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Will Joe Mixon start for the Houston Texans when he returns? John Johnson breaks down the Week 10 Joe Mixon return timeline and fantasy football outlook.
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle/foot) continues to rehab an ankle and foot injury that he suffered in the offseason before the 2025 season started. He hasn't played in a game yet and remains on injured reserve.
It's been a frustrating situation for fantasy managers who drafted him. His ADP remained inside the top-8 rounds in 12-team fantasy leagues before the year started, as many assumed he would be able to take the field by Week 1 or soon after.
Instead, it's been nine weeks now, and with Week 10 approaching, there's no sign of his potential return. He remains on the non-football injury list, and the Texans haven't been clear about when, or if, he's actually coming back this year. So will he be the starter when he returns?
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Will Joe Mixon Start For The Texans When He Returns?
It actually seems likely. Based on last week's performance by running backs Nick Chubb (foot) and Woody Marks. They were abysmal in their team's home loss to the Denver Broncos. Chubb rushed 11 times for 34 yards, averaging just over 3.0 yards per carry, and Marks ran 10 times for 27 yards, averaging 2.7 YPC.
They were wholly ineffective against a stout defense, which shouldn't really come as a surprise if you pay attention to advanced metrics and watch film. Chubb looks nothing like the stud RB he used to be before his devastating knee injury early in 2023, and Marks isn't elusive or powerful as a runner.
I can't believe I didn't realize Woody Marks was 24 years old entering the NFL. For some reason that wasn't a knock to his game? He was terrible running between the tackles in college. A-gap runs... yikes. Underlined everything he was worst in the top 4 rounds of drafted RBs in pic.twitter.com/rX27LjkPfx
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) October 9, 2025
He's benefited from some pass-catching work and a few well-blocked plays where he picked up a lot of yards after the catch, but that's about it. But so far in the NFL, he has a very low rate of forced missed tackles, just like he had in college. Situation matters, of course, but the Texans offensive situation is terrible.
Things aren't likely to get better for them soon. Chubb missed practice Wednesday due to a foot injury, and Marks isn't cut out to be a workhorse back or lead rusher. He doesn't have the power to gain a lot of yards after contact and isn't shifty enough to consistently make tacklers miss.
Mixon is clearly the most talented back on this team, and while there's skepticism about his ability to return fully healthy, it's possible that even a compromised version of himself would outplay both Marks and Chubb to the degree that neither of them would be useful more than to spell No. 28.
Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Outlook
Mixon's constant usage as a workhorse back throughout his career has led to a multitude of injuries, and there are concerns about his ability to finish seasons. Many players have their bodies wear down over the course of the 17 games that they play.
This is especially true for extremely heavily-used running backs. The hundreds of touches take a toll, and the minor and moderate injuries pile up for the players that are constantly hit by defenders. Playing running back in the NFL is like getting into dozens if not hundreds of car crashes each year.
Joe Mixon 2024 highlights continued! 💥
Dude played his heart out in every start. Let’s get some improvement on the interior offensive line and then I don’t know how he will be stopped 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/dnd6zOnUFm
— big ounce (@_bigounce) February 13, 2025
However, while his affected ankle and foot clearly aren't healthy, the rest of his body will be fresher, and when that ankle and foot heal up -- if they do this season -- he'll have the unique advantage of being in early-season form late in the year.
The offensive line is in terrible shape and the passing offense hasn't been very good, which won't take a lot of pressure off the run game. That's not a positive. But the other backs have performed poorly, and Mixon could have quite a bit of volume on his return. It remains to be seen how much he'll be involved in the passing game, though.
Marks has been used moderately as a receiver sometimes, and those targets are incredibly valuable in full-PPR leagues. Mixon is likely the better player with the ball in his hands, but it just depends on how he's spelled. Still, Mixon will be a flex start when he comes back at the least based on projected volume and talent.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 10 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Courtland Sutton, Jordan Addison, Quentin Johnston, Tyrone Tracy Jr.. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 10. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 10 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.
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Popular Week 10 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 10 (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 10 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 10 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Courtland Sutton, Jordan Addison, Quentin Johnston, Tyrone Tracy Jr. compared to others:
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