Mixon won't trick anyone into thinking he's one of the best running backs, but his appeal to an NFL offense is obvious enough: he's adequate or better at all tasks, making it easy for an offensive coordinator to leave him on the field no matter the situation. Mixon's first season in Houston went well overall, and it might have been his best NFL campaign if not for injury. Two separate ankle issues cost Mixon reps - one in Week 2 (three games missed) and one in Week 15, the latter of which Mixon played through. Before that second injury, he'd topped 100 rushing yards in seven of 10 games, scoring 12 TDs and putting up high-end RB1 numbers for fantasy. Over the final four weeks of the regular season, he had 129 rushing yards total and nary a TD. Even though the Texans offense has questions to answer after scrapping much of its offensive line and firing coordinator Bobby Slowik, the key detail is that head coach DeMeco Ryans wants to run the ball regardless of who's calling plays. The Texans might need someone other than Mixon to that in September, as he came down with a foot injury during the offseason and now appears uncertain for Week 1. Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks and Dare Ogunbowale are all jockeying for backfield roles this summer, with their competition taking on heightened importance in light of Mixon's injury.
