Joe Mixon has been a vital part of the Bengals' offense, ranking third in the NFL in carries (93) and fifth in rushing yards (386) this season. However, he's questionable to play for their Week 6 matchup against the Lions with an ankle injury.
Head coach Zac Taylor said that Mixon should see a full workload on Sunday, and reports say Mixon will indeed play despite his injury designation. Mixon comes in as RB8 in standard scoring leagues according to our consensus fantasy rankings.
Earlier, we asked two of our analysts how Mixon's status would impact the outlooks of Samaje Perine and Chris Evans if the starting running back was ruled out.
Fantasy Impact If Joe Mixon Is Out
Samaje Perine's Outlook
"Mixon was active last week amid uncertainty in connection to his ankle injury. He split work with Samaje Perine and saw just 18 snaps for 11 touches, 35 scrimmage yards and a touchdown," noted Samantha Previte.
"It’s a juicy matchup this week against the Lions so if Mixon starts, he’s a top play. If he sits and Perine goes, I would fire up Perine as an RB2."
Detroit's defense ranks 21st in yards per carry allowed (4.4) in 2021.
Perine, who's in his second stint with Cincinnati, registered 59 yards on 11 carries with four catches, 24 yards and one receiving score in Week 5 against the Packers.
Chris Evans' Outlook
There's also rookie Chris Evans, who's been utilized strictly in the passing game this season.
"There are too many variables at play right now with Mixon (ankle) and Perine (COVID)," said Sean Koerner. "All we can do here is wait for news on both. Mixon simply being active doesn't mean he's an auto-play if there are concerns about how many touches he can handle, which is why you'll want to check my updated rankings on Sunday morning.
"The only action item right now is to stash Chris Evans, who would become a RB2/3 option if both Mixon and Perine are ruled out."
Cincinnati's a 3.5-point road favorite, with a total of 47.
