The Houston Texans have announced that Joe Mixon (foot/ankle) will be placed on the reserve/non-football injury list, causing him to miss at least the first four games of the upcoming season. This setback significantly impacts Mixon’s fantasy draft value, while Nick Chubb may take on a larger role in Houston this year.

Since there’s no assurance Mixon will return by Week 5, particularly with the Texans having a bye week in Week 6, the earliest you should think about drafting him is Round 10, ideally only if you have an IR spot available. Otherwise, he’s relegated to a late-round pick in most scenarios.

Mixon has struggled with this injury since prior to training camp and has not participated at all in practice. His average draft position on CBS Sports sat at Round 6 as of Monday, but that was considered too high; prior to Monday, my draft threshold for Mixon was Round 9.

Injury concerns are frustrating for Mixon, who delivered strong performances in 2024 during his inaugural year with the Texans, averaging 17.2 PPR points per game with over 20 touches weekly.

We can only wait and see how Mixon performs once he’s back in shape. His return may bring about a committee situation with Chubb along with possible contributions from Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks, or Dare Ogunbowale.

These are the backs who will step in for Mixon, with Chubb likely leading the charge. Chubb, at 29, comes off a broken foot and struggled in 2024 with a career-low 3.3 yards per carry. Most likely, we will see him sharing snaps with Pierce, who shone in his rookie year in 2022 with an average of 12.8 PPR points per game.

Marks, a rookie selected by the Texans in the fourth round, could have the highest upside in this committee given Mixon’s absence.

Lastly, Ogunbowale may play a role primarily in passing scenarios. He had moments in the previous season when Mixon was sidelined, illustrating that he could be viable if the opportunity arises, especially during Mixon’s absence.