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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 9 (2025).
Houston Texans starting running back Joe Mixon (foot) has yet to take the field this season and has been on the non-football injury reserve list since the beginning of the campaign.
With his minimal progress, should managers continue to start Mixon ahead of Week 9?
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 this week, the Texans provided a minimal update on Mixon's status. Head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters that he had "no update" on the former standout running back's status. Earlier in October, the team's general manager, Nick Caserio, stated that his status for the remainder of the campaign was "in limbo."
Given this week's update, managers should not expect Mixon back any time soon. He appears to be trending toward missing the remainder of the campaign, given that he has yet to show any significant progress or take a step on a practice field.
No Timetable for Joe Mixon's Return https://t.co/Hib7RlCrYy
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 20, 2025
Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Outlook
As a result, managers should only be stashing Mixon in 14+ team leagues that have multiple IR spots. Managers in shallower 12-team leagues with only a few IR spots should not consider stashing the 29-year-old, as he is training toward missing the remainder of the campaign.
Instead, managers should look to stash other high-upside running backs or IR candidates with a clearer timeline to make an impact this season. When looking at upside running backs to stash, managers should pivot towards New Orleans Saints rookie Devin Neal, Dallas Cowboys rookie Jaydon Blue, and New York Jets backup Isaiah Davis.
Isaiah Davis Sets Season-High in Touches, Yards https://t.co/ggH8TgfET6
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 27, 2025
All three running backs have begun to show some standalone upside and would see their value increase if their starter were to suffer an injury.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (knee) is currently on the IR and is working his way back from a torn ACL. While he has not made much progress, he is expected to return at some point this season, unlike Mixon, and is worth holding in an IR spot.
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 9 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kimani Vidal, Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston, Tez Johnson, Jordan Mason, Wan'Dale Robinson. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 9. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 9 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 9 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kimani Vidal, Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston, Tez Johnson, Jordan Mason, Wan'Dale Robinson. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 9.
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 9 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 9 (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 9 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Deciding who to start instead? Below are some popular Week 9 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kimani Vidal, Rico Dowdle, Quentin Johnston, Tez Johnson, Jordan Mason, Wan'Dale Robinson compared to others:
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