A Running Back to Target in Each Round of Your Fantasy Football Draft
Round 7: Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
ADP: 77th overall (7.07)
Like the sixth round, Round 7 is loaded with intriguing running backs.
Rashad Jennings, Danny Woodhead and Justin Forsett all have the potential to be value picks. Jennings looks poised for steady volume, Woodhead was the RB3 in PPR formats a year ago, and Forsett has been a very productive back for the Baltimore Ravens.
The all-around ability of Giovani Bernard takes the cake, though.
Bernard has the reputation of a passing-game specialist similar to Woodhead, but Bernard was very good running the ball last season, ranking 10th in Rushing NEP per carry among backs with at least 100 attempts.
| Player | Rushing Attempts | Rushing NEP/Carry |
|---|---|---|
| David Johnson | 125 | 0.147 |
| Thomas Rawls | 147 | 0.084 |
| DeAngelo Williams | 200 | 0.071 |
| Mark Ingram | 166 | 0.070 |
| Todd Gurley | 229 | 0.034 |
| Le'Veon Bell | 113 | 0.028 |
| Devonta Freeman | 264 | 0.028 |
| Rashad Jennings | 195 | 0.022 |
| LeGarrette Blount | 165 | 0.017 |
| Giovani Bernard | 154 | 0.014 |
That's not to say he doesn't do work as a receiver, because he certainly does. Among running backs targeted at least 40 times in 2015, Bernard checked in fifth in Reception NEP per target.
Bernard and David Johnson were the only backs to rank among the top 10 in both Rushing NEP per carry and Reception NEP per target.
While Jeremy Hill is the goal line back, scoring 11 touchdowns last season despite rushing for just 794 yards, Bernard -- who inked a three-year, $15.5 million deal this offseason -- gives the Cincy offense a big-play threat out of the backfield.
With Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones bolting in free agency and the oft-injured Tyler Eifert looking like he won't be ready at the start of the year, the Bengals have talked about using more two-back sets. There are a lot of targets up for grabs, and A.J. Green and Bernard figure to be the focal point of the passing game.
And if Hill were to miss any time, Bernard could flirt with RB1 status on a weekly basis.
