{"id":119420,"date":"2021-08-14T01:13:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-14T05:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=119420"},"modified":"2021-08-14T14:58:45","modified_gmt":"2021-08-14T18:58:45","slug":"2021-fantasy-football-outlook-joe-mixon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/08\/14\/2021-fantasy-football-outlook-joe-mixon\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 Fantasy Football Outlook: Joe Mixon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to running backs there are plenty of theories, but one thing is for certain: the position has changed over the years and so should the way it is viewed. Gone are the days where workhorse running backs are plentiful. In 2000, 19 running backs eclipsed the 300-touch mark. Last season, that number was just four. This scarcity makes the running backs who do get a large number of carries worth their weight in gold since volume is still king when it comes to the running back position. That being said, it is not a death knell for every other running back either. In fantasy football, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MixoJo00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Mixon<\/a> has long been a divisive running back, but what does 2021 have in store for him?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/profiles\/\" target=\"_self\"><b><i>Fantasy Football Player Profiles<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Joe Mixon 2021 Fantasy Football Profile<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>A Look Back at 2020<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heading into 2020, there were basically two camps when it came to Joe Mixon: the \u201ctruthers\u201d and the \u201chaters.&#8221; <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201ctruthers\u201d argued that 2020 would finally be the year for a true breakout and the \u201chaters\u201d said he has been too injury prone and he has a terrible yards per carry and thus would be a bust. Both sides argued their point of view until they were blue in the face.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Games played since being drafted in 2017:<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd39Alvin Kamara: 60<br \/>\ud83d\udd39Aaron Jones: 54<br \/>\ud83d\udd39Christian McCaffrey: 51<br \/>\ud83d\udd39Joe Mixon: 50<br \/>\ud83d\udd39Dalvin Cook: 43<\/p>\n<p>Joe Mixon isn&#39;t as &quot;injury prone&quot; as you&#39;ve been led to believe<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; \u2734\ufe0fRob Norton\u2734\ufe0f (@norton0723) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/norton0723\/status\/1423127081286782981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mixon had a brutal start to the season. He scored 8.1, 12.6, and 8.5 fantasy points in the first three weeks of the season despite averaging nearly 20 touches per game. Smart fantasy managers took advantage knowing that this type of production on that volume was unsustainable. Week 4 rolled around and Mixon WENT OFF against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jaguars\/\" target=\"_self\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a>. In that matchup, he racked up 181 total yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries and six receptions, good for 42.1 fantasy points.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mixon went on to put up 15.4 and 14.9 fantasy points in the next two weeks before leaving Week 6 with a foot injury that would ultimately end his season. His final season line was uninspiring and left fantasy football managers with a bad taste in their mouths. Diving a bit deeper though, there was plenty to like. Extrapolating his numbers out over a full season, Mixon would have finished with 317 carries, 1,141 rushing yards, 56 receptions, 368 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns. His 16.6 fantasy points per game would have placed him as the RB10. That is a season fantasy managers would take every day of the week and twice on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Joe Mixon averaged 20.2 carries and 4.6 targets per game when healthy in 2020 (both career highs). OC Brian Callahan said that &quot;he has the ability and skill set to be a three-down player.&quot; Gio Bernard (now in TB) averaged 3.2 targets per game with Mixon healthy last four years.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jack Miller (@JackMiller02) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JackMiller02\/status\/1425586975793319936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 11, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><b>Previewing 2021<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking towards 2021, there is plenty to love about Joe Mixon\u2019s fantasy football outlook but still a few question marks as well. Fantasy managers may be wondering what has changed for him heading into 2021 that would take his game to the next level. The answer is plenty has changed.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">PFF offensive line rankings for top-15 ADP RBs<\/p>\n<p>CMC: 30th<br \/>Cook: 27th<br \/>Henry: 15th<br \/>Kamara: 4th<br \/>Zeke: 6th<br \/>Chubb: 1st<br \/>A-aron: 16th<br \/>Barkley: 32nd<br \/>Ekeler: 18th<br \/>Najee: 31st<br \/>Taylor: 2nd<br \/>Gibson: 17th<br \/>CEH: 7th<br \/>Mixon: 25th<br \/>Dobbins: 12th<\/p>\n<p>Mixon sure being penalized for it more than most.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ihartitz\/status\/1425499992375103491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 11, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no question the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bengals\/\" target=\"_self\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> offensive line was atrocious last year. Rookie quarterback, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/07\/26\/joe-burrow-fantasy-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Joe Burrow<\/a>, was running for his life every week until he suffered a major knee injury that ended his season. Changes needed to be made and they were. The Bengals signed former first-rounder Riley Reiff to play right tackle. They also are getting former first-rounder Jonah Williams back from injury to play left tackle. Cincinnati also spent significant draft capital towards upgrading the offensive line when they drafted Jackson Carman and D\u2019Ante Smith in the second and fourth rounds, respectively. They also hired Frank Pollack as their offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Pollack was the Bengals offensive line coach in 2018 when they ranked in the top half of the NFL and Mixon had a career year. While this unit won\u2019t suddenly transform into an elite unit, it should be much improved in 2021 barring injury.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the biggest, and most important, off-season change is the departure of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/07\/14\/giovani-bernard-provides-versatility\/\" target=\"_self\">Giovani Bernard<\/a>. Bernard is known as a great third-down, pass-catching running back. Over the last four years, he averaged 3.2 targets per game when Mixon was healthy. Last year specifically, Mixon already averaged a career-high 4.6 targets per game. He could easily set a new career-high in 2021 with Bernard out of the picture. Should Mixon see even one extra target per game this year and haul in 80% of those targets (his career average), he will be looking at over 76 receptions and a true PPR monster.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Fun w\/numbers on a Friday:<\/p>\n<p>Mixon 20:<br \/>\ud83d\udd384.6 tgt\/gm<\/p>\n<p>Gio 20:<br \/>\ud83d\udd383.3 tgt\/gm (w\/Mixon healthy)<\/p>\n<p>W\/Gio gone, if Mixon even sees just 1 extra tgt in 21 (5.6) &amp; has career AVG catch% (80.6%): 76 REC \ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n<p>He doesn&#39;t need ALL of Gios vacated work. You&#39;re likely too low on Mixon \ud83d\ude24<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Math?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Math<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; \u2734\ufe0fRob Norton\u2734\ufe0f (@norton0723) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/norton0723\/status\/1426258476846702600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 13, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On top of all this, Cincinnati added another offensive weapon when they drafted <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2021\/07\/26\/2021-fantasy-football-outlook-jamarr-chase\/\" target=\"_self\">Ja\u2019Marr Chase<\/a> in the first round this year. This may seem like a negative, but adding another playmaker on offense should only open up the field more and help the Bengals move the ball down the field more regularly, setting up more red-zone opportunities for Mixon. This likely also won\u2019t take away target opportunities either since running back and wide receiver target shares generally aren\u2019t strongly correlated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[pickup_prop id=&#8221;6448&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h3><b>Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Average Draft Position<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Murray is currently going as the 21st player overall off the board as the RB13 according to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fantasypros.com\/nfl\/adp\/ppr-overall.php\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fantasypros<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That is the same range as guys like<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calvin Ridley, D.K. Metcalf, and Darren Waller. Some running backs going around that point are<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Antonio Gibson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mixon\u2019s current ADP seems fair although I have him a bit higher in my personal rankings at RB8.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea82021 RB Rankings (PPR)\ud83d\udea8<br \/>Who is too high? Who is too low? What changes are you making to this rankings list? \ud83d\udc40 Drop your thoughts below \u2b07\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zXlOpygYpD\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/zXlOpygYpD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; \u2734\ufe0fRob Norton\u2734\ufe0f (@norton0723) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/norton0723\/status\/1418539619034050560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 23, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fantasy drafts, nothing is more valuable than an elite running back. Every year, the list of players that have the highest win rates is littered with running backs. This is true even for the running backs in the first and second rounds. This is because the scarcity of elite players at the position creates such a positional advantage for those fantasy managers that do end up with the elite running backs. This season, Joe Mixon definitely has the chance to jump into that group. With a high touch volume and an improved situation, a career year could be on the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main Photo<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"sULSkTaQTWlquKYJo9znmA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1188981056\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'sULSkTaQTWlquKYJo9znmA',sig:'uXva8hf7iCDs_rj7oRQKMchdFHoQ-p-CJOOjVd52kjM=',w:'594px',h:'467px',items:'1188981056',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joe Mixon Fantasy; Joe Mixon has long been a divisive running back in fantasy football, but what does 2021 have in store for him?\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3451,"featured_media":119461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,7],"tags":[7637,294,349,1911],"class_list":["post-119420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","category-bengals","tag-bengals-featured","tag-fantasy-football","tag-fantasy-football-rankings","tag-joe-mixon"],"modified_by":"Justin Patrick, Site Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3451"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}