Fantasy Upside
Giovani Bernard joins a Bucs offense that lacked a receiving threat at running back a year ago. Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy combined for 79 total receptions last season, so there’s certainly production to be had in this role. Bernard has been a receiving threat for Cincinnati since 2013 and had a productive season in 2020 with 771 scrimmage yards.
Fantasy Downside
Bernard is not only joining a crowded backfield with Jones and Fournette but a crowded offense in general. He’s playing alongside Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard and more. It’ll be tough for him to find a role large enough to make him a consistent producer every week.
2021 Bottom Line
When the Bucs brought Bernard on, he gained a lot of James White comparisons. But don’t expect that kind of production from Bernard. White saw 218 targets in his last two seasons with Brady. There’s no way Bernard gets 100+ targets in this Bucs offense. Bernard will offer little as an actual runner, so he’s really only valuable in PPR or half-PPR formats. And even then, he’s barely in the top 50. He’ll have more appeal if there’s an injury, but for now, he’s a really low-end RB3.