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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 12 (2025).
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (foot) has remained on the non-football injury/reserve list since the beginning of the regular season and has not made any substantial progress returning to action.
With the season quickly coming to an end, does Mixon have a viable path to contribute during the final weeks of the regular season?
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
After weeks of silence, the Houston Texans provided an update on Mixon. On Tuesday, the team's general manager, Nick Caserio, noted that Mixon's current injury is a "grey area situation." Caserio noted that while there are times he begins to make progress, she quickly takes a step back, which makes it challenging for them to provide a clear timetable.
However, with the regular season now past the halfway point and nearing the final stretch, the veteran running back is quickly running out of time to return to action.
With no practice return in sight, managers should expect the 29-year-old to remain on the shelf for the final month of the season.
Uncertainty Remains Around Joe Mixon's Return Timeline https://t.co/b7rZgNzmqv
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 18, 2025
Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Outlook
As a result, managers should not expect Mixon to carry any fantasy value during the first weeks of the fantasy football season. Given his unknown timeline, Mixon is a safe cut candidate in all redraft leagues.
While managers in deep 14+ team formats with multiple IR spots could still look to stash him, other players are IR-eligible who have concrete timetables.
Managers should look to cut Mixon in favor of any high-upside RB2 who carries much higher long-term upside. Examples of these players include Isaiah Davis, Blake Corum, and Devin Neal. All three of these No. 2 RBs could enter high-end RB2 territory if their starter were to miss time.
If needing a WR, managers should look to cut Mixon in favor of Luther Burden III or Jayden Reed (collarbone). Burden recently out-snapped the team's No. 3 WR Olamide Zaccheaus last week, suggesting he is nearing a larger role while Reed is quickly approaching a return to practice.
Jayden Reed Could Return to Practice on Wednesday https://t.co/PExyCYqEzC
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) November 18, 2025
Either option has much higher short and long-term upside than Mixon would this season.
Who Should I Start Tool
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Deciding who to start instead? Some common Week 12 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Parker Washington, Wan'Dale Robinson, Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, and Bam Knight. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 12. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 12 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 12 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 12 (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 12 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Deciding who to start instead? Below are some popular Week 12 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Parker Washington, Wan'Dale Robinson, Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, and Bam Knight compared to others:
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