Joe Mixon Injury Update Boosts Giovani Bernard Fantasy Outlook in Week 8

Cincinnati Bengals star running back Joe Mixon remained sidelined during Wednesday's practice. It's a worrying sign for Mixon, who was unable to suit up last Sunday due to a foot injury suffered in Week 6.

If Mixon is able to play he'd be safe to use as a low-end RB1 against the Tennessee Titans, but Giovani Bernard would once again serve as the team's lead back if Mixon can't go.

Zac declines to talk about Dunlap until trade is officially announced.

Says Mixon, Jonah, Trey won't practice today.#Bengals
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) October 28, 2020

Giovani Bernard Fantasy Outlook

A matchup with Tennessee is not nearly as daunting as you might think. The Titans' defense has been average this season, sitting at No. 17 in Football Outsiders' DVOA metrics (No. 16 against the run). Tennessee is also surrendering the 17th-most PPR points per game to opposing RBs this season.

Bernard only managed 37 rushing yards on 13 carries against a beatable Cleveland Browns' defense last week.

That doesn't inspire much confidence, but Bernard could really thrive as a pass-catcher here. He turned 5 targets into 59 receiving yards and a score last week as well. And with Cincinnati likely to be playing from behind, as 5.5-point underdogs on FanDuel Sportsbook, Bernard could be looking at another decent workload through the air.

If Mixon is sidelined yet again, Bernard is safe to fire up as a low-end RB2 or a decent FLEX option. But he'd be rendered irrelevant if Mixon is back, so it'll be important to monitor the Bengals' practice reports throughout the week.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.