Getty Joe Mixon of the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals‘ Joe Mixon has been one of the more disappointing fantasy options in all of football this season. However, over the past two weeks, the running back has shown glimpses of life, scoring 17+ fantasy points in back-to-back games.
Has Mixon finally regained his footing as a must-start fantasy football option heading into Week 11? Or will a talented depleted Bengals team hold him back from reaching his true potential? Let’s discuss.
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Joe Mixon’s Fantasy Outlook vs. Oakland Raiders
After averaging nearly five yards per pop in 2018, Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has seen his production take a major dip this year. Over the first 10 weeks of the 2019, Mixon has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, including averaging less than 1.8 ypc on four different occasions. If you watch the game film, it’s apparent that Mixon still has what it takes to be an elite back in this league, however, his o-line has failed him more times than not this year.
With that said, one of the biggest issues fantasy owners have taken with the Bengals this season is the fact that on a team searching for playmakers, they’ve opted to continually shy away from their best offensive player. That was, until they made a quarterback change last week.
With Ryan Finley unseating long-term starting quarterback Andy Dalton under center a week ago, for the first time all season the team ran their offense through Mixon. The former Oklahoma Sooner responded by rushing for 114 rushing yards on 30 carries, his first 100-yard game of the season.
While those numbers are certainly promising, it’s still worth noting that even with his stats for last Week Mixon has still averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, and more importantly, failed to find the endzone even once as a runner this season.
However, a matchup with the Oakland Raiders could be just what Mixon needs to take his so-called “outlier” performances over his past two games and hedge them into the kickstart of a stellar final stretch to the season.
The Raiders have surrendered the 11th-most fantasy points. Over the last three weeks, the team has surrendered an average of 122 rushing yards. Four of the last five starting running backs to face off with Oakland have totaled at least 78 yards or scored at least one touchdown. In the Raiders’ most recent contest, they allowed the combo of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler to account for 181 total yards and two total touchdowns.
Since returning from their Week 6 bye, Oakland has been extremely vulnerable to running backs in the passing game. Running backs have totaled six receiving touchdowns against the Raiders over the team’s past six games. Mixon has scored two receiving touchdowns over his last three games.
Should You Start or Sit Joe Mixon in Week 11?
Mixon’s receiving prowess, matched with the team’s apparent added emphasis to feature him in the ground game, makes him a viable fantasy start on Sunday. Mixon is a solid RB2 in a plus-matchup against Oakland.
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