A seemingly mild ankle sprain wound up costing Joe Mixon three games before he finally returned last week. Although Mixon played, he didn’t see his usual workload. It’s clear the injury is not 100% healed. Is Mixon going to play again in Week 7, or should fantasy football managers be scrambling to add Dameon Pierce off the waiver wire?
Will Joe Mixon Be Active in Week 7?
The Mixon ankle saga is one of the stranger ones we’ve seen in recent memory. After initially suffering the injury, Mixon actually returned to the game for a couple of plays before departing for good. He then unsurprisingly missed the following week.
Ahead of Week 5, though, Mixon returned to a limited practice on Friday and drew a questionable tag. It was a very strange sequence of events, as he clearly wasn’t close to returning, given the following week he went triple DNP and was ruled out on Friday.
After missing Wednesday’s practice ahead of Week 6, Mixon was able to practice on Thursday and Friday. He once again drew a questionable tag but finally returned to action.
Mixon was more consistent ahead of Week 7, logging limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday before finally practicing in full on Friday. For the first time since the season-opener, Mixon will enter a game without an injury designation and is good to go vs. the Green Bay Packers.
Mixon’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Running backs may not matter in the grand scheme of things, but it’s hard to say Mixon doesn’t matter for the Texans. Given the dismal production they got from their cavalcade of replacement or sub-replacement-level backups, it must have been refreshing to have Mixon back on the field.
Houston, you accidentally dialed up another broken run play with Cade Stover tasked to move a defensive end 1-on-1?
That's OK, Joe Mixon can fix it!
Capable of erasing both schematic and assignment mistakes in the run game. Super important for the Texans offense #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/VOMAeJQEal
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) October 16, 2024
Turning what should be clear negative plays into even slightly positive ones matters. That’s what Mixon can offer that the other backs on this roster can’t. Right you are, JJ.
Joe Mixon.
Good football player.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) October 13, 2024
Last week, in a limited role compared to his usual workload, Mixon still managed to score 27.2 fantasy points, finishing as the overall RB2 on the week. He’s now been the overall RB2 in both games in which he’s completed this season.
Mixon played just 42% of the snaps and carried the ball a mere 13 times. He still managed 102 yards on the ground and another 30 through the air, scoring both ways.
Fantasy managers should not fret too much about the usage and snap share. For starters, it was his first game back; he was always going to be somewhat limited. Second, the game was never competitive. Mixon sat out a large chunk of the fourth quarter with the outcome secured.
This week, Mixon should see 18+ touches in what could be a high-scoring affair with the Packers. He is a clear RB1 and an absolute must-start for anyone fortunate enough to roster him.
