Joe Mixon Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 16 Fantasy Football Lineup Picks

BALLER MOVE: Start In All Leagues

POSITIONAL VALUE: RB1

ANALYSIS: I mean this in the nicest way possible, but is Joe Mixon the most boring, great player for fantasy football?

Since his first year as a full-time starter in Cincinnati, Mixon has been an RB1 or just outside (13th in 2019) in every year other than his injury-plagued 2020 season. For his entire career, he's averaging 4.1 yards per carry. He lacks explosive runs (45th in breakaway run rate), is slightly above average at evading tackles (15th in the league), and doesn't run routes down the field (1.5 yards per route run).

Even this season, he's averaging a hair under four yards per carry on a below-average rush offense and he's still well on pace to finish as an RB1 again. He's on the field all the time and has a secured role in the check-down passing game. He has a nose for the end zone and gets every chance (54 red zone touches this season, 3rd among running backs) to punch it in. You know exactly what Mixon is and it's not flashy, but he's delivering.

There's little reason to believe that Mixon won't deliver another solid performance in Week 16. All three starting running backs that the Steelers have faced in as many weeks have found paydirt. James Conner and Ezekiel Elliott also topped 100 total yards. Zack Moss likely would have if not for an injury that removed him from the game. Tyler Goodson and Trey Sermon combined for a 100-yard performance in his place. The last running back to not do that was Mixon himself.

In this AFC North rivalry, both of these teams are very familiar with each other. Although it was Jake Browning's first start, the Cincinnati offense was less-than-stellar against Pittsburgh the last time out. Familiarity played a factor.

Since then, Browning has led them to 34, 34, and 27 points. With the Pittsburgh defense now struggling and the offense not lending them any favors, the Bengals should be able to move the ball easier than they did in Week 12. Mixon is an RB1 and the matchup isn't scary enough to deviate from starting the stud running back.

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