When will Joe Mixon return and play? Will Joe Mixon be back again this season? Read the latest Joe Mixon injury updates and return date for Week 4 (2025).
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon has been sidelined since the middle of training camp due to a foot/ankle injury. Since hitting the non-football injury/reserve list, the team has not provided any updates on his status.
With his potential Week 5 return date in the near future, can fantasy managers expect the veteran running back on the field anytime soon?
When will Joe Mixon return to action, and what is his fantasy football outlook when he does? Let's dive in.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Joe Mixon Injury Update
Throughout the opening month of the regular season, the Houston Texans have not provided any update on their starting running back. The lack of updates and visible progress is not a positive sign for his season outlook.
While Mixon is eligible to return to action in Week 5, given that he has yet to return to practice or be seen with the team, it suggests he is not close to beginning his rehab process.
Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, but the lack of updates does not bode well for his potential return this season.
Joe Mixon's Return Doesn't Appear to be on the Horizon https://t.co/lqbcpylrux
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 25, 2025
Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Outlook
Last season, Mixon enjoyed a productive debut season in Houston, totaling 11 touchdowns on the ground (with an additional score through the air). He combined for 1,016 rushing yards and added 309 yards on 36 receptions through the air.
In the postseason, Mixon looked very impressive, averaging a strong 18.4 points per game with 97.0 rushing yards per game.
However, with Mixon sidelined, the Texans have turned to veteran Nick Chubb to lead the offense. Chubb struggled during his final season in Cleveland and has seen those struggles continue in Houston. Through three games, he has posted a low 4.1 YPC and has only scored one rushing touchdown.
In their most recent contest, the Texans provided rookie Woody Marks an increased role, which suggests that the team may be looking to ease Chubb's role in the offense, given his underwhelming play.
With Mark's emergence, fantasy managers should only consider stashing Mixon in 12+ team formats that have IR spots. Managers in shallower should instead look to stash IR candidates with a clearer timetable, like Jalen Coker (quadriceps), J.J. McCarthy (ankle), or Brandon Aiyuk (knee).
Given his current status, there is no guarantee Mixon is cleared to play this season.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...

Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Deciding who to start instead? Some common Week 4 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Chase Brown, Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo, TreVeyon Henderson, Tony Pollard, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Nick Chubb. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 3. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Chase Brown, Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo, TreVeyon Henderson, Tony Pollard, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Nick Chubb. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Deciding who to start instead? Below are some popular Week 4 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Chase Brown, Quinshon Judkins, Cam Skattebo, TreVeyon Henderson, Tony Pollard, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Nick Chubb compared to others:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!