The Cincinnati Bengals lost a tough game on Thursday night football, falling to the Miami Dolphins in overtime after a controversial safety and the team now could be without two of their top players going forward, as Geno Atkins may have torn his ACL and running back Giovani Bernard left the game with a rib injury.
ESPN.com is reporting that Atkins could be out for the season with a torn ACL, while Bernard left the game in the fourth quarter and did not return to action. Bernard has been one of the best sleepers in the NFL this season for fantasy football and he is not the only back banged up, as DeMarco Murray, Arian Foster and CJ Spiller are all dealing with injuries heading into Week 9. Bernard had a great game with two touchdowns and 79 yards rushing on just nine carries and he also added four catches for 25 yards in the game and his 35-yard run for a touchdown was a fantastic highlight play.
The Bengals have a long break due to the Thursday game and that could be enough for Bernard to heal up, although Atkins may be out for the year with his injury. Cameron Wake had the hit the knocked him out of the game and Bernard is continuing to have a very nice season, as he has over 350 yards rushing and four touchdowns and he has 30 catches for 267 yards, repeating what he did back at North Carolina when he caught tons of passes out of the backfield.
Bernard scored his first two rushing touchdowns in a number of weeks and moving forward he is a very solid fantasy option as he continues to get more and more touches and now that the Bengals are 6-3, they will be looking to get back on track next week. Bernard's run in the game shows exactly why the Bengals went after him in the draft in the first place and with DeMarco Murray, Arian Foster and CJ Spiller all looking a little banged up for Week 9, keep an eye on Bernard for the future.
The Bengals now will start a tough stretch with the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns in the division and then they will head into a bye week. The team plays on the road at the San Diego Chargers and then home against the Colts before games against the Steelers, Vikings and then the final matchup against the Baltimore Ravens and that could help decide the division.
