jeremy Hill only got 16% of the snaps last week, much lower than Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard. He is still getting more touches than Bernard, but this looks like Mixon's teams.
With a great matchup against a bad Colts defense, Hill is still someone to keep an eye on, bit if he doesn't see more touches, his fantasy value will stay low and that's what we expect at this point.
Week 3 at Green Bay Packers
Jeremy Hill remains the No. 3 back after two weeks in the Cincinnati offense, although he is not totally absent from the game plan. He practically tied No. 1 back Joe Mixon in snaps and had the same amount of touches as Giovani Bernard. But the results have not been worth considering him as a fantasy option. Hill is not really a roster option right now, although things could change with a new offensive coordinator in Cincinnati.
Week 2 vs. Houston Texans
It appears Jeremy Hill is the odd-man out in the Bengals' crowded backfield (which we predicted coming into the season). He managed only seven touches in the loss to Baltimore last week.
Although Hill has very little fantasy value at this moment, that could change if an injury occurs or the Bengals offense struggles. It's a situation to keep an eye on, but going into Week 2, Hill is not a starting roster option for your fantasy team.
Week 1 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Jeremy Hill was the most reliable running back on the roster last season, but he really put up pedestrian numbers for the Bengals. He only had two 100-yard rushing yard games and was held under 50 yards rushing in nine games.
Hill will still get touches, but as the backup to the rookie Joe Mixon. Cincy should use all three of their running backs in the offense, so that will limit Hill's impact. Keep him on the bench for Week 1.
Fantasy Upside
Jeremy Hill has rushed for over 2,700 yards during his three-year career. More importantly, he has averaged 10 touchdowns per season. Hill will have a role in Cincinatti this season, but it's yet to be determined exactly what that role entails, other than the exception he will once again be the goal-line back. This means the touchdowns should continue to come.
Fantasy Downside
After an outstanding rookie season, Hill's numbers have been average overall. What's more worrisome is the three legitimate running backs on Cincinnati's roster and how their touches will be divvied up. Hill's yards per carry average has dropped from 5.1 his rookie to season to 3.8 in 2016, hurting Cincinnati as a whole.
2017 Bottom Line
When the Bengals drafted Joe Mixon, it was a warning to Hill. Although he could be the starter when Week 1 roles around, he won't be a 20 carry per game guy. And odds are Mixon will be the main back at some point this season. Hill is being drafted around the 11th-12th round with an ADP of 124. This value is pretty spot on, as he will most likely be an RB3 or flex-type player this season.
Week 17 vs Baltimore
Jeremy Hill is banged up and only had seven carries last week against Houston. He should play this week, but his impact will be limited by those injuries. He also will face the No. 1 run defense in the NFL.
Hill struggled in the first meeting against the Ravens, so don't expect much of a change. He should get enough touches to justify being in your lineup as a flex or RB3 for Week 17.
Week 16 at Houston
Jeremy Hill had a very good first half against Pittsburgh scoring a touchdown, but ended up with only 43 rushing yards. He did have 21 touches, but the end result wasn't as good as it could have been. Hill did bang up his knee, but he did return during the Steelers game and is expected to play Saturday.
Hill has a pretty good matchup against Houston, who is 26th in aFPA to running backs. The touches have been there for him since Giovani Bernard went down. Despite the fact the Bengals aren't playing for anything, Hill is a good play as a high-end RB2 for Week 16.
Week 15 vs Pittsburgh
Jeremy Hill ripped off 111 yards against the Browns last week, reaching the century mark for the second time this season (with the other performance also against Cleveland). The problem for Hill is that he's not playing the Browns again this season. That said, he does have back-to-back games with a rushing touchdown (and 53 touches over the last two games).
Hill ran the ball 11 times for 22 yards the last time the Bengals played the Steelers back in Week 2, but the matchup is favorable as Pittsburgh is only 20th in aFPA to running backs. If Hill can get the touches again this week, he is a serviceable fantasy back for Week 15. Start him as a RB2 against the Steelers.
Week 14 at Cleveland
The snap count finally went up for Jeremy Hill to 57% last week, which was expected with Giovani Bernard out for the season. However, that didn't happen two weeks ago, so there was some head-scratching. Hill did get the higher snap count though, and he also got 25 touches. That's good news for his owners, though the overall fantasy numbers weren't great.
Hill has a great matchup this week against the Browns, who are 31st in aFPA to running backs. The weather should be snowy, which means an emphasis on the ground game. Plus, Hill ran for 168 yards and a touchdown in the earlier meeting this season. Start Hill as a solid RB1 for Week 14.