Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Brian Robinson Jr.

Monday, October 20, 3:31 PM

There remains no timetable for the return of Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot), and there continue to be rumblings that he could miss the entire 2025 season. General manager Nick Caserio wouldn't say one way or another earlier this month whether he thought the 29-year-old RB would come off the Non-Football Injury list to join the active roster this year. The Texans should have more clarity on Mixon's health in another couple of weeks, but until then, fantasy managers stashing him in an Injured Reserve spot must stay patient. He was put on the NFI list before the start of training camp after injuring his ankle/foot during a workout in the spring. Although nothing is concrete yet, it's looking more likely that Mixon isn't going to be able to contribute in fantasy lineups in 2025. If that's the case, it will mean more opportunities for Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks the rest of the way.

Tuesday, October 21, 1:02 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. had his most productive game since Week 1 on Sunday night. San Francisco leaned heavily on their rushing attack in their Week 7 win over the Atlanta Falcons, allowing Robinson nine carries, tying his season high. Robinson also hit new highs in rushing yards (36) and snap share (26%). His on-field involvement in Week 7 is significant. In Weeks 1 and 2, he had shares of 24% and 23%, respectively, but his rate fluctuated between 7% and 15% in the games since then. Robinson's rebound in usage in Week 7 might be an indicator that the team is realizing they need to do better at divying up the backfield workload to take pressure off Christian McCaffrey. Robinson is not producing enough in his change-of-pace role to start in fantasy football, but he is one of the more valuable handcuffs in the league.