When Is Joe Mixon Coming Back? Injury Update and Fantasy Football Outlook (Week 13)

Is Joe Mixon out for the season? When is Joe Mixon coming back? The latest Joe Mixon injury update and fantasy football outlook heading into Week 13 of 2025.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (foot) has yet to take the field this season and has shown no signs of progress.

With the season nearing the final stretch, managers need their bench players to contribute, and given Mixon's status, it may be time to cut him.

Will Mixon play again this season? Should fantasy managers stash him on their bench during the second half? Let's dive in!

Is Joe Mixon Out for the 2025 Season?

Last week, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network finally provided some key insight on Mixon's status. Rapoport reported that the veteran running back is not expected to return this season due to the foot injury he suffered in the offseason.

While there is an outside chance Mixon could return during the postseason, his availability for the regular season is now in serious doubt.

Given this update, managers should not consider stashing Mixon any longer, as he is not expected to see the field this season.

Uncertainty Remains Around Joe Mixon's Return Timeline https://t.co/b7rZgNzmqv

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 18, 2025

Joe Mixon 2025 Fantasy Football Outlook

As a result, managers should not consider stashing Mixon in any redraft format during the final weeks of the season. While he is still IR-eligible in most leagues, given that he is not expected to return, he carries no value and is not worth keeping on your roster.

Instead, managers should look to stash high-upside players who could become sneaky league-winners during the fantasy football playoffs. Candidates at the WR position could be Jayden Reed (foot) or Luther Burden III. Reed is still working his way back from his own injury, but has begun to make steady progress, as he practised for the first time on Friday.

Packers Open Jayden Reed's Practice Window on Friday https://t.co/eSDE2NIXUQ

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 21, 2025

Burden saw his highest snap percentage of the season back in Week 11 and enjoyed solid production on Sunday, catching three of his four targets for 46 yards.

When looking at potential running backs, managers should cut Mixon in favor of high-upside handcuffs. Players such as Blake Corum, Brian Robinson Jr., and Isaiah Davis would hold high-end RB2 upside like Sean Tucker and Emanuel Wilson have enjoyed over the past two weeks.

All of these running backs may hold minimal standalone upside, but could become must-start options if their respective starter were to miss time during the final month of the campaign.

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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 13 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Kyle Monangai, Sean Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Emanuel Wilson, Alec Pierce, and Colston Loveland. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 13. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 13 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 13 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Kyle Monangai, Sean Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Emanuel Wilson, Alec Pierce, and Colston Loveland. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 13.

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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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, player 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 circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 13 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 13 (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 13 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular Week 13 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Kyle Monangai, Sean Tucker, Wan'Dale Robinson, Emanuel Wilson, Alec Pierce, and Colston Loveland compared to others:

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