Giovani Bernard fully practiced Thursday while getting starter reps

The Bengals expect second-year running back Giovani Bernard to be back on the field when they face the Houston Texans on Sunday. This, after a hip and clavicle injury cost him three games, all of which say rookie Jeremy Hill start in.

After Bernard returned to practice for the first time in three weeks on Wednesday in a limited capacity, he practiced fully on Thursday, a clear sign that he's set to play this week.

Though Hill performed very well while Bernard was out, the coaches still may want to give Gio a good amount of touches against the Texans.

FULL: Giovani Bernard, Andre Smith, Kevin Zeitler. ... Worth noting, Bernard was back at No. 1 RB duty during open portion of practice.

— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) November 20, 2014

The Bengals will likely go with close to a 50/50 split between the two backs this week. This season, he's rushed 109 times for 446 yards and five touchdowns to go with 22 catches for 179 yards.

In the three games that Bernard has missed, Hill has posted 361 yards rushing on 63 carries for a 5.7 yard/rush average -- that's 120.3 yards/game with two 150-yard performances in the last three games.