5 Reasons to Draft Bernard Scott in Your Fantasy Football League

Bernard Scott hasn't been able to garner feature back duties in his first three years with the Cincinnati Bengals. With BenJarvus Green-Ellis now in the mix, the initial thought is that he'll be relegated to a backup role once again. 

Not so fast. 

Scott, believe it or not, has some fantasy viability to him, though he hasn't been much of a force in fantasy thus far in his career. 

Here, I explain why. 

He Could Win the Starting Job

Green-Ellis was acquired in free agency, and on the surface, he's the better, more productive back. 

While that may prove to be the case, the former New England Patriot hasn't been handed anything just yet. 

According to Bengals.com, offensive coordinator Jay Gruden had this to say about the somewhat surprising running back battle: "He says both top running backs,BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Bernard Scott, deserve the ball, but if one emerges,"fine."

Sounds like Scott is finally being given a chance to earn a feature back roll in 2012. 

He's in a Position to Carry the Ball More Than Ever

Even if Scott doesn't ultimately win the starting job away from BenJarvus Green-Ellis in training camp, he's still primed to take on more carries than ever before. 

This Fox Sports Ohio article says the Bengals "envision Green-Ellis and Scott forming an inside-out combo" to replace the 1,000-plus yards on the ground they received from Cedric Benson last season. 

The preview goes on to say that "Scott should feel a sense of urgency in his fourth NFL training camp to prove he's ready to take on the biggest workload of his career."

If that's indeed the case, which it very well could be, make sure you don't underestimate Scott's fantasy value, even if it's only as a flex option. 

Cincinnati's Propensity to Run the Football

In 2011, Jay Gruden's Cincinnati Bengals' offense ran the ball 455 times—good for 10th in the NFL. 

The team went 9-7 and made the playoffs. 

Of those 455 carries, 273 came from the now-departed Cedric Benson. Though Green-Ellis was brought in to be the workhorse back, he only carried the ball 181 times last season and 229 times the year before. 

Because the team was relatively successful implementing a run-heavy offense, they'll likely stay with that plan of attack in 2012. 

Good for potential Scott owners. 

Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton exceeded expectations as a rookie, but he didn't blow away the competition. He threw 20 touchdowns to 13 interceptions on 516 attempts. 

While the team clearly would like him to take the next step as a passer in 2012, it may be better served to keep him in more of a game-managing role and allow the running game, defense and an occasional big play from A.J. Green help them win games. 

Because Scott isn't playing on a team with a true gunslinger like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees or Tom Brady, his fantasy value is much better than initially believed. 

As Trade Bait

We both know you don't have any plans to take Scott before, say, Round 12, and that's fine. 

Once you load up on your sure-fire starters and capable backups, you'll be looking to add potential steals that can help you out late in the season.

Scott's your guy. 

Even if you don't have the courage to drag him into a starting position in December, he's an ideal throw-in to that one big trade you need to pull off to win your league's regular season. 

We both know some owner will suffer a rash of injuries at his running back spot.