Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or Joe Mixon

Tuesday, August 19, 5:32 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver DK Metcalf will not suit up for the team's preseason finale on Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. Pass-rushers T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward also will not play. Rodgers will end up not playing at all in the preseason as he heads into his first year with the Steelers and potentially his last year in the NFL. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer will take on his former team, the New York Jets, in Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 7, where he'll be an unappealing, low-upside QB2 option for fantasy managers against a strong defense. Rodgers has looked slow during training camp and is expected to be more of a game manager in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's scheme in 2025. With Rodgers on the sidelines on Thursday, Mason Rudolph should start against Carolina.

Wednesday, August 20, 1:06 PM

Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports that Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) could begin the 2025 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, which would mean he'd miss at least the first four games. Mixon has not practiced at all during training camp this summer and hasn't even been seen working off the side on a rehab field. The 29-year-old former second-rounder by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 out of Oklahoma had a solid first year in Houston in 2024, rushing for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns on 245 carries over 14 regular-season starts, adding 36 catches for 309 yards and another TD. He can do it all, but it's looking more likely that he won't be ready for Week 1. If Mixon is unavailable for the start of the regular season, the Texans could go with a committee backfield involving Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce and rookie Woody Marks.