Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Tyjae Spears

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.

Monday, December 22, 12:04 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears notched his best outing of the 2025 season in Sunday's 26-9 home win against the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling 105 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. Spears' 18 touches in Week 16 are the most he'd handled all campaign, and it marked the fourth time in his last six appearances that he'd commanded at least five targets. Moreover, it was the first time he'd seen double-digit carries. While it's likely the uptick in work came from Tennessee deftly handling a visiting Chiefs squad, there's no denying the Tulane product is a talented athlete. For now, Spears is better suited for deep leagues, but his work in the receiving game keeps him in the range of a low-end flex in PPR formats. At the very least, he boasts high-end handcuff appeal. Tennessee gets an exploitable Saints' defense in Week 17.