Who Should I Start? Brandin Cooks or Joe Mixon

Saturday, November 8, 10:23 AM

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks will take on an increased workload after Rashid Shaheed was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Cooks is expected to operate as the Saints' No. 2 receiver behind Chris Olave for the rest of the season, starting with Sunday's Week 10 contest against the Carolina Panthers. The veteran is likely second or third in the pecking order for targets, working behind Olave and perhaps tight end Juwan Johnson, too. While New Orleans' offense has struggled this season, they've also been playing from behind in most of their games, creating additional volume for the passing game, led by Tyler Shough. An uptick in targets could be enough to generate low-end WR3/flex appeal for Cooks in deeper leagues. He's a solid speculative stash in deep formats, while managers in leagues with 12 or fewer teams can keep an eye on him.

Monday, November 10, 6:18 PM

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) hasn't been able to do anything for the last four months with what the team is calling a foot injury, and there have been no recent updates on what his timetable might look like for a return this year. It has opened up speculation that Mixon won't return at all for Houston in 2025. He was placed on the Non-Football Injury list in the offseason, and the Texans have offered few details on his foot injury. General manager Nick Caserio said in early October that Mixon was making progress, but the fact that we haven't heard anything since isn't good news. The Texans are still holding out hope that Mixon will be back this year, but KPRC 2 Sports' Aaron Wilson has said that Mixon's situation is "tough" and "complicated." Fantasy managers shouldn't be so hopeful he'll play in 2025. In the meantime, the Texans will roll on with veteran Nick Chubb in the early down role, with rookie Woody Marks seeing passing-down work.