Everybody loves a good under the radar fantasy pick.
Each year an unheralded player becomes a household name after a few weeks of double-digit fantasy points.
The Bengals have one on their hands this year in 26-year-old Bernard Scott.
The AFC North is not a pretty division. All four teams traditionally win with a strong defense and a solid running game.
It took the Bengals awhile to realize this. Finally in '09, they figured it out. Starting running back Cedric Benson received the rock early and often in the 13 games he played.
301 carries and 1,251 yards were career highs for the former top five pick. There were games in which he would almost reach 40 carries.
Benson has already shown in three preseason games that he is poised to repeat that performance. Without a doubt he is the starter for the Bengals. Yet the physicality of the division requires each team to have solid back-ups in the running game.
Benson missed three games last year with a hip issue and you can expect him to get banged up once again against the likes of New England, San Diego, New Orleans, and Indy—not to mention the teams in the AFC North.
Overlooking his backup would be a huge fantasy blunder. Scott is entering his second year out of Division II Abilene Christian. He set all kinds of records in college yet dropped all the way to the sixth round (209th overall) of the '09 draft due to dreaded "character issues."
The Bengals noticed his problems occurred in the early years of his college career. In his final two seasons he was a model citizen.
As a sixth round pick with a chip on his shoulder, Scott emerged as the clear-cut second string back right off the bat. Most would consider his first year a success. He had 321 yards on 74 attempts, good enough for a 4.3 yards per carry. Filling in for Benson against the Raiders underrated defense, he ran for 119 yards, including a 61-yard gallop.
He also began to return kickoffs, taking one to the house against the Steelers in Pittsburgh. That touchdown ended up being the difference in a 18-12 Bengals victory.
He ended up with a 31.5-yard average on 16 returns. Expect a similar role for him this season. He has been returning kicks in each of the first three preseason games.
The 5'10", 197 pound Texas native has break away speed and can be very hard to tackle. He has great elusiveness and holds onto the ball. He didn't lose a single fumble in his rookie season.
Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski admits he hasn’t had a back as explosive catching the ball out of the backfield in his 10 seasons here.
“No question he’s the kind of guy you want to put the ball in his hands,” Bratkowski says. “You can use him in the slot; you can do some different things with him.”
The ability to break off a long run is extremely appealing for a second string back. The versatility of Scott leads one to believe the Bengals will get this guy on the field in one form or another.
“If I have the ball in my hands, I feel like I can make a big play and help the team,” Scott says. “If they want to put me in the slot, and throw me a couple balls out of the backfield, that’s fine, too. We did a little bit of that (this spring) in camp. Now that I’m more familiar with the offense, I think they’ve got the confidence that I know what I’m doing and they can use me doing more things.”
While you shouldn’t use a top pick on Scott, a mid-draft selection of the underrated back will look make you look like a fantasy genius before the 2010 campaign is over. You have been warned.
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