Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Aaron Jones

Tuesday, July 22, 3:16 PM

According to league sources, Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle), who was sidelined this spring and had a walking boot on his injured ankle, is doing great at the start of training camp. However, KPRC's Aaron Wilson writes that the Texans are likely to ease Mixon into practice and drills in camp this summer. With that said, the 28-year-old's medical outlook entering his second season with the Texans appears to be positive, and he should once again be a key part of the offense in 2025. The 28-year-old ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season in 2024 despite missing three games due to a high-ankle sprain. Mixon will share a backfield with Nick Chubb and Dameon Pierce in 2025. Nobody should mistake Mixon for an RB1, especially behind Houston's shaky offensive line, but the expected volume alone puts him in RB2 territory in fantasy.

Monday, April 7, 12:27 PM

The Minnesota Vikings have running back Aaron Jones penciled in as their starting RB again in 2025 after paying him more to return ($20 million over two seasons). However, ESPN's Kevin Seifert writes that new RB Jordan Mason isn't going to be a typical backup after they acquired him in a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Kevin O'Connell has been very clear that he wants to pull back on Jones' usage after he set career-highs in snaps (700), rushing attempts (255) and total touches (306) in 2024. "When he has historically had that 1A/1B backfield structure, he can be a total game-changer every time he touches the ball," O'Connell said. "So it was always about bringing Aaron back ... but what are we going to pair him with?" It's obviously bad news for Jones' chances of an RB1 finish in fantasy in 2025, with Mason expected to be used in short-yardage and goal-line situations for the Vikes.