Jeremy Hill Is Poised for Huge Fantasy Performance in Giovani Bernard's Absence

Giovani Bernard's fantasy football owners will soon learn the importance of drafting a stud running back's handcuff. On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Jacksonville Jaguars' 20th-ranked run defense, but according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the team will be without its lead back:

Enter Jeremy Hill.

The rookie ball-carrier will have an enormous chance to shine in Week 9. He hasn't had many opportunities to take on a large workload this season but showed what he's capable of producing during a 15-carry showing in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. He finished that game with 74 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards and one touchdown. That's a 15-point performance in standard fantasy leagues.

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Jacksonville has been good in the red zone against the run of late. The team has only allowed one touchdown to opposing ball-carriers in its last six games. Still, the Jaguars are giving up an average of 17.3 fantasy points per game to running backs, according to ESPN.com.

Fantasy owners shouldn't expect Jacksonville's recent trend of keeping opposing running backs out of the end zone to continue in Week 9. The Bengals become a very run-heavy team once in that area of the field. In fact, nine of the team's 10 rushing touchdowns this season have come from within its opponent's 10-yard line—only one passing touchdown has been produced in that area of the field.

Hill should be expected to establish plenty of momentum against the Jaguars due to Cincinnati's lack of depth behind him at the position. While he will still share carries, it won't be anywhere near an equal timeshare. Coley Harvey of ESPN.com tweeted his expectations:

Bengals analyst Joe Goodberry expanded on the notion that Hill will see the vast majority of carries against Jacksonville:

Hill's value doesn't solely reside in the running game. He has reliable hands out of the backfield, and that's resulted in 13 receptions for 131 yards this season.

Speaking of the passing game, a possible return of wide receiver A.J. Green could actually help Hill's impending performance. Cincinnati's opponents have been able to focus on stopping the run without Green's threatening presence on the field; however, that could change in Week 9.

According to head coach Marvin Lewis, via ESPN's Harvey, Green is on track to play. "If everything stays the way it is, he'll play."

With Green in the fold against Jacksonville's 27th-ranked pass defense, expect more attention to be on the prolific wide receiver, giving Hill plenty of opportunities to break free and rack up the points for his fantasy owners.

Hill should be considered a strong RB2 play, and fantasy owners should add him to their starting lineups with confidence.