Contract Terms
According to multiple reports, after planning to release Joe Mixon on Monday, the Cincinnati Bengals will instead trade the running back to the Houston Texans. Terms of the trade have not yet been reported.
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Fantasy Football Impact
Mixon was expected to be released on Monday after the Bengals reached a deal with free-agent running back Zack Moss. However, the Texans moved to acquire Mixon, who had 1,034 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. Monday, the Texans lost their 2023 starting running back when Devin Singletary agreed to a three-year, $16.5 million deal with the New York Giants.
As ESPN.com's DJ Bien-Aime reminded readers, Houston's rushing attack ranked just 28th in yards per game (92.7) in 2023.
Mixon spent seven seasons with the Bengals, starting 88 of his 97 appearances and making one Pro Bowl (2021). He had four 1,000-yard rushing seasons and threw a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl LVI loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Mixon, 27, rushed for 6,412 yards during his Bengals career, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and scoring 49 touchdowns. He also caught 283 passes for 2,139 yards and 14 TDs.
One issue in Cincinnati last year was a lack of explosiveness. According to ESPN Stats and Information data, before Week 18, the Bengals ranked 27th in the NFL in running back carries of 12 or more yards.
While Mixon's efficiency has declined, Footballguy Jason Wood points out the veteran was neutral last year in rushing yards over expectation, which is considerably more efficient than D'Andre Swift, Austin Ekeler, Tony Pollard, and Josh Jacobs.
One factor worth taking into account is that the Bengals ranked 10th as a run-blocking unit on our own Matt Botini's 2023 Offensive Line Rankings. The Texans finished the year ranked 20th in that same category.
Beyond that, NFL.com's Kevin Patra contends Mixon's physical style fits the Texans well. Patra added: "Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik should be able to milk at least one more positive season out of the back."
What does that mean for fantasy managers?
It's fair to view Mixon as a riser for no other reason than he goes from uncertainty to gaining sudden clarity.
Mixon sat at RB20 on the initial Footballguys 2024 Draft Rankings before this trade, and this seems like a lateral move in terms of role. It's possible Mixon gains a bit of momentum just from being in the news and what some might view as an improved circumstance. But fantasy managers shouldn't jump too far ahead of that ranking. Along those lines, Mixon's current Underdog Average Draft Position (ADP) of RB27 and his RB24 ADP on BestBall 10s seem right.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Mixon joins a running back room in Houston with Dameon Pierce, who had a promising rookie year in 2022, rushing for 939 yards. But his production dropped precipitously in 2023 when he tallied just 416 yards and was benched in favor of Singletary. Mixon's arrival might not diminish Pierce's RB55 spot on our initial rankings, but it's hard to view the third-year man as a winner here.
A continued high-end presence in the backfield is good news for C.J. Stroud and the passing attack, including Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Dalton Schultz. But their prices shouldn't change based on this move.
Stock Watch
Risers
Fallers
Overview
In a surprising turn of events, the Cincinnati Bengals are trading running back Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans instead of releasing the veteran back. Mixon was expected to be released on Monday after the Bengals reached a deal with free-agent running back Zack Moss. Now in Houston, Mixon will move into the featured role Devin Singletary used to great effect over the final 10 games last season. Expecting Mixon to finish as a solid RB2 based on the anticipated role is a great starting point here.