Joe Mixon Week 8 Outlook - Raiders at Texans

By Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros), Mon, Oct 21st 2019, 6:59am EDT

What a horrendous ride it's been for the third-year running back, as the offensive line crumbling has been worse than anyone could've imagined. He was without three starters on the offensive line last week, and that's not even including the two offensive linemen they lost prior to the season beginning. Over the last two weeks, he's totaled 18 carries. Even worse, he's totaled just 12 yards on those carries. The worst news is that they've regressed his usage in the passing game. After seeing 15 targets over the first four games, he's seen just six targets over the last three games. Now onto the Rams in a game they're double-digit underdogs, it doesn't appear to be a winning combination. There have been five running backs who've totaled at least 18 carries against them, and each of those running backs were top-20 PPR options. The issue's that Mixon has reached that number just once this year, and it was against the Cardinals in a closely fought game. The Rams have allowed just 3.70 yards per carry on the year, so it's required volume to get it done against them. The good news is that they've allowed six rushing touchdowns, which ranks as the seventh-most in the league. This all comes down to whether you believe the Bengals will keep this game somewhat close because the Bengals drop back to pass 76 percent of the time when they trail big, which is the sixth-highest mark in the league. Knowing Mixon has run just 29 routes over the last two weeks (ranks 23rd among running backs) is the biggest concern. He cannot be considered anything more than a mediocre RB3 with his usage and projected gamescript right now.