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.

Saturday, December 6, 2:41 PM

Tennessee Titans running back Tyjae Spears has done most of his work as a receiver so far this season, recording 28 catches for 173 yards on 30 targets across eight games played. The 24-year-old has earned at least five targets in three straight weeks entering Week 14. Unfortunately for Spears, he's been brutal as a rusher over that same span, recording six total rushing yards on nine carries. The Titans are deploying a near dead-even backfield split between Spears and veteran back Tony Pollard. Since the team's Week 10 bye, Pollard has played 95 snaps to Spears' 92. The Titans have a tough matchup in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns, who enter the week ranked second among NFL defenses in yards per carry allowed (3.7). Spears' receiving work gives him some desperation flex appeal in deep-PPR fantasy leagues, but his production upside is limited in Week 14.