by Anthony Cervino | Bengals Correspondent | Fri, Jul 14th 7:29am EDT

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis told the media running back Joe Mixon is "off the charts talent-wise" Thursday. "Big, fast, catch, run, see, smart -- and he's a 20-year-old kid, Lewis said via NFL.com. "He's as smart as a whip. You know, I mean, those things are fun. And I keep reminding everybody, he's a 20-year-old kid. Keep understanding that. Let Joe continue to grow and develop as we go." (NFL.com)

Fantasy Impact:

Mixon is expected to partake in a training camp/ preseason battle with Jeremy Hill for the top spot on the Bengals' running back depth chart. Although HIll scored 29 touchdowns since his rookie year in 2014, he hasn't exceeded 3.8 YPC in the past two seasons. Mixon, a second round pick, had a first round draft grade but fell due to off the field issues in college. He is the favorite to beat out Hill for the starting job on early downs. However, Gio Bernard is still expected to maintain his role as the team's primary receiver out of the backfield / third down back. Until Cincinnati's backfield situation becomes more clear cut, it is considered volatile. Mixon and Bernard are currently the only two Bengals RBs I'm targeting in upcoming fantasy drafts.