Giovani Bernard Week 11 Outlook -

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Thu, Nov 19th 2020, 8:18am EST

After Mixon got in one limited practice last week, the Bengals shut him down and then announced him inactive before gameday which means he's no lock to return this week, so stay tuned for updates. Bernard struggled to get things going against the Steelers, which was expected, but what wasn't expected was him splitting the workload with Samaje Perine and Trayveon Williams. Bernard saw 15 opportunities while Perine had eight, and Williams had five. Gamescript likely had something to do with that, though it's an added risk to his projection as the perceived workhorse with Mixon out. Outside of a game where they allowed Nick Chubb 108 yards and two touchdowns, Washington hasn't allowed a running back more than 86 yards on the ground and have allowed just three rushing touchdowns in the other eight games. The Bengals have run the ball just 37.1 percent of their plays, and Washington's opponents have averaged just 61.4 plays per game, which doesn't lead to a lot of run plays. When running backs have been targeted in the passing game, they've averaged 1.75 PPR points per target, which ranks as the third-highest number in football, but the odd part is that running backs haven't been targeted much against them, which is why there's been just one running back who's totaled more than three receptions and 30 yards (D'Andre Swift last week). Bernard has seen 16 targets over the last three weeks, so he's clearly a big part of their gameplan in that department. If Mixon misses another game, Bernard should be plugged in as a middling RB2 who isn't likely to win weeks, but he should total 14-plus touches. If Mixon returns, he'll move into high-end RB2 territory as a fresh running back who's ready to roll.