WR Domenik Hixon, Carolina Panthers

HT: 6-2, WT: 192, Born: 10-8-1984, College: Akron, Drafted: Round 4

2013 Projections

Outlook

Domenik Hixon arrived in Carolina after the Panthers awarded him a one-year contract April 3, 2013. Hixon played in place of an often-dinged-up Hakeem Nicks for the Giants during 2012, posting 59 targets for 39/567/2 in the part-time role. He's been an important role player for the Giants (when healthy) during his time in New York (2007-2012), but he has had his right ACL reconstructed twice - injury history is a worry with Hixon, fantasy owners. Hixon may have a shot at the starting lineup in Carolina if he can pick up the offensive system quickly - Brandon LaFell is not entrenched as the #2 wide receiver in front of Hixon. This is a training camp battle worth monitoring, fantasy owners.

Latest News

Panthers | Domenik Hixon sitting out minicamp (Wed Jun 12, 12:38 PM) - Carolina Panthers WR Domenik Hixon (hamstring) will miss all of the team's three-day minicamp this week because he injured his hamstring last week in organized team activities, according to head coach Ron Rivera. 'He is coming on, did some really nice things for us, but unfortunately we're going to miss out on the next couple days without him.'

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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Domenik Hixon missed almost all of 2011 and made a solid contribution to his team on Wednesday. Hixon only managed 3 catches as a backup WR/ slot WR but he made them count and was the second leading receiver on the day. Hixon is a very quick WR, sleight build but has the hands and speed to be a legitimate slot weapon. Hixon made a big play for his team late in the game, going deep and jumping at the right moment to haul in a 39 yard pass from Manning. He also had a good shot at getting a touchdown at the end of the game, diving out for a pass near the goal line but Manning just overthrew him. Hixon got some short catches on curls but the Giants offense looked very out of synch and the play calling was very conservative and short game based. Hixon is a deep threat and should look to have better games in this offense that needs a threat down the middle of the field.

Week 2 - Domenik Hixon caught one pass on Sunday against the Bucs but took a vicious hit in the process and was forced to leave the game. Hixon caught a big first down on the outside with a curl route for this team before taking the hit.

Week 4 - Domenik Hixon had a very nice game filling in for WR Nicks and proved crucial at times for QB Manning to lean on. With Nicks out, the Giants needed a WR to take advantage of tight press man defense and Hixon was able to do this. Hixon showed excellent chemistry with QB Manning on back shoulder plays, displaying excellent timing and taking advantage of bump n run defense. Hixon was also able to burn the Eagles deep on several plays, blowing by the CB and outplaying him for the football on fade routes. Hixon showed a determination to come back to the football on one great catch over the middle for a big first down. Hixon caught most of his catches on slants, fades and back shoulder fade routes that are all designed to take advantage of press defense and he was a legitimate weapon against the Eagles. Hixon has above average speed, is very tough when fighting for the ball in the air and did a good job filling in for the role usually occupied by teammate WR Nicks. Hixon had more playing time than Barden and is the clear #2 WR for this offense when Nicks misses time.

Week 5 - Domenik Hixon had a solid contribution to the offense on Sunday but was unable to score or make any big catches down the field to help fantasy owners. Hixon showed a lot of toughness as a quick receiver who can play slot and on the outside. Hixon made a nice tough catch over the middle of the defense, leaping high to secure the grab. Hixon had a chance at a deep play down the field but QB Manning overthrew him on this instance. He showed his usual good chemistry with Manning, catching slants/deep in patterns and exploiting one on one match ups. However Hixon was unable to score as the Giants focused on getting the ball to WR Cruz instead in the redzone. The Giants were also very committed to the running game which took away some possible production from Hixon. Hixon remains valuable however, especially with Nicks and Barden missing significant time. Teammate WR Randle is also improving and Hixon will have to compete to stay productive in this offense.

Week 6 - Domenik Hixon continues to show up every week and do more than the Giant ask of him in the passing game. Hixon has become a very reliable receiver for Manning that can pick up a first down on third down or beat the secondary deep for a big play. Hixon showed this early by getting a good release and blowing by his DB in coverage before turning around to haul in a big pass down the sideline. Hixon then showed his incredible concentration to catch an extremely contested ball on the sideline from QB Manning. Hixon even managed to hold onto a very low pass that looked to hit the ground but he was able to keep his fingers under the ball and secure the catch. Hixon had a shot at a touchdown late in the game on a slant over the goal line but Manning threw it way behind him and it fell incomplete. The Giants really relaxed on offense in the third quarter as they had built up a huge lead and the production of the entire team suffered somewhat as a result.

Week 7 - Domenik Hixon has been relegated to being the #3 WR in this offense with the return of Nicks to the line-up every week. With the strong running game and presence of TE Bennett, there will be rarely enough production to go around that WR Hixon will be start-able in fantasy games. Hixon ran comebacks and slants against man coverage, picked up some key first downs and is a great well rounded WR but he has elite competition with WR Nicks and WR Cruz to compete with for catches.

Week 8 - Domenik Hixon was a non factor on Sunday as the Giants struggled to generate any offense at times in this game. The Cowboys shut down the Giants rushing attack for most of the game, made them very one dimensional and Manning struggled to connect with any of his receivers. Hixon has returned to the #3 WR spot in the Giants with the return of Nicks to the line up and this will decrease his role and production in this offense. No Giants WR managed to produce well on Sunday however, as the Cowboys defensive scheme worked perfectly to neutralize the Giants weapons. Hixon was able to secure two catches but for small gains when the Giants needed a first down in a big way. Hixon caught a short drag route on third down but failed to pick up the first down. Manning then mis fired and left Hixon unable to convert another third down late in the game. The Giants were all out of sync on Sunday against the Cowboys who deserve the credit for disrupting the timing of the NYG passing game.

Week 9 - Domenik Hixon was a non factor in Sunday’s game and barely had a chance to contribute at all. Hixon didn’t register a catch as the Giants struggled massively to move the ball on the ground or through the air. Hixon’s best chance was a deep pass attempt down the field. Hixon was isolated one on one down the field, failed to come up with the catch but managed to draw a big pass interference penalty which helped the Giants. The Giants failed to keep drives going at all and had to rely on penalties and mistakes from Pittsburgh to be put into scoring opportunities. Hixon has failed to replicate his numbers from earlier games this season and this trend is likely to continue as Nicks/Cruz/Bennett are all higher in the progression reads from QB Manning.

Week 10 - Domenik Hixon had only one catch on Sunday and has really became a non factor in this offense as of lately. The Giants offense struggles to even generate first downs and lower tier WR’s like Hixon will never be productive while Manning struggles. Hixon showed toughness hauling in a short gain over the middle before taking a big short, which drew a personal foul penalty but this was his only catch of the game. The Giants passing game needs to be looked at heavily by the coaches during the bye week and will hopefully improve when they return, bringing increased fantasy value to all receivers including Hixon.

Week 14 - Domenik Hixon only had 3 catches but played a pivotal role for NYG on Sunday as the third WR option. Hixon caught several passes on curl routes, taking advantage of backed off coverage from the defense. Hixon ran an excellent route in the redzone for his touchdown also. Hixon ran a fade pattern, got to the corner of the endzone and provided QB Manning a big window to throw into. Hixon was not asked to do much else on Sunday as Nicks/Cruz/Bennett also played big roles as a team. The Giants also ran the ball well and often, which decreased the attempts for QB Manning. Hixon may not get the yards and targets as Nicks/Cruz but can still make a big play for his QB when asked, using his quickness and reliability on the outside to play any WR position on the field.

Week 15 - Domenik Hixon was the leading receiver for the Giants on Sunday as the Falcons were focused on eliminating teammate WR’s Nicks/Cruz. Hixon was left in one on one situations frequently and dominated the field at times when he had the ball come his way. Hixon has shown quickness and great hands throughout his career and Sunday was no different. Hixon is also a terrific well rounded receiver and he caught slants/comebacks/curls against the Falcons. Hixon showed great quickness on a comeback route to the outside, as he hauled in the pass short of the first down but then round around the defender and down the sideline for a big gain. Hixon has been a good redzone target for the Giants aswell but there were too few redzone opportunities on Sunday to take advantage of. The Giants turned the ball over many times, failed on 4th down and QB Manning had an “off” day as he could not reliably connect with his receivers.

Week 16 - Domenik Hixon looked like the only conceivable threat on Sunday at times against the Ravens in the passing attack. Hixon stepped up as Nicks was completely blanketed by the defense. Hixon used his quickness and speed to catch mostly short passes and curl routes to try his best to keep the offense on the field. Hixon had a shot at a big play down the sideline on a streak pattern but the pass was underthrown which caused Hixon to re-adjust and he put on a hand on the defender in the process which resulted in a flag for offensive pass interference being thrown. Hixon caught the only touchdown pass late in the game against a soft zone defense in garbage time. Manning floated a pass in the corner of the endzone for Hixon, who easily hauled in the pass for the score. Hixon was open over the middle aswell in the second half but Manning could not connect with him in stride. The NYG offense has been completely lost the past two weeks but Hixon has been the lone brightspot.

Week 17 - Domenik Hixon only got two catches on Sunday as his teammates dominated the Eagles. Hixon was not needed as much this week due to an excellent rushing attack and big performances by rookies RB Wilson and WR Randle. Hixon’s first catch came on a crossing route over the middle. Hixon caught the pass with a lot of room to work with after he gained big separation and exploded down the sideline for 30 yards. Hixon also got a nice first down on a curl route, taking advantage of some soft zone defense and catching the ball cleanly. Hixon had a shot at a deep pass late in the game and was unable to come up with it but this play did drew a pass interference penalty in his favour. The Giants handled the Eagles well on the ground and the passing game wasn’t needed as much as it usually is, which somewhat hurt the performance of Hixon but he still looked quick and speedy with the ball in his hands.