Is Joe Mixon Playing This Week? Is Samaje Perine Worth Picking Up?

Is Joe Mixon injured, or is Joe Mixon playing this week versus the 49ers? Is Samaje Perine worth picking up and starting? Read the injury updates for Mixon.

Injuries have wreaked havoc in the league this season more than ever. With your fantasy season on the line, fantasy managers must keep alert on the status of injuries.

Let's tackle the fantasy impact of the injury situation of the bell-cow back for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are fighting for a playoff spot in the competitive AFC North and will take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14.

Is Joe Mixon playing this week against the San Franciso 49ers in Week 14? Should fantasy managers pick up Samaje Perine and start him? Below, we take a quick look at the updated injury status for Mixon and attempt to answer these questions.

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Is Joe Mixon Playing Against the 49ers in Week 14?

It was reported that Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon suffered a neck injury in their 41-22 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. However, Mixon has yet to be spotted at practice this week as they get ready to take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The former Sooner missed practices this week due to a non-COVID-related illness.

Mixon is having a career season, just 22 yards shy of his third career 1,000-yard season. Fantasy managers love Mixon, who is RB3 in fantasy scoring this season. Mixon has already reached his career-high with 12 rushing touchdowns this season. In addition, Mixon is on a scoring streak and has scored touchdowns in nine consecutive games this season.

If we see Mixon back to practice on Friday, fantasy managers should be able to breathe a sigh of relief. That should make him on track to play on Sunday. If he is deemed unavailable, the Bengals will turn to Samaje Perine to lead with Chris Evans spelling Perine.

UPDATE: Although Mixon did not practice again on Friday, the Bengals are saying Mixon is expected to play on Sunday and his illness was a stomach bug:

Is Samaje Perine Worth Picking Up and Starting?

Roster upgrades via the waiver wire are essential components to winning fantasy gold. Unfortunately, the pool of available players now is bare except for roster handcuffs. Savvy fantasy managers were aggressive and grabbed the handcuff to their top players.

With the playing status of Joe Mixon still up in the air, Mixon managers must add Perine to their rosters immediately. Even if Mixon is not on your team, grabbing Perine would be a wise move to play keep away from your league mates.

As the backup to Mixon, Perine is averaging 4.4 yards per carry in limited action. Additionally, he is a receiving threat coming out of the backfield, which makes a three-down back for the Cincinnati offense.

Perine can ascend into the RB2 conversation and could make a fantasy impact similar to Alexander Mattison or AJ Dillon.

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