Is Joe Mixon playing today vs. the Raiders?

Joe Mixon had the best season of his career this year. However, he missed Cincinnati’s Week 18 matchup due to a positive COVID test. Is Mixon playing for the Bengals against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, and what is his fantasy football value?

Update 01/15/22: The Cincinnati Bengals announced that Joe Mixon would play. To see who else is playing, make sure to check out our Wild Card Round Inactives.

Is Joe Mixon playing against the Raiders?

Mixon was cleared from the COVID list on Monday and has not been on the injury report since. Barring any setbacks, he will be a full-go for tonight’s game against the Raiders.

Mixon rejoins the team having missed Week 18, but he might have rested for that game anyway. The Bengals had already clinched the AFC North title, so Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins didn’t play in the contest. Additionally, Ja’Marr Chase was only out there for a total of 4 snaps.

How has Mixon performed so far this season?

Mixon had the best year of his career as the Bengals surged to the top of the division. His 1,205 rushing yards marked a new season-high and he posted his third 1,000-yard rushing season since entering the league in 2017.

Mixon was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, he has amassed over 4,500 yards on the ground and 33 touchdowns.

In 2021, a further 314 yards and 3 touchdowns marked career-highs for him in the passing game. Mixon is building an excellent relationship with Burrow and is pivotal to the success of what is a very exciting Bengals offense.

The young nucleus of that offense — Burrow (25 years old), Chase (21), Higgins (22), Mixon (25), and Tyler Boyd (27) — is one to be feared. When you consider just how young they are as a group, it’s scary how good they could be together for the next few years.

Mixon’s production in fantasy football

Before the season, many viewed Mixon as “injury prone.” Fantasy football managers were overly cautious following his 2020 foot injury. As a result, Mixon wasn’t drafted as high as some of the other top backs in the league. In dynasty leagues, some of the rookies were even going off the board first.

Those who did draft Mixon got some serious value. He finished third among running backs in standard formats with 286.9 fantasy points. He totaled 24+ fantasy points in seven of the 17 games this season. Mixon recorded 16 total touchdowns on the season (13 rushing and 3 receiving), making him one of the best selections for managers.

The Bengals will be thrilled to have him back on the field as they attempt to win their first playoff game since 1991.