Texans' Dameon Pierce: On bench during crunch time

Houston offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton discussed the running back rotation, which has Pierce on the bench late in games, Drew Dougherty of the Texans' official site reports. "Just like with any young player, it's not always in the best interest of the unit to put them in those situations," Hamilton said.

Close watchers of the Texans, including fantasy managers who start Pierce, have observed veteran Rex Burkhead being on the field late in games in favor of the rookie. Burkhead's experience is handy in certain situations -- typically when the Texans want to present a passing threat or intend to throw -- but Hamilton acknowledged Pierce as the "ability to process the information" and could be on the field in passing formations. This could be a case where the coaches don't want to put too much on Pierce early on, but as the season progresses, he'll evolve into a three-down, full-game back.