Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Darius Slayton

Wednesday, September 17, 11:11 AM

The Houston Texans have been worringly vague when providing updates on the status of running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot), who did not participate in any team offseason activities while recovering from an ankle/foot injury. Mixon was placed on the non-football injury list before the start of the regular season, meaning his earliest possible return date is Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. However, it appears as though Mixon will likely be out significantly longer and could even miss the entirety of 2025. The 29-year-old was a huge piece of Houston's offense in 2024, totaling 1,325 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in 14 games. In Mixon's absence so far, the Texans have turned to veteran running back Nick Chubb, who has 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries through the team's first two games. Mixon may be worth stashing in an IR spot for fantasy managers, but the lack of updates from the team is a concerning sign.

Thursday, September 11, 6:51 PM

New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (groin) popped up on Thursday's injury report and was listed as a limited participant in practice despite not showing up on the initial Week 2 injury report on Wednesday. If Slayton is unable to return to a full practice on Friday, he could be considered questionable for the Week 2 matchup against the division-rival Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. Even if the 28-year-old is cleared to play this weekend, fantasy managers in most leagues should be avoiding Slayton in a Giants offense that struggled to move the ball in the season-opening loss to the Washington Commanders under new quarterback Russell Wilson. At best, Slayton is a low-volume WR3 in New York's offense behind Malik Nabers and Wan'Dale Robinson. In Week 1, he failed to corral his only target from Wilson.