Having similar Average Draft Positions (ADP’s), these two runnning backs could be a toss up for who will finish on top at the end of the 2020-21 season. I would personally take Joe Mixon.
In having a rollercoaster 2019-2020 season and playing on ultimately the worst team, Mixon was still able to finish as the 13th overall running back, with 14.1 points per game which was only .6 less than Jacobs 14.7 (full PPR). Mixon is a better overall running back, as he is multifaceted and lethal in the passing game. He has more than doubled Jacobs receptions per game with 3.1 vs. Jacobs 1.5, and has nearly doubled his targets per game (3.8 vs. 2.1) through three seasons. This not only proves Mixon’s superior ability in the passing game, but also his superior involvement in his team’s passing offense. sAlthough Jacobs is a very talented back, his involvement in the Raiders offense is alarming, where he only saw 27 targets in his 13 games last season. I don’t expect this stat to change very much going into the 2020 season.
The Raiders draft additions of Henry Ruggs, Lynn Bowden, Bryan Edwards, and the signing of Nelson Agholor all don’t help Jacob’s cause. You could argue the same for Mixon, saying that the Bengals also drafted a new receiver in Tee Higgins, but the backfields themselves are completely different. While Jacobs competes with passing threats such as Devontae Booker and Jalen Richard, Mixon plays in an essentially empty backfield (can’t forget about Giovanni Bernard). Nonetheless, Jacobs battled a shoulder surgery towards the end of last season so a regress in his workload wouldn’t be out of the question.
Once Mixon was given touches last season, he produced, and I believe the Bengals will look to get him going early in the season. Their Offensive Line continues to improve with the return of 2019 1st round pick Jonah Williams from injury, creating sky-high limit for the 4th year running back in this lethal offense the Bengals are building around Joe Burrow.
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