Getty Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon
The Cincinnati Bengals offense has quickly emerged as one of the more intriguing groups in the NFL. And a large reason for that is the emergence of second-year running back Joe Mixon. As Mixon goes, the Bengals offense seems to do the same through the start of the 2018 NFL season.
After a hit-or-miss 2017 season in which Mixon rushed 178 times for 626 yards and four touchdowns over 14 games, he’s shown improvement in a variety of areas. Mixon drastically boosted that 3.5 yard-per-carry average and became a top-tier fantasy football running back when healthy.
A large part of the former second-round pick’s game is his ability as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. During his rookie year, the dual-threat back totaled 30 catches for 287 yards while working on a rotational basis with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. Over his two seasons at Oklahoma, Mixon caught 65 passes for 894 yards and nine touchdowns, proving that aspect was a huge part of his game.
Joe Mixon’s Fantasy Football Outlook
In dynasty leagues for fantasy football, he’s a top player to have on your roster. Obviously, there are a few names such as Ezekiel Elliott or Todd Gurley who still rank ahead of him, but he’s a must-own player in all formats. Even beyond that, he’s a player worth targeting in trades for any season-long league as well.
Over the first three games of 2018 in which Mixon was healthy, he received a minimum of 22 touches in each while topping 100 total yards in two of the three. The outlook of the Bengals’ new workhorse back is bright and it’s not showing any signs of changing in the near future.
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