Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Kaleb Johnson

Thursday, November 20, 12:34 PM

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) is not expected to play this season as he deals with a foot injury from the offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Mixon will likely stay on the Physically Unable to Perform list through the end of the 2025 season, while the Texans move forward with veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks in their backfield. Things had been trending this way for a while, as the Texans haven't been giving any real updates on Mixon for pretty much the entire season. Fantasy managers who are still stashing the 29-year-old in redraft leagues should send him to the waiver wire now. Mixon's injury dates all the way back to spring workouts. One would think he'd be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign, but there has been little information about the exact nature of his injury. Marks, a fourth-rounder in April, has slowly started to see more work and should be the backfield leader over Chubb by the end of the year.

Friday, December 19, 11:21 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson continues to be one of the most disappointing rookies from the 2025 draft class. The 22-year-old Iowa product played a marginal role once again last week, amassing two carries for four rushing yards on a 3% snap share in the Steelers' win over the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. In total this year, he has 28 carries, 69 rushing yards, one catch, and nine receiving yards. He hasn't earned more than six touches in a single game, and he has played more than 12% of the offensive snaps in just two contests. It's not like Johnson has been relegated to special teams, either. He has just 11 special teams snaps this year and hasn't handled a single kick or punt return since a Week 2 blunder in the end zone that directly resulted in an opponent touchdown. Johnson and his fantasy managers are certainly ready to close the book on the 2025 season and turn the page to next year. With Kenneth Gainwell set to hit free agency in March, Johnson could have a chance to carve out a fantasy-relevant role behind Jaylen Warren in 2026.