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 8 (2025).
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (foot) has been on the shelf since July on the non-football injury/reserve list and has shown no signs of returning to action.
With the season nearing the midway point, should managers expect Mixon to return to the field anytime soon?
When will Mixon return to action, and what is his fantasy football outlook when he does? Let's dive in.
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Joe Mixon Injury Update
Earlier in October, the Texans provided a minor update regarding his status. The team's general manager, Nick Caserio, noted that his status for the remainder of the season remains "in limbo" and that they have yet to fully determine his availability. While this update did not rule him out for the remainder of the campaign, it will make it very difficult for managers to predict when he could return.
Seeing Mixon remain sidelined during team practices and not making any substantial progress makes him a very difficult player to stash in fantasy leagues.
Given that the Texans have shown no signs that a potential return is near or that he has made any substantial progress, managers should only look to stash him in the deepest 14+ team leagues in an IR spot.
No Timetable for Joe Mixon's Return https://t.co/Hib7RlCrYy
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 20, 2025
Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Outlook
As noted above, given his unclear timeline, managers in any standard league should not consider stashing Mixon at this time. His unknown timetable has continued to lower his fantasy value. In addition, with the season near the halfway point and Mixon yet to return to practice, it suggests he may not even return at all this season.
Managers should only consider stashing if they have an open IR spot on their roster in deep 14+ team formats heading into Week 8.
Instead, managers should look to cut Mixon in favor of lottery ticket running backs who will carry not only more short-term upside but also immense long-term upside. Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Jaydon Blue was recently promoted to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart and was given his largest workload in his young career in Week 7.
Due to Javonte Williams's extensive injury history, Blue could find himself in the starter's role sooner rather than later. Playing a high-octane offense, Blue is a priority stash.
In addition, New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis is now the primary handcuff behind Breece Hall. With the Jets entering Week 8 without a victory, Hall has begun to see his name circulate around many trade discussions. If the Jets were to move Hall, Davis would see a massive workload, as Braelon Allen (knee) is on the IR and could miss the remainder of the campaign.
Isaiah Davis Emerging as Potential Late-Season Sleeper https://t.co/QMMUNcXEJ3
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 22, 2025
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 8 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kimani Vidal, Cade Otton, Kayshon Boutte, Romeo Doubs, Wan'Dale Robinson, Keenan Allen. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 8. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 8 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 8 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kimani Vidal, Cade Otton, Kayshon Boutte, Romeo Doubs, Wan'Dale Robinson, Keenan Allen. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 8.
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 8 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 8 (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 8 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Deciding who to start instead? Below are some popular Week 8 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kimani Vidal, Cade Otton, Kayshon Boutte, Romeo Doubs, Wan'Dale Robinson, Keenan Allen compared to others:
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