One of the biggest mistakes a fantasy football manager can make during their draft is passing on a player because they’re a “boring” pick. Each passing year there is a group of veterans accumulated to fit this description. This season, Joe Mixon is labeled under this category and deemed an “unsatisfying” selection. Fantasy football’s main objective is getting more fantasy points than your opponent every week, so flashy selections and trending players can only get you so far. Taking the safe choice over a young player with upside or another veteran expecting to have the largest workload of their career isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Finishing as the fantasy footall RB13 or higher in four of the past five seasons, Joe Mixon is one of the better “safe” and “boring” selections you can make in the draft.
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2023 Fantasy Football Player Profile: Joe Mixon
This Cat Still Has Claws
With an ADP of RB14, Joe Mixon is being drafted close to his floor. As mentioned above, Mixon has finished as RB13 or better in four of the past five seasons. He also scored a minimum of 225 PPR fantasy points in those four campaigns. The lone year Mixon wasn’t able to deliver was due to injury and he only played six games. During the same five-year span, Mixon has finished with over 14 PPG in PPR formats every single season. Outside of his six-game injury-shortened season, Mixon has accumulated at least 1250 total yards over the timeframe too. Mixon also registered his best fantasy point per touch total (.89) of his career, despite teammate Samaje Perine “stealing” touches. Joe Mixon doesn’t show any signs of slowing down just yet.
Joe Mixon remains one of the safest picks in #FantasyFootball-even WITH Samaje Perine "stealing" touches, Mixon had career highs in targets receptions& receiving yards. The competition for touches behind Mixon has never been this lackluster. Another top12 season is on the horizon pic.twitter.com/r6NqFxnUE4
— Austin Thomas (@Austin_Thomas18) August 21, 2023
No Competition For Touches Right Now
Former teammate Samaje Perine left in free agency, opening up 133 running back touches on paper. The Cincinnati Bengals did very little to fulfill his spot, seemingly expecting veterans Chris Evans, Trayveon Williams, and rookie Chase Brown to step up. The combination of Evans and Williams equates to six total seasons and 568 offensive yards, which isn’t exactly inspiring. The rookie, Chase Brown, was selected in the fifth round of the draft and isn’t a threat to Mixon’s workload. An increase in touches and a hefty workload make Mixon a great selection this season, even if it isn’t a “sexy” pick. The ceiling for Joe Mixon in 2023 is a career year and his best statistical season across the board.
The depth chart behind Mixon is questionable. The #Bengals have vets Trayveon Williams & Chris Evans who combine for 6 total seasons along with 568 offensive yards. Not exactly promising. The only player currently rostered that could get a relevant workload is rookie Chase Brown.
— Austin Thomas (@Austin_Thomas18) August 8, 2023
The Perfect Running Back Target
The offense will remain elite and score a plethora of points, giving skilled players a boost with touchdown opportunities. The Bengals added some assistance along the offensive line to help keep Joe Burrow upright. The beefy help upfront will also create better running lanes for Mixon to utilize and find the endzone. Joe Mixon won’t consume all of Perine’s vacant touches, but he should absorb most of it resulting in an uptick in overall volume. In fantasy football, volume is key and what managers desire. The writing is in the litter box, Joe Mixon is going to be a stud once again and you should be drafting him. At RB14, he’ll be able to easily justify that investment and has the upside to pounce higher.
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Main Photo: Albert Cesare – USA Today Sports
