The Houston Texans signed free agent running back Nick Chubb in the offseason. Chubb has played for the Cleveland Browns for the first seven years of his NFL career before heading to Houston, Texas.
A lot of Browns fans were upset that he left the team in free agency and did not re-sign with them. The Texans are potentially thinking of having a workhorse 1-2 tandem with Chubb and Joe Mixon in the backfield. However, Mixon is currently injured, and it is unknown if he is going to be ready for the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
PFF Believes Houston Texans Running Back Nick Chubb Will Be the Lead Back to Start the Season and Will Be Good Fantasy Football Option
Pro Football Focus writer Nathan Jahnke focused on the Texans backfield when it comes to fantasy football. Houston has three talented running backs in the backfield in Chubb, Mixon, and Dameon Pierce, but Pierce and Mixon are injured. Jahnke said about Chubb potentially being the lead back in Week 1 against the Rams,
“Nick Chubb starts for Houston: Chubb played a clear majority of snaps with the first string, suggesting he could be the Week 1 starter.
Texans running back Joe Mixon remains on the non-football injury list due to a foot and ankle injury. The closest thing to a recent official report comes from Aaron Wilson, who said he isn’t a lock to be ready for Week 1. The lack of transparency on the issue from the team and rumors around the severity of the injury have led some fantasy analysts to remove him from their draft board. He has slowly but surely moved down my rankings and is RB39 as of this writing.
Chubb (concussion) and Dameon Pierce (quadricep) missed last week’s preseason game but practiced most of this week. Most reports suggest they have split snaps with the starters, but the team was comfortable playing Chubb on Saturday but not playing Pierce. Currently, either player is worth a shot in redraft leagues, given the uncertainty around Mixon’s injury. Chubb is given a clear edge at this point, given his health and past level of play.
Chubb played the clear majority of snaps with the starters, while Dare Ogunbowale also mixed in. In the regular season, if these were the top two running backs, we would expect Chubb to play on early downs and short-yardage situations, while Ogunbowale plays on third downs and the two-minute drill. However, the Texans didn’t have a two-minute drill with the starters, and there were no clear passing situations. Ogunobwale played on third-and-5 and fourth-and-5, but also took a normal early-down snap. This suggests Ogunbowale is higher on the early down depth chart than fourth-round rookie Woody Marks. While there is plenty of time for Marks to work his way up the depth chart, as of now, he is fifth behind Mixon, Chubb, Pierce and Ogunbowale. De’Von Achane and Tyler Allgeier were similarly low on their team’s depth charts in their rookie years and were significant factors by the end of the season. However, anyone expecting Marks to be a factor in fantasy leagues in September might want to lower their short-term expectations.”
Even with Chubb projected to be the lead back in Week 1, it remains to be seen if he will be the lead back in this backfield for fantasy for the entire season. There is a chance that it may go back and forth between him and Mixon. With that being said, both could be reliable fantasy options. Pierce could be another option if Chubb or Mixon are injured.
In the preseason, Chubb has rushed for 32 yards on five carries. He played in eight games with Cleveland during the 2024 NFL season. Chubb rushed for 332 yards on 102 carries and three touchdowns, along with averaging 3.3 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 31 yards receiving and one touchdown, along with averaging 6.2 yards per reception. Chubb was targeted seven times.
No matter if Chubb or Mixon will be starting in the backfield, but they both should be reliable and put up good numbers for the Texans on a week-to-week basis. Houston’s offense has the talent to be really good this season, and the backfield will make C.J. Stroud’s life easier.
For More Great Football Content
Follow me on Twitter at @glennkaplan13 more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!
