X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

Joe Mixon - Buy Low or Return to Sender?

Joe Mixon is an enigma. Fantasy owners had no idea what to do with the rookie running back entering the season. Many over-drafted him due to his immense talent and tremendous upside. Others stayed far away due to him joining a crowded backfield running behind a bad offensive line. Four weeks into the season, people on both sides can stand by their decision.

Mixon's season has been filled with some good, some bad, and some ugly. But what stands out the most about his value moving forward, and should owners look to buy low on Mixon or sell if they own him?

It's time to make a hard decision about what to do with Mixon if you own him or how to approach him if he is available on waivers in your league.

Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!

 

Joe Mixon: Boom or Bust?

To understand what Mixon has done so far and what he's going to do moving forward, there's no reason to analyze the first two weeks of his season. The Cincinnati backfield was a full blown timeshare, with the trio of Mixon, Giovani Bernard, and Jeremy Hill each receiving a similar amount of carries, and Bernard leading the trio in snaps overall. Offensive coordinator Ken Zampese was fired after a dreadful 0-2 start. What's relevant to us is what happened in the two games with new OC Bill Lazor running the offense.

Lazor has converted the backfield from a committee to a reliance on Mixon. He has 42 touches in his last two games, while Hill and Bernard have a combined 26. There's no doubt Mixon is going to get the bulk of the work for the rest of the season. The Bengals know what they have in Hill and Bernard at this point and will want to see as much of their second round draft pick as possible. Volume is half the battle when it comes to fantasy success. The more games Mixon gets under his belt, his floor should begin to stabilize nicely. Mixon owners will have the satisfaction of knowing he should get at least 15 touches with a usual gameflow.

Mixon played well in his first career start in Week 3. He ran 18 times for 62 yards and added three receptions for 39 yards. Mixon owners expected him to build upon this solid showing in a nice Week 4 matchup against Cleveland, but Mixon failed to come close to expectations, rushing for just 29 yards on 17 carries along with four receptions for 19 yards. He's averaging just 2.6 yards per rush since taking over the starting job.

The offensive line has done Mixon no favors. They were ranked as the second worst unit in the NFL by Pro Football Focus this preseason, and they are living up to the hype. The loss of All-Pro tackle Andrew Whitworth is being felt. A new offensive coordinator can provide more touches and opportunities for Mixon, but for him to truly maximize his potential, the line needs to improve. Andy Dalton played a near perfect game in Week 4 and was still sacked three times. He played well in spite of the line, not because of it.

Here's what we know about Mixon's situation: he's an insanely talented rookie who's going to get the bulk of Cincinatti's carries, but poor offensive line play may limit his ceiling in 2017. Here's what we don't know: is Joe Mixon going to get goal line carries?

The Bengals haven't ran the ball inside the five all season. Jeremy Hill has scored at least nine touchdowns in each of his three NFL seasons. There's a strong chance that he remains the goal line back in Cincinnati, but it's hard to make a call between the two at this point. This could end up being the difference maker between Mixon becoming a strong RB2 this season or just being an upside rookie FLEX play. Hopefully the Bengals can get near the goal line this week and we can receive some clarity.

The pieces are all here for you to make a call on Mixon. I plan on holding or buying low on Mixon. The biggest concern with his situation heading into the season was volume. Now that we know he's getting the volume, he's at the very least become a FLEX with a decent floor. It's hard to imagine his value getting any lower than it is now. There's no reason to give up on him now if you're a Mixon owner. You didn't draft this guy thinking he was going to be an RB1 this early, but he just might.

 

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Garrett Whitlock26 mins ago

Still Not Cleared For Mound Work
Max Scherzer32 mins ago

Serves Up Two Homers In Rehab Start
John Means36 mins ago

Could Start Sunday
Alec Marsh42 mins ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Alec Marsh
Francisco Lindor56 mins ago

Comes Alive With Two Long Balls
Shohei Ohtani1 hour ago

Three Doubles For Shohei Ohtani
Mike Trout1 hour ago

Cracks MLB-High 10th Homer
Corey Seager2 hours ago

Removed From Game After Being Hit By Pitch
Naz Reid2 hours ago

Named Sixth Man Of The Year
Mitchell Robinson3 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Joel Embiid3 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
DJ LeMahieu3 hours ago

To Be Shut Down For A Week
Zack Gelof3 hours ago

Likely Heading To Injured List
Alec Marsh3 hours ago

Leaves Game After Being Hit By Comebacker
Bam Adebayo3 hours ago

Looks Good In Win Over Boston
Ozzie Albies3 hours ago

Runs The Bases Wednesday
Kristaps Porzingis3 hours ago

Struggles Offensively In Game 2
Jayson Tatum3 hours ago

Has A Decent Showing On Wednesday
J.P. Crawford3 hours ago

Dealing With Oblique Soreness
Jaylen Brown4 hours ago

Leads The Way In Game 2
A.J. Puk4 hours ago

Rejoining Bullpen When Healthy
Zack Gelof4 hours ago

Nursing Abdominal Soreness
Tyler Herro4 hours ago

Gets It Done On Wednesday Night
Thairo Estrada4 hours ago

Experiencing Hamstring Tightness
Manny Machado4 hours ago

Expected To Return Friday
Sean Murphy4 hours ago

Hasn't Resumed Swinging
Cristian Javier4 hours ago

Plays Catch Wednesday
Christian Yelich4 hours ago

Still Not Swinging
Dallas Cowboys5 hours ago

Cowboys Pick Up Micah Parsons' Fifth-Year Option
Ezekiel Elliott5 hours ago

Cowboys Meeting With Ezekiel Elliott
Cincinnati Bengals6 hours ago

Trey Hendrickson Requests A Trade From Bengals
Carlos Correa6 hours ago

Could Return Soon
Nic Claxton7 hours ago

Nicolas Claxton The "No. 1 Priority" For Nets In Offseason
Grayson Allen7 hours ago

Not Ruled Out For Game 3
Nikola Jovic7 hours ago

Available For Game 2
Ryan Lomberg8 hours ago

Could Be Back For Game 3
Cam Talbot8 hours ago

Starts Game 2 For Kings
Logan Thompson8 hours ago

Heads Out For Another Win Wednesday
Jake Oettinger8 hours ago

Tries To Bounce Back Wednesday
Jani Hakanpaa8 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Tyler Myers8 hours ago

Battling The Flu
Michael Penix Jr.9 hours ago

Could Be Among Top-Four Quarterbacks Selected
Jared Goff9 hours ago

No New Deal “Imminent” For Jared Goff
J.J. McCarthy11 hours ago

Broncos Interested In J.J. McCarthy
Detroit Lions11 hours ago

Penei Sewell Becomes Highest-Paid Offensive Lineman
Justin Fields11 hours ago

Steelers Not Expected To Pick Up Justin Fields' Fifth-Year Option
Rashod Bateman11 hours ago

Ravens Sign Rashod Bateman To Contract Extension
Ja'Marr Chase11 hours ago

Bengals Exercise Ja'Marr Chase's Fifth-Year Option
Amon-Ra St. Brown12 hours ago

Lions Agree To Four-Year Extension With Amon-Ra St. Brown
Nicolas Hague12 hours ago

Out For Vegas On Wednesday
James van Riemsdyk12 hours ago

To Make Series Debut Wednesday
Sam Bennett12 hours ago

To Miss Significant Time
William Nylander12 hours ago

Looking Unlikely For Game 3
Brett Pesce12 hours ago

Likely Out For Remainder Of First Round
Thatcher Demko12 hours ago

Listed As Week-To-Week
Ilya Sorokin12 hours ago

To Start Game 3
Cale Makar15 hours ago

Registers Two Assists In Game 2
Tom Wilson15 hours ago

Notches Two Points In Tuesday's Loss
Alexis Lafrenière15 hours ago

Alexis Lafreniere Collects Two Assists In Game 2 Victory
Filip Forsberg16 hours ago

Leads The Charge As Nashville Ties Series
Victor Hedman16 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Game 2
Carter Verhaeghe16 hours ago

Hits Overtime Winner In Game 2
Sam Bennett16 hours ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury In Game 2
James Harden16 hours ago

Settles For 22 Points In Game 2
Luka Doncic16 hours ago

Leads All Scorers With 32 Points In Game 2
Damian Lillard16 hours ago

Scores 34 Points In Losing Effort
Tyrese Haliburton17 hours ago

Collects A Double-Double In Game 2 Win
Pascal Siakam17 hours ago

In Fantastic Form Once Again Versus Milwaukee
Devin Booker17 hours ago

Leads Suns With 20 Points In Game 2
Anthony Edwards17 hours ago

Struggles In Game 2
Daniel Gafford1 day ago

Returns To Game 2
Karl-Anthony Towns1 day ago

Has A Rough Night On Tuesday
Jaden McDaniels1 day ago

Erupts In Game 2
Andrew Peeke1 day ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Brandon Aiyuk1 day ago

Trade Remains "Very Much In Play"
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Broncos Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Patrick Surtain II
New England Patriots1 day ago

Patriots Haven't Received "Serious" Offers For No. 3 Pick
Kadarius Toney1 day ago

Still In Chiefs' Plans
Jake Browning1 day ago

Bengals Re-Sign Jake Browning
Brandon Aiyuk2 days ago

49ers Have Received Calls Regarding Brandon Aiyuk
Dak Prescott2 days ago

Not Trying To Be Highest-Paid Player
Zach Wilson2 days ago

Broncos Acquiring Zach Wilson From Jets
Matt Ryan2 days ago

Officially Retires From NFL
Cincinnati Bengals2 days ago

Sam Hubbard Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo3 days ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland3 days ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR3 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson3 days ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen3 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell3 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman3 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Daniel Hemric3 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton3 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Will Start 14th For the GEICO 500
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Avoid Rostering Tyler Reddick At Talladega?
John Hunter Nemechek4 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Talladega?
Joey Logano4 days ago

Expect Joey Logano To Compete For The Win At Talladega
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Is Denny Hamlin Recommended For Talladega?
Justin Haley4 days ago

Is A Top DFS Value At Talladega
William Byron4 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win Talladega
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Is Best Suited As A Tournament Play At Talladega
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF