Giovani

Bernard

Bernard entered the league as a second-round pick for Cincinnati in 2013. He topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each of his first three seasons as a pro and ultimately spent eight years as a Bengal. He closed out his career with two seasons in Tampa Bay while getting to play alongside Tom Brady. Bernard ends his career with 3,783 rushing yards, 2,989 receiving yards, 36 total touchdowns, and one of the best mustaches this league has ever seen.

All four of White’s carries came on the first drive of the game. Like many of the Bucanneers’ starters, White saw very limited playing time in Week 18. Tampa Bay gave extended time to Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard in the meaningless game while resting White and Leonard Fournette. White can be expected to split time with Fournette in the playoffs but offers some upside, given his receiving ability.

Bernard was injured in Week 2 against the Saints and hasn’t played since. In his first two games, Bernard went without an offensive touch and was being used exclusively on special teams. Barring any injuries to the Buccaneers’ backfield, it seems unlikely that Bernard will have a role on offense. The Bucs have 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster.

Bernard doesn’t have a single touch through two games. He was used in Week 2 as a kick returner before injuring his ankle. Bernard never had any fantasy appeal in the Tampa backfield, as Rachaad White is clearly the RB2 behind Leonard Fournette.

Bernard was likely injured on a special teams rep because he doesn’t have a target or carry. Rachaad White is clearly ahead of him for backup duties in Tampa Bay. If Bernard’s injury is serious, the Bucs will elevate Ke’Shawn Vaughn to the RB3 role.

He was upgraded to a full practice Friday. The Bucs reportedly want to scale back Leonard Fournette’s snaps and get guys like Rachaad White, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and Bernard more involved on offense. That rotation behind Fournette just isn’t that clear at the moment.

Yet another veteran with back-to-back limited tags. Bernard looks to have fallen behind Rachaad White in the Tampa pecking order. Bernard won’t be fantasy-relevant without news or results that contradict that view of the depth chart, but he might be active on Sunday if this trend continues.

Bernard missed the closing weeks of training camp because of the ankle issue he suffered in Tampa Bay’s first preseason game. Rachaad White appeared to take control of the backup role during camp, leaving Bernard to serve primarily as a reserve option. The early-season injury should solidify his role as a bench player.

Bernard injured his ankle in the team’s preseason opener and has missed the last few weeks. Rookie running back Rachaad White appears to have already secured the backup role behind Leonard Fournette, but it will be interesting to see if Bernard can find a fit in his second season with the team. The veteran running back returned to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal this offseason despite totaling just 31 touches in 2021. Entering his age-30 season, Bernard is unlikely to be anything more than a third-down back at this point in his career. He can be kept off the fantasy radar for now but could have some PPR upside if the team opted to get him more involved.

With Leonard Fournette getting the night off, Bernard got the start in the Bucs’ backfield with the Blaine Gabbert second-team offense. The 30-year-old is trying to fend off Ke’Shawn Vaughn and rookie Rachaad White for a role behind Fournette.