Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Saquon Barkley

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.

Saturday, September 13, 12:47 AM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley tied for the sixth-most rushing attempts in the league last week (18), once again proving that he has one of the most reliably-heavy workloads in the NFL. He also made PPR managers happy with his four receptions on five targets-both good for second-most on the team. In Week 2 Barkley faces a Chiefs defense that held Omarion Hampton to just 48 yards on 15 attempts last Friday, but that was a rookie, and this is Saquon Barkley. After leading Philly in targets and receptions in their last meeting against Kansas City in the Super Bowl, expect Barkley to have a prominent role in the passing game again this week. He's a top-tier RB1 as per usual.