Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or James Cook

Monday, January 19, 9:37 PM

When asked whether he expects a future with running back Joe Mixon (foot, ankle) on Monday, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said, "As of right now, I don't know that," according to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. Mixon didn't play at all during the 2025 season, yet the Texans managed to make the playoffs for the third straight year without him. The 29-year-old's future in Houston depends entirely on the health of his foot/ankle going into next season. From a contractual perspective, Mixon is with the team through the 2026 season. Veteran Nick Chubb opened the year as Houston's primary running back before rookie Woody Marks took over in the second half. Even if Mixon recovers this offseason and is ready to go for the season opener this fall, he won't be guaranteed to get the RB1 job back with Marks around.

Tuesday, January 13, 7:00 PM

After finishing the regular season with an NFL-best 1,621 rushing yards, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook had an underwhelming outing in his first game of the postseason. The 26-year-old was held to just 46 rushing yards on 15 carries and five receiving yards on two catches by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cook's regular-season track record should afford him the benefit of the doubt from fantasy managers. However, he will face another very difficult run defense in the Divisional round when Buffalo travels to Denver to take on the Broncos. The Broncos defense finished the regular season ranked third in the NFL in yards per carry allowed (3.9) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns allowed (11). Additionally, Buffalo's already depleted pass-catching corps lost another two wide receivers in Gabe Davis (knee) and Tyrell Shavers (knee), who both suffered season-ending knee injuries in the Wild Card round. As a result, Denver could be even more geared up to stop Cook and take away the run. Cook remains a high-end running back option, but fantasy managers may want to downgrade expectations heading into the Divisional round.