Joe Mixon (ankle) and Dameon Pierce (hamstring) aren’t going to play for the Texans in Week 3 at Minnesota. That gives Cam Akers the chance to be Houston’s starting running back, which is rather amazing.

He’s coming off the second torn Achilles of his career. Think about that for a minute. Last year, Akers rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown in six games for the Vikings before tearing his left Achilles. He also tore his right Achilles in the first week of the 2021 season while playing for the Rams.

Akers made a complete recovery and had a solid preseason for the Texans, and then he did a nice job for Houston in Week 2 against the Bears after Mixon was hurt. Akers had seven carries for 32 yards and one catch for 3 yards on one target, including a lost fumble. And now Akers is getting the starting nod, which makes him a flex in all leagues.

It’s not an easy matchup against the Vikings. Minnesota shut down Devin Singletary in Week 1, holding him to 9.2 PPR points on 10 carries for 37 yards and four catches for 15 yards on five targets. But then Jordan Mason had 17.4 PPR points against the Vikings in Week 2 with 20 carries for 100 yards a touchdown and one catch for 4 yards on one target.

Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is confident in Akers.

“He has great vision,” Slowik told the Texans media this week, “He’s been running, ran zone scheme he came from, he did the same thing in Minnesota. He’s really good at reading that, we call it riding the wave, finding the right hole to hit. He always plays under control. When he sees it, he hits it. He finishes physical. And he has really good contact balance, and I’d say those are the things that jump out with Cam. You pretty much see that every carry.”

Dare Ogunbowale could also be a factor in the passing game for the Texans, but this is a big opportunity for Akers. He should be considered a quality sleeper in Week 3.

Week 3 Sleepers

Who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising running back could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 3 Fantasy rankings for every position, plus see which RB comes out of nowhere to crack the top five, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.