Houston Texans DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Houston Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon (ankle), who is questionable to play in the Divisional Round on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs after being limited in practice this week, will play, according to sources. Mixon was limited in practice on Wednesday and did not practice on Thursday, leading to his questionable tag. However, the Texans said on Friday that the 28-year-old was expected to play, and now it's official that he'll be active to kick off the Divisional Round of the postseason as the Texans look to pull a huge upset on the road in KC. The two-time Pro Bowler ran for 1,016 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns in the regular season and also had over 100 yards rushing and a TD in last week's win over the Chargers. However, his ankle could limit him somewhat on Saturday against a Chiefs defense that allowed the fewest PPR points to RBs all season long.

Houston Texans tight end Teagan Quitoriano (calf) was downgraded to out for Saturday's road outing with the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. The 24-year-old was placed on injured reserve in late November and has not returned to the field since picking up a calf injury in Week 12's loss to the Tennessee Titans. Quitoriano appeared in seven games during 2024 but eclipsed 20 snaps in a game just once and did not record a target. Despite logging a week of full practices, he'll garner a questionable tag yet again. If he's not ready to go, fellow tight ends Dalton Schultz, Irv Smith Jr., and Cade Stover will continue to lead the Texans' TE room against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle) is reportedly expected to play during Saturday's Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs. The star back suffered an ankle injury and was unable to practice on Thursday. As a result, Mixon is tagged as questionable for this weekend, but it's hard to imagine him sitting out this important contest. The Texans are likely being cautious with Mixon, which is why he missed Thursday's practice. If he sits, Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale would be the primary options in the backfield. Pierce is the better fantasy option between the two backs, but if Mixon plays then neither back would be worth a look. If healthy, Mixon would be one of the best backs for DFS contests for this weekend.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is saying that Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle), who is questionable to play in the Divisional Round playoff game on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs, has a real shot to play despite missing the final practice of the week on Thursday. Mixon popped up on the injury report on Wednesday and was limited and then was downgraded to a DNP on Thursday, putting his status for this weekend's game up in the air. Rapoport says that Mixon's injury is a minor one, so it sounds like he should be active and play through it on Saturday. The Texans need Mixon if they are to have any chance to pull off the upset of KC, as he rushed for over 1,000 yards with 12 total TDs during the regular season. Fantasy managers should leave him in their lineups, but there is now more risk involved going up against a Chiefs defense that has been stingy to RBs this season.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud should be considered the lowest-ranked option out of all eight starting quarterback options with his team set to take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round. The 23-year-old faces a Chiefs defense that ranked third among playoff teams in air yards allowed, fourth overall in blitz rate, fifth in pressure percentage, and held Houston to 19 points in a Week 16 Kansas City victory. The sophomore quarterback led Houston to a Wild Card win against the Los Angeles Chargers, but Houston's offense has averaged roughly 19 points per game since the beginning of December. Managers in playoff leagues or DFS should attempt for a better option than Stroud is a tough road matchup.