Shark Bites are the latest fantasy football news & NFL updates. Draft Sharks has been in business since 1999. And when we started, redraft was the dominant form of fantasy football. Check out what we've learned about this most basic form of fantasy football along the way.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon struggled in Week 16 vs. the Steelers, logging just 41 rushing yards on 11 carries in the contest. Saturday’s outcome marks the second consecutive game in which the veteran has failed to reach 50 rushing yards and spells some concern about his chances at rebounding in the fantasy championship. He’ll be set to square off against a Chiefs defense that ranks as the ninth-toughest RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed and should be best considered as an RB2 candidate.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his wrist that will require surgery, HC Zac Taylor announced Friday. It ends a frustrating season that saw Burrow battle through a calf injury for the first six weeks, get hot coming off the bye, and then suffer this wrist injury. We'll look for further details on Burrow's rehab plan and whether his 2024 season will be impacted. His absence the rest of this season leaves Cincinnati with QBs Jake Browning and A.J. McCarron (practice squad). Browning was abysmal in relief of Burrow in Baltimore on Thursday night, completing eight of 14 passes for 68 yards (4.9 YPA). It's about the biggest QB downgrade imaginable and awful news for Bengals pass catchers. The offense figures to lean more on the running game going forward, but we still wouldn't consider this an upgrade for RB Joe Mixon because the Bengals will struggle to sustain drives and score points under Browning.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor said after Thursday night's loss to the Ravens that QB Joe Burrow is believed to have a sprained right wrist. "Fell on it early in the game and then felt it on the touchdown pass," Taylor said. Burrow was spotted with a wrap on that wrist prior to Thursday's game but was not listed on the Week 11 injury report. He had a "multi-layered" wrap on the wrist after the game, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. Burrow is scheduled for an MRI on Monday, so we should get more details on the injury over the next 24 hours. Stay tuned. QB Jake Browning mustered just 68 yards on 8-of-14 passing (4.9 YPA) in relief of Burrow in Baltimore.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon logged 14 carries for 37 rushing yards and a TD in Week 9 vs. the Bills. The veteran also added 5 catches for 31 yards as a pass-catcher in the contest. He’s now seen no fewer than 15 touch opportunities in all eight games played in 2023. Mixon’s volume-laden role is about as safe as it gets barring injury. Next week’s showdown against the Texans (12th-best matchup for RBs in adjusted fantasy points allowed) should present Mixon with solid RB2 fantasy value.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon ran for 87 yards and a TD on 16 carries (5.4 per rush) in Sunday's win over the 49ers. He added 23 yards on 3 receptions. It marked a season-high in yards per carry for Mixon and just the second time he has reached the end zone this season. The offense racked up a season-high 400 yards despite facing a defense that entered the day ranked sixth in DVOA. With Joe Burrow further removed from his calf injury and WR Tee Higgins off the injury report, this is likely the healthiest Cincinnati's offense has been in 2023. If the Bengals can continue like this, Mixon won't need to be overly efficient to deliver worthwhile fantasy scoring the rest of the way.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon recorded 25 carries for 81 rushing yards in Week 5’s win vs. the Cardinals. The veteran also added 4 catches on as many targets for 13 receiving yards in the contest. Through five games, Mixon holds an obscenely high 87% opportunity share of the Bengals’ RB touches. It’s insane how much involvement he sees on a weekly basis. He’ll be right back to his typical workhorse role again in Week 6 vs. the Seahawks.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon totaled 14 carries for 67 yards in Week 4’s loss vs. the Titans. He also had one catch for 9 yards in the game. Given the challenging nature of the matchup, we weren’t expecting much from Mixon this week. He’ll have a much softer opponent in Week 5 as the team prepares to face the Cardinals.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon compiled 65 rushing yards and 1 TD on 19 carries in Week 3’s win vs. the Rams. He also caught 1 of 2 targets for 5 yards as a receiver. Mixon once again utterly dominated the backfield workshare. Backup Trayveon Williams only saw 3 touch opportunities to Mixon’s 21. We expect another bell-cow workload for the veteran again in Week 4 vs. the Titans.
Bengals RB Chris Evans is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Rams. He wasn't this week's injury report, so this looks like a healthy scratch. RBs Joe Mixon, Trayveon Williams, and Chase Brown are active for Cincinnati.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said it's "fair to wonder" if Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf) will play vs. the Rams next Monday night. It wasn't an official report, but we doubt Schefter just pulled this out of thin air. We'll look for further updates on Burrow's status and track his practice participation throughout the week, but his fantasy owners should be lining up a backup plan for Week 3 (and maybe beyond). QB Jake Browning is Cincinnati's backup -- and would obviously be a huge downgrade for all Bengals skill-position players.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon dominated backfield work in Sunday's win over the Ravens but managed just-OK fantasy production. He garnered 13 of the team's 14 RB carries, gaining 59 yards (4.5 per rush). Mixon also claimed 5 of the 7 RB targets, catching 4 for 36 yards (9.0 per catch). Mixon has yet to find the end zone for a Cincinnati offense that has underperformed in two straight games. But Mixon's role makes him a weekly starter for most fantasy lineups. He gets a winnable matchup with the Rams in Week 3 before a tough rushing spot at Tennessee in Week 4. The status of QB Joe Burrow's calf -- which he tweaked against Baltimore -- could affect the whole offense.
Bengals RB Chris Evans (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Ravens. RB Chase Brown is active after being a healthy scratch in the opener. The rookie figures to be the No. 3 RB behind Joe Mixon and Trayveon Williams.
Bengals RB Chris Evans (hamstring) is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Ravens. He totaled just two carries and one target on seven snaps in Week 1, so there’s little fantasy impact here.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon recorded 13 attempts for 56 rushing yards in Week 1’s loss to the Browns. He also added 3 catches on 5 targets for 17 receiving yards as a receiver. The Bengals’ offense as a whole experienced a hard time getting anything going in the crummy Cleveland weather. Fortunately, there’s some hope to hold onto moving forward. Mixon dominated the RB workload, receiving 13 of the team’s 15 carries (86.6%). No other Bengals’ back saw more than 2 attempts. Managers looking ahead to Week 2’s matchup vs. the Ravens can feel good about the workhorse-like share from Mixon.
Bengals RB Chase Brown is a healthy scratch for today's opener vs. the Browns. Cincinnati is rolling with RBs Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams behind lead back Joe Mixon. Brown is only worth stashing in deep fantasy leagues.
Bengals RB Trayveon Williams (ankle) returned to limited practices this week and expects to be ready for the season opener. He appeared to be No. 2 on the depth chart before spraining his ankle at the beginning of August and missing the entire preseason. HC Zac Taylor said the battle for snaps between Williams, Chris Evans, and Chase Brown behind starter Joe Mixon remains fluid. "He still gets an opportunity to do that," Taylor said of Williams' opportunity to win the No. 2 RB job. "I'm not going to say it's nailed down and this is the way it is going to be all season once we make the Game 1 decision. I think it needs to be a fluid situation for us where these guys know there is potential to continue to improve, to get more opportunity."
The Athletic’s Paul Dehner projects Bengals RB Chris Evans as the “passing-down starter.” He’s taken advantage of missed time from RB Trayveon Williams (ankle). Per Dehner: “The story of the third-down job has been dominated by the rise of Evans. He’s shown well in pass protection and improved running the ball downhill over last year’s disappointing preseason to become the frontrunner with Williams sidelined.” Current Bronco Samaje Perine ran 239 routes for the Bengals last year and turned them into 38 receptions. We’re not forecasting that type of role for Evans right now. But the third-year back -- with high-end athleticism — is a name to monitor in deep PPR setups.
A judge has ruled Bengals RB Joe Mixon not guilty of aggravated menacing charges that stemmed from a road-rage incident, according to multiple reports. That can only be good for Mixon's chances to avoid league suspension. He still faces a civil suit related to an offseason shooting that occurred on his property. We have no way of knowing how -- or if -- that might affect Mixon under the personal-conduct policy. We'll keep watching the situation. But Mixon's spot in our 2023 fantasy football rankings assumes no NFL suspension.
Bengals RB Joe Mixon has a lingering legal case that might still produce NFL discipline. He has an Aug. 14 court date on aggravated menacing charges stemming from the March 6 shooting incident at his home. Mixon was cleared of any further charges there but has been sued by the minor who was shot at by the boyfriend of Mixon's sister. We'd assume that lawsuit wouldn't motivate NFL discipline against Mixon. But the NFL's personal-conduct policy doesn't require any certain level of legal action to trigger suspensions. We'll certainly keep watching the whole situation but aren't currently factoring it into Mixon's spot in the fantasy football rankings.
The Bengals and RB Joe Mixon have agreed to a restructured contract that will keep him with the team through 2023. There have been rumors all off-season of Cincinnati dumping Mixon’s big contract, but the restructure saves the team cap space. It also locks him in as the continued backfield leader and a value in fantasy football drafts. Mixon has sat high in our fantasy football rankings the whole time.
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