Joe Mixon start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

The Cincinnati Bengals are set to open the 2021 season on Sunday at noon when playing host to the Minnesota Vikings at Paul Brown Stadium.

Franchise quarterback Joe Burrow isn’t the only “Joe” that’s returning to the Bengals’ offense as the season opener will also see the return of running back Joe Mixon. The fifth-year veteran missed a chunk of last season with a foot injury and is looking to pick up where he left off beforehand.

Fantasy Football analysis: Bengals RB Joe Mixon

Mixon was on his way to posting a third consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2020 before he went down early in the campaign with the aforementioned foot injury. In just six games, he still remained productive and managed to rack up 428 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Even though his yards per carry dipped because of his nagging foot issues, he still managed to have a heavy hand in the offense. That was exemplified by a two-week stretch against Jacksonville and Baltimore where he had a combined 49 carries.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

At full health, Mixon should be poised to pick up where he left off in 2019 and receive a bulk of the load at running back with no one else really threatening to take snaps away from him. With Burrow getting back into the swing of things from his injury, the Cincinnati offense may lean on its run game more for the opener. That makes Mixon a must start for Week 1.