Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Travis Etienne

Sunday, January 5, 4:06 PM

With the Houston Texans already set as the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, the team gave running back Joe Mixon the day off after just six touches for 28 total yards on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The veteran back caught his only target for five yards and ran for 23 yards on five carries before Houston began pulling key players. For fantasy purposes, playing any Texan under Sunday's circumstances was a risk, and after Houston took a 7-0 lead, starting quarterback C.J. Stroud was replaced by Davis Mills as the Texans began looking toward the postseason. Mixon and the Texans will start their playoff journey next week when they play host to a Wild Card game.

Monday, January 6, 11:55 AM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. struggled to find much space in a 26-23 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He finished with 13 carries for 31 yards as well as three catches for 29 yards. The 25-year-old back out of Clemson had the worst season of his young career, struggling to find efficient yardage in a lackluster offense. While it still seems Etienne Jr. is much better in the passing game than backup Tank Bigsby, Bigsby seemed to take over as the lead rusher and goal-line back. Maybe with a healthy offense and improved roster next season, Etienne Jr. can get back on track, but he will likely still have Bigsby nipping at his heels. Expect Etienne Jr. to remain involved, but not as a workhorse back in the 2025 NFL season.