Jeremy Hill Still Worth Owning in Fantasy Leagues Despite Low-Usage Week 1

If you got up from the couch to grab a beer or pay the delivery man, you might have missed the debut of Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill.

The highly touted second-round pick who excelled in the preseason and was expected to be the second in command to Giovani Bernard was almost nowhere to be found in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Hill received four carries and gained 19 yards. In all, he was on the field for 10 of the Bengals' 66 offensive snaps. By contrast, Bernard played 57 snaps. What was expected to be perhaps a 60-40 split or at worst a 65-35 split instead suggested a clear hierarchy had been established.

Given that Hill is owned in 92.3 percent of ESPN.com fantasy leagues, that's reason to worry. Hill was being valued as an elite handcuff to Bernard with the possibility of being a flex play if his preseason performance was a precursor to a rookie breakout.

If that was your plan, nothing about Week 1 should change your outlook on Hill.

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Any rational owner came into the season knowing the life of a backup is high in variance. Bernard himself received only 14 carries and gained 48 yards. The saving grace to his value came in the passing game, where he caught six balls for 62 yards.

Those were touches no one expected to go in Hill's direction. He's still a below-average pass-blocker, and though he is a fine receiver, he is not on Bernard's level.

To be clear: Hill is a backup running back. The reason he's on your team is the possibility Bernard may get hurt. Anyone expecting him to be more than a high-end handcuff is either a) in a league deeper than it's possible to write about on a generalized basis or b) taking way too many shots of Jack Daniels on draft night.

I mean, everyone likes to have a good time, but maybe it's time to examine your habits.

As for Hill himself, there's reason to believe his low usage was more an anomaly than what's to be expected.

That reason, of course, is what was said by offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Jackson went up to Hill after Sunday's game and indicated he'll be a more focal part of the offense going forward.

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What that means is anyone's guess. Jackson prefers a more conservative, run-first style. It's unlikely he envisioned Andy Dalton throwing the ball 38 times when drawing up the Week 1 game plan.

But with Baltimore holding Cincinnati to three yards per carry and Dalton having a decent amount of success through the air, Jackson would have been shoehorning Hill into a role he doesn't really play.

“In that first game, AFC North on the road in Baltimore—not that I don’t have confidence in Jeremy yet—I just know what I’m getting from Gio every time I hand it to him,” Jackson told Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official website. “I didn’t want to put the other young man in a tough situation where something could have happened and all of a sudden you look back and say, ‘What did you do that for?’"

Heading into Week 2, the Bengals should have a more run-conducive matchup.

Atlanta allowed 139 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries to New Orleans Saints running backs last week, helping Mark Ingram look like a viable fantasy option for the time since he left Tuscaloosa, Alabama. ESPN.com indicates Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson all scored eight or more fantasy points.

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Of course, most of that was a function of New Orleans' offense.

Thomas has assumed the Darren Sproles role as a primary pass-catcher out of the backfield, and the Saints kept getting deep in Falcons territory throwing the ball before capping it off with a run.

All three rushing touchdowns were from three or fewer yards away from the goal line.

Please hold on to your desk chair and prepare a tissue for tears following this horrifying and shocking statement: The Bengals are not the Saints. They are not as good at putting the ball in the end zone. Hill will not have a Robinson-esque eight-point outing because that's not the way the world works.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

If he is anywhere near your starting lineup, again, please step away from the mind-altering substances. They are hampering your decision-making.

But in leagues where Hill is owned—which there are too many of, by the way—there shouldn't be a rush to send him packing. In 12-team leagues with a short bench, where the likes of Justin Forsett and Terrance West are available, then Hill is droppable.

He's not going to produce at a high enough rate that there will be a bidding war for his services.

Deeper formats are where Hill can have value. Bernard has never withstood a full season of NFL work, and Jackson's commitment to getting him on the field more is promising.

As with just about everything fantasy-related, let's have more of a sample before dropping him outright.

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter @tylerconway22.