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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 3 (2025).
Houston Texans lead running back Joe Mixon has been sidelined since the middle of July due to foot and ankle injuries. Since the start of the season, Mixon has been on the non-football injury/reserve list, which will keep him sidelined till at least Week 5.
However, the Texans have yet to suggest Mixon is making any progress, as he has yet to return to the practice field.
When will Joe 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
While Mixon is eligible to earn in Week 5, fantasy managers should not expect him to hit this target date. Since hitting the reserve list, Mixon has yet to take the practice field. As a result, the lack of updates is not a good sign for his season outlook.
In August, the Texans' general manager, Nick Caserio, did not give a definitive answer on whether their lead running back would be able to return at some point this season.
As a result, the lack of clarity on the situation suggests Mixon is still far from his return to football.
Joe Mixon Remains Without a Firm Injury Return Timeline https://t.co/AwlaogeuDJ
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 17, 2025
Joe Mixon Fantasy Football Outlook
Entering this season, the former Bengal was viewed as a high-floor RB2 as he was slated once again to lead the Houston backfield. Even though the Texans signed Nick Chubb to a one-year deal, this backfield was still Mixon's.
In his debut season in Houston, Mixon looked very productive, running for 1,016 yards and punching in 11 touchdowns on the ground on 245 carries. Through the air, Mixon caught 36 of his 52 targets for 309 yards and an additional touchdown.
In their two postseason games, Mixon was the heartbeat of the offense, averaging 18.4 PPR points per game with 97.0 rushing yards per game.
However, with Mixon sidelined, the team has turned to Chubb to lead the rushing attack with Dare Ogunbowale and rookie Woody Marks slotting behind him. After posting a career-low 3.3 YPC in 2024, Chubb has seen a light improvement in the first two games, but not significantly, posting a modest 4.1 YPC.
Most of his production came in Week 1 as Chubb ran for 60 yards on 13 attempts. Chubb was shut down in Week 2, tallying only 43 yards on 12 carries. His inconsistency has opened a path for Marks to carve out a role in the backfield eventually.
For now, managers should continue to expect Chubb to lead the backfield while Marks is emerging as a high-upside stash. Given Mixon's uncertainty, Marks could have a path to emerging as the lead option in the second half.
Lack of Joe Mixon Injury Updates Sparking Concern for Managers?https://t.co/BurWkvXDLx
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 12, 2025
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 3 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Bhayshul Tuten, Trey Benson, Rachaad White, RJ Harvey, Cade Otton. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 3. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 3 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 3 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Bhayshul Tuten, Trey Benson, Rachaad White, RJ Harvey, Cade Otton. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 3.
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 3 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 3 (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 3 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 3 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Bhayshul Tuten, Trey Benson, Rachaad White, RJ Harvey, Cade Otton compared to others:
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