Joe Mixon vs Nick Chubb: Who Should You Start?
Joe Mixon and Nick Chubb are at different tiers heading into 2026. The Houston Texans running back averaged 16.5 PPG in 2025, a full 11.0 points per game ahead of Nick Chubb's 5.5 with the Houston Texans. That kind of gap doesn't close on matchup alone.
Joe Mixon carries a 11.0-point PPG advantage from the 2025 season. That baseline matters, but it is one input among several. Matchup difficulty, scoring trends, and injury reports move the needle week to week, which is why the best answer changes depending on when you are asking.
Both profile as early-down workhorses. Joe Mixon ran for 1165 yards and 11 touchdowns; Nick Chubb posted 506 and 3. Goal-line share, red zone touches, and which team is favored are usually the tiebreaker when neither back offers passing-game volume.
Joe Mixon has his bye in Week 14, and Nick Chubb rests in Week 6. Managers rostering both need waiver wire depth at running back for those two weeks, and that is exactly the kind of planning DraftCall's matchup engine surfaces automatically so you are not scrambling on a Sunday morning.
