Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is one of the fantasy community’s favorite players. Usually hanging right around the RB1/RB2 borderline, Mixon lovers tend to push him up draft boards late in the offseason. Sometimes he’ll even go in the first round. Should he go that high this year?
Dr. Roto examines that possibility in depth over on Sports Illustrated, but let’s take a brief look at it. Given Mixon’s strong finish to the season coupled with the likely addition of quarterback Joe Burrow to boost the offense, should the star running back be one of the first dozen players off the board?
Strong Finish and Zac Taylor’s Commitment To Mixon
Up until Week 14, Mixon had only one game over 25 carries and 100 rushing yards. However, in his last four games, the team fed him the ball early and often … Not only did Mixon average around 27 touches per game, but he also scored three TDs. Twenty-seven touches per game is a number that is reserved for only the top running backs in the game …
Those numbers are quite remarkable and do show a total commitment to the run game. Do we see more of that in 2020? I think so. With a rookie quarterback coming in, it’s hard to imagine the Bengals wanting to put a huge workload on Burrow. Lean on Mixon and make the transition from college to the pros as easy as possible for the LSU standout. Speaking of …
Joe Burrow Will Help
Last year’s starting QB, Andy Dalton, had no mobility, and the Bengals could not take advantage of the many RPO (run-pass options) that so many other teams run.
As we saw last season at LSU, Burrow is very mobile in the pocket, and the threat of him running should open up running lanes for Mixon.
Nothing against Dalton, but having Burrow in the fold, and a second year for the whole offense under Taylor, should only aid Mixon. As should the return of A.J. Green. A more dynamic Bengals offense should force defenses to pay more attention to players outside of the backfield, giving Mixon more running room.
It’s a compelling argument. What do you think? Should Mixon should go in Round 1? Let us know over on the Forums.
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