The Houston Texans will face the Detroit Lions in Week 10. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Joe Mixon.
Is Joe Mixon Playing in Week 10?
For running backs like Joe Mixon, we know there is risk involved. He has over 2,000 career touches and joined a new franchise this offseason after spending his first seven years with the same one. In these spots, we usually settle for quality or quantity for touches and go our merry way with low-end RB2 production.
That’s not at all the case here. Since returning from injury …
- Week 6 at New England Patriots: 15 touches, 75.4% production over expectations
- Week 7 at Green Bay Packers: 27 touches, 21.3% production over expectations
- Week 8 vs. Indianapolis Colts: 29 touches, 9.1% production over expectations
- Week 9 at New York Jets: 24 touches, 10.4% production over expectations
Mixon has found paydirt in all four of those games. Mixon has a 20+ yard rush in all four of those games. Mixon has cleared 100 rushing yards in all four of those games.
He’s been great, and I think he will continue it through this week as the Texans’ best defense against the potent Lions might be their run game’s ability to keep Houston’s offense on the sidelines. I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but I do want to provide some words of caution, and you can do with it what you’d like.
All of these fireworks have come with Nico Collins (hamstring) on the shelf. It’s also worth noting that all age cliffs work differently. Last season, we saw Mixon average just 3.5 yards per carry from Weeks 12-17. I’m not calling that predictive, but it is worth keeping an eye on – his yards per carry after contact declined by 19.6% over that stretch compared to the first 11 weeks of the season.
Be happy with what he has given you, and play him with confidence this weekend, but be careful.
We’ll continue to monitor the Texans’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Joe Mixon in Week 10?
The veteran running back has cleared 23 PPR points in four of five games this season, a run that includes all three since turning from injury (all with Nico Collins on IR). He’s also earned at least three targets in every game, a role that seems like a lock to remain given the season-ending injury to Stefon Diggs.
Do I worry about a running back with this much usage on his NFL résumé taking 25+ touches consistently? I do, but we are talking about Week 9; in that scope, I’m plenty comfortable in using him as an RB1 against the 19th-ranked rush defense by EPA.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Joe Mixon’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 10
As of Sunday, Mixon is projected to score 17.3 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 16.6 rushing attempts for 70.8 yards and 0.7 touchdowns. It also includes 2.9 receptions for 22.1 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insight on the Lions’ Defense
The Detroit Lions are playing great complementary football right now, with their offense, defense, and special teams all ranking as top-10 units. The Lions made a trade before the deadline to add Za’Darius Smith following the injury to Aidan Hutchinson. That should help address their biggest area of need, as they rank 25th in sack rate this year.
The Lions have been excellent on third downs and inside the red zone, ranking first and fourth, respectively. Being strong in both of those areas has helped them to limit opponents to just 1.59 points per drive, which ranks sixth. It has also mitigated the fact that they rank 24th in yards per play, allowing 5.7 yards per play this season.
Do you want more insight on all other defensive units across the NFL? Head over to our PFN Defense+ Rankings for analysis on all 32 teams.
Joe Mixon’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 12:45 AM ET on Saturday, January 4. If you're in a Superflex league, make sure you check out our Week 18 Consensus Superflex Rankings.
Week 18 RB PPR Rankings
1) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. CAR)
2) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. MIN)
3) Derrick Henry | BAL (vs. CLE)
4) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. JAX)
5) Josh Jacobs | GB (vs. CHI)
6) Bucky Irving | TB (vs. NO)
7) Chase Brown | CIN (at PIT)
8) Aaron Jones | MIN (at DET)
9) De'Von Achane | MIA (at NYJ)
10) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (at LAR)
11) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
12) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. MIA)
13) Ray Davis | BUF (at NE)
14) D'Andre Swift | CHI (at GB)
15) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. WAS)
16) Isaac Guerendo | SF (at ARI)
17) J.K. Dobbins | LAC (at LV)
18) Najee Harris | PIT (vs. CIN)
19) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. KC)
20) Joe Mixon | HOU (at TEN)
21) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG (at PHI)
22) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. NYG)
23) Blake Corum | LAR (vs. SEA)
24) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at IND)
25) Jaylen Warren | PIT (vs. CIN)
26) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at IND)
27) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. BUF)
28) Michael Carter | ARI (vs. SF)
29) Rachaad White | TB (vs. NO)
30) Miles Sanders | CAR (at ATL)
31) D'Onta Foreman | CLE (at BAL)
32) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. CAR)
33) Audric Estimé | DEN (vs. KC)
34) Kimani Vidal | LAC (at LV)
35) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. NYG)
36) Antonio Gibson | NE (vs. BUF)
37) Alexander Mattison | LV (vs. LAC)
38) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. KC)
39) Ty Johnson | BUF (at NE)
40) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at ATL)
41) Devin Singletary | NYG (at PHI)
42) Cam Akers | MIN (at DET)
43) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at NYJ)
44) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at GB)
45) Kenny McIntosh | SEA (at LAR)
46) Craig Reynolds | DET (vs. MIN)
47) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at DAL)
48) Cordarrelle Patterson | PIT (vs. CIN)
49) Braelon Allen | NYJ (vs. MIA)
50) Julius Chestnut | TEN (vs. HOU)
51) Samaje Perine | KC (at DEN)
52) Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF (at ARI)
53) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. NO)
54) Jamaal Williams | NO (at TB)
55) Isaiah Davis | NYJ (vs. MIA)
56) Chris Brooks | GB (vs. CHI)
57) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at BAL)
58) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | NO (at TB)
59) Emanuel Wilson | GB (vs. CHI)
60) Tony Pollard | TEN (vs. HOU)
61) Mike Boone | CAR (at ATL)
62) DeeJay Dallas | ARI (vs. SF)
63) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
64) Dare Ogunbowale | HOU (at TEN)
65) Khalil Herbert | CIN (at PIT)
66) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. JAX)
67) Rasheen Ali | BAL (vs. CLE)
68) Hassan Haskins | LAC (at LV)
69) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at ARI)
70) Dameon Pierce | HOU (at TEN)
71) Jaylen Wright | MIA (at NYJ)
72) Carson Steele | KC (at DEN)
73) Sione Vaki | DET (vs. MIN)
74) Hunter Luepke | DAL (vs. WAS)
75) Tyler Goodson | IND (vs. JAX)
76) Ke'Shawn Vaughn | SF (at ARI)
77) Alec Ingold | MIA (at NYJ)
78) C.J. Ham | MIN (at DET)
79) Michael Burton | DEN (vs. KC)
80) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA (at NYJ)
81) D'Ernest Johnson | JAX (at IND)
82) Eric Gray | NYG (at PHI)
83) Jermar Jefferson | DET (vs. MIN)
84) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. CLE)
85) Joshua Kelley | NYG (at PHI)
86) Ty Chandler | MIN (at DET)
87) Israel Abanikanda | SF (at ARI)
88) Adam Prentice | NO (at TB)
89) Dylan Laube | LV (vs. LAC)
90) JaMycal Hasty | NE (vs. BUF)
91) George Holani | SEA (at LAR)
92) James Cook | BUF (at NE)
Detroit Lions at Houston Texans Insights
Detroit Lions
Team: The Lions’ +110 point differential is fourth-best through eight games in franchise history (their best since posting a +144 margin in 1954).
QB: Jared Goff ranks first or second in the league in completion percentage, yards per pass, and passer rating – he faces a defense this week that has allowed a touchdown on a league-high 6.9% of passes.
Offense: The Lions turn the ball over just 0.63 times per game, which is fueling their league-best turnover margin (+1.38 per game).
Defense: The Lions are one of four defenses to rank in the top 10 in both blitz and pressure rate (Broncos, Browns, and Chiefs).
Fantasy: Jahmyr Gibbs is producing despite not flashing the versatility we thought he’d need next to David Montgomery – the second-year back has failed to catch multiple passes in four of his past six games.
Betting: The Lions have covered eight of their past nine indoor games, including three road games.
Houston Texans
Team: The Texans have converted just five of 14 red zone trips (35.7%) into touchdowns over their past three games, down from their 75% rate through Week 6 (12-of-16).
QB: C.J. Stroud will likely get Nico Collins back this week, a return that can’t come soon enough.
Offense: C.J. Stroud’s 17-game pace this season in games started by Nico Collins is 4,709 yards, a far cry from the version of him that we’ve seen over the past month (under 200 passing yards in three of four games and just one touchdown toss over his past three).
Defense: The Texans have the third-worst red zone defense in the NFL, allowing a touchdown on 69.6% of opponent trips (league average: 56.7%).
Fantasy: Joe Mixon appears to be aging in reverse.
- Week 6 at New England Patriots: 15 touches, 75.4% production over expectation
- Week 7 at Green Bay Packers: 27 touches, 21.3% production over expectation
- Week 8 vs. Indianapolis Colts: 29 touches, 9.1% production over expectation
- Week 9 at New York Jets: 24 touches, 10.4% production over expectation
He’s found paydirt in all four of those games. He’s a 20-plus yard rush in all four of those games. He’s cleared 100 rushing yards in all four of those games.
Betting: Five straight Texan home games (and eight of the past nine) have gone under the total.