Evan Silva’s Matchups: Bengals at Eagles

Cincinnati @ Philadelphia
Team Totals: Eagles 26.5, Bengals 20

Even as Joe Mixon’s Weeks 1-2 results and persistent passing-down substitutions in favor of Giovani Bernard feel discouraging, Mixon banked 20 touches in both games and stands out as one of season-long fantasy’s top buy lows. The Bengals featured Mixon as a receiver in last Thursday night’s loss to Cleveland (4/40/0), while Cincy’s offense is likely to improve as Joe Burrow’s rookie year progresses. Mixon’s breakthrough may not occur at Philadelphia – the Bengals are 6.5-point road dogs, and the Eagles held Washington and Rams backs to a combined 55/204/3 (3.71 YPC) rushing line with just five receptions in Weeks 1-2. But Cincinnati draws Jacksonville and Indianapolis in two of its next three games, and few NFL backs have more job security than Mixon. … Burrow’s dual-threat capability was a somewhat overlooked part of his pre-draft evaluation; through two NFL starts, 2020’s No. 1 overall pick ranks fifth among quarterbacks in carries (15) and sixth in rushing yards (65), including Week 1’s 23-yard draw-play score. Burrow’s running game heightens his floor as a two-QB-league play, even if Week 3’s matchup could go either way. The Eagles held Dwayne Haskins to Week 1’s QB27 fantasy result, then coughed up Week 2’s QB11 outcome to Jared Goff on a scintillating 9.9 yards per pass attempt.

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