Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Chuba Hubbard

Monday, December 29, 1:56 PM

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (foot, ankle) will not return this season, league sources told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. The expectation all along has been that Mixon would not return at all in 2025, but now it's official. The Texans haven't released many details on the nature of Mixon's foot/ankle injury, but we know that he hasn't played since back in the spring. The 29-year-old remains on the Non-Football Injury list. At this point, it's fair to wonder if he'll be effective at all if he's able to make it back and play in 2026. The Texans will continue to move forward with rookie Woody Marks as their primary ball-carrier, with veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Jawhar Jordan backing him up heading into the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Indianapolis Colts.

Monday, December 29, 10:18 PM

Chuba Hubbard had four carries for 12 yards in the Carolina Panthers' 27-10 defeat in Week 17. He added six yards on three receptions and finished the game with 2.8 PPR Points. It was his lowest fantasy total since Week 10, and it was his third consecutive week with less than 5.0 PPR points. Carolina faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18 in an important game to determine the NFC South title. Tampa Bay ranked 15th in Fantasy Points Per Game allowed to the RB position in the last four weeks leading up to Week 17. In Week 16 against the Buccaneers, Hubbard had six carries for 27 yards and 4.4 PPR points. Hubbard's volume is too inconsistent to warrant a roster spot if you are still playing in Week 18, and he does not deserve any DFS consideration. Since Week 9, Hubbard had double-digit carries in only one game and eight or fewer carries in each of his last three. Hubbard remains off the fantasy radar for those playing in Week 18 despite the importance of this game against Tampa Bay. There is no need to handcuff him anymore if you roster Rico Dowdle. Cut Hubbard if you still have him on the roster and want to block your opponent from picking up certain players.