This, despite the fact that the supposed workhorse back has missed a handful of days of practice so far this offseason. The Texans also recently added veteran RB Cam Akers to the backfield mix, as well, to join Mixon and Dameon Pierce as the top three ballcarriers on the roster as we near the thick of training camp. At the end of the day, Slowik’s assessment of Mixon is very much correct; the longtime Bengals starter has earned 280+ opportunities and finished as a top-15 fantasy RB in all of his healthy seasons dating back to 2018. After watching the wheels fall off of Dameon Pierce in favor of Devin Singletary last year, fantasy managers should have no reason to be concerned about Pierce mixing in at a rate substantial enough to challenge Mixon’s role as Houston’s lead back. After all, Pierce is a relic of a system since supplanted by the Demeco Ryans regime, and a trade out of Houston could be the next step for Pierce as he looks to catch on and be fantasy relevant once again. The bottom line, however, is that the Texans appear prepared to run the ground game through the 27-year old Mixon, who could be in line once again for a lucrative role on one of the league’s top offenses (he’s scored 9+ touhdowns in each of the past three seasons with the Bengals). As the RB14 off the board on both Underdog and Sleeper, he’ll have a chance to surpass expectations if the Texans do deploy him in the way they’re saying they will.