Nick Chubb Fantasy Football Outlook, Advice amid Joe Mixon's Rumored Foot Injury

Bad news struck the Houston Texans Saturday as running back Joe Mixon has suffered a foot injury that will keep him out for an "extended period of time," per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

It's a tough blow for the Texans, who are already without running back Dameon Pierce, who opened camp on the physically unable to perform list.

That leaves veteran Nick Chubb as Houston's top back, with Woody Marks and Dare Ogunbowale in the mix behind him.

Chubb had played all seven of his NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns before signing a one-year deal with the Texans this offseason. Over his first five campaigns, Chubb amassed 7,331 total yards and 52 touchdowns, making the Pro Bowl four times.

Chubb suffered a torn ACL, meniscus and MCL during the Browns' Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023. He missed the remainder of the 2023 season and part of the 2024 season but returned last October, playing eight games.

As far as the production goes, Chubb understandably didn't get back to his old form, rushing for just 3.3 yards per carry (102 rushes, 332 yards). By comparison, Chubb has rushed for 5.1 yards per carry lifetime.

It's still unclear just how much time Mixon will miss, but it's conceivable that he sits to begin the regular season, which starts for Houston on Sept. 7 against the Los Angeles Rams.

If that's the case, then Chubb appears to be first in line for the starting role.

From a fantasy perspective, before the news hit Saturday, Chubb ranked 59th among running backs (and 186th overall) for point-per-reception leagues on the latest FantasyPros consensus expert rankings. The lasted ADP (average draft position) ranking from Fantasy Football Calculator has Chubb as the No. 68 running back and 259th overall.

In other words, experts saw him as an end-of-the-bench running back at best and an undrafted one at worst.

With the latest news, it's best to take a wait-and-see approach to find out just how much time Mixon will miss. Chances are we'll have some news before too long, and most fantasy drafts won't occur until mid-to-late August to early September anyway.

If Mixon is projected back by Week 1, Chubb is likely someone to avoid unless it's a deeper league. If not, though, then Chubb is absolutely draftable.

It's perhaps too risky to take Chubb as a top-two (or even top-three) running back given (a) the rustiness shown in 2024, (b) the possibility that Mixon gets his job back before too long and (c) the presence of the fourth-round rookie in Marks, who could in theory take some carries. But Chubb should be strongly considered for fantasy benches if he's entering the year as the Texans' top back—even if it's just for a few weeks.