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Joey's latest Joe Mixon injury update and injury return timeline for fantasy football in Week 2 of 2025. Will Joe Mixon be the starting RB when he returns?
Texans running back Joe Mixon had a solid first season in Houston, totaling over 1,300 total yards and 12 total TDs. However, an offseason foot/ankle injury followed up by a setback during recovery caused Mixon to be placed on the PUP list prior to the season.
At best, this means Mixon will return after missing the season's first month. However, there is a possibility that Mixon will be unable to recover and will need season-ending surgery. Veteran Nick Chubb, who replaced Mixon in the starting lineup in Week 1, played well, gaining 60 yards on 13 carries. Following the game, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told the media that the team will rely more on Chubb in the coming weeks.
Will Mixon be able to take his starting job back if/when he returns? What is his fantasy football outlook?
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Will Joe Mixon Start For The Texans When He Returns?
Even if Mixon returns to the Texans' lineup around Week 5, which is the best-case scenario, he probably won't be at 100%. He's been dealing with this injury for the majority of the offseason and won't be able to get up to full speed right away.
An update on RB Joe Mixon. pic.twitter.com/nUSc8DSNl5
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 25, 2025
The Texans have also been incredibly vague regarding his injury, providing almost no clarity on Mixon's recovery. This is cause for worry that Mixon missing the entire season has become a bigger possibility than Houston wants to admit.
Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Outlook
Mixon was a strong RB2 in fantasy football in 2024, but his efficiency fell off a cliff as the year went on due to the Texans' struggling offensive line. At his best, Mixon is an all-around back with speed, power, and receiving ability. He was misused in Cincinnati and appeared to be a better fit in the Texans' offense, but the offensive line and lingering injury issues prevented him from having a career year.
If we assume Mixon will have a full recovery (which might be an unlikely outcome at this point), he is the best running back on the Texans and will slide back into the starting lineup. Chubb is aging and has a lengthy injury history of his own. Dameon Pierce has struggled to earn consistent playing time for years, and rookie Woody Marks has yet to prove himself in the pros.
"There's nothing BETA about Joe [Mixon]."
😤The Texans are missing RB Joe Mixon in several ways.
🗣️ @Djbienaime: "I do think that they are missing that true dog." pic.twitter.com/AVtYwnNDPo
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelV) September 11, 2025
He would have a solid role and could be considered a fringe RB2/flex option due to his injury risk, age, and the Texans' O-line. He may start with a limited snap count in his first couple of games to ease him into the lineup. But after that, if Mixon can fully recover, he should be in for a solid workload of 15+ carries per game. The Texans leaned on Mixon last year and likely planned to do so again this year before the injury.
'We miss Joe, we miss his energy' #Texans DeMeco Ryans on injured Joe Mixon @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/12zMr3oVze
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 11, 2025
The Texans' offense struggled mightily in Week 1, scoring just nine points, but that was on the road against a ferocious Rams defense. Mixon's return should elevate the unit, but the possibility that he never returns to full strength - or never returns at all - is still on the table.
If the Texans' new-look offensive line can improve, that raises Mixon's floor while sustaining his impressive ceiling from early 2024. With the incredibly limited information we have on Mixon at this point, we just have to wait and hope that he will come back as the same player he was in previous seasons.
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? Some common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Tony Pollard, Javonte Williams, Jaylen Warren, J.K. Dobbins, Kenneth Walker, D'Andre Swift. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 2. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 2 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 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Tony Pollard, Javonte Williams, Jaylen Warren, J.K. Dobbins, Kenneth Walker, D'Andre Swift. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
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 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (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 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 2 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Tony Pollard, Javonte Williams, Jaylen Warren, J.K. Dobbins, Kenneth Walker, D'Andre Swift compared to others:
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