What to do with Gio Bernard in Week 11 fantasy football

Game day update: The Bengals placed Joe Mixon on injured reserve over the weekend, so this is the Gio Bernard and Samaje Perine show for at least the next three weeks. In PPR leagues, ESPN is projecting Bernard to have 14.6 points and Perine to have 6.2 points against a Washington defense that ranks 12th in terms of fewest fantasy points allowed to running backs.

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon will remain out once again when they take on the Washington Football Team on the road Sunday. For fantasy owners who own Gio Bernard, here’s a look at what they should be looking for ahead of this weekend’s matchup.

Fantasy Football analysis: Bengals RB Gio Bernard

In his last time out, Bernard was rather ineffective on the ground mostly because the Bengals found themselves trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers by a sizeable margin from midway through the second quarter through the rest of the game, abandoning the run. He finished the game with just 30 yards on eight carries and was actually outgained by Samaje Perine, who had seven rushes for 48 yards. Bernard caught four of seven targets for 17 yards.

In three games without Mixon in the lineup, Bernard is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and he has three total touchdowns.

Bernard will face the Washington defense that ranks 13th among NFL teams in stopping the run, allowing 4.3 yards per rush attempt. In its last game, Washington allowed D’Andre Swift to gain 81 yards on 16 carries. As a team, Detroit rushed the ball 21 times for 105 yards for five yards per carry. Swift also did some damage as a pass catcher with 68 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Bernard can safely be used as a second running back with the amount of volume he should receive, and his pass catching ability raises his floor for fantasy owners.