Joe Mixon Week 1 Outlook - Texans at Ravens

By Derek Brown (FantasyPros), Sun, Sep 10th 2023, 12:05pm EDT

This game sets up extremely well for Mixon. Bengals QB Joe Burrow is coming back from a calf injury, so you have to figure that the Bengals will make an earnest effort to run the ball to keep the Cleveland pass rush honest. The Bengals will also be facing a Browns defense that was much better against the pass than it was against the run last season. Cleveland's defense ranked 12th in DVOA against the pass, 26th against the run. The Browns gave up 1,994 rushing yards to opposing RBs last season, the fifth-highest total in the league. They allowed 17 TD runs to RBs, third-most in the league. Mixon had a disappointing 8-27-0 rushing performance when the Browns blew out the Bengals on Halloween night last year, 32-13, although Mixon did have seven catches for 32 yards in that game. In a Week 14 rematch, Mixon had 14-96-0 and 2-10-0 receiving as the Bengals cruised to a 23-10 win. Expect Mixon to get a more substantial carry total against Cleveland this time around. For fantasy purposes, view him as a midrange to low-end RB1.