Player Outlook
The Texans rookie has a pretty good opportunity in front of him to be the team's top running back. That's because the only moves the Texans made at the position this offseason besides taking Pierce in Round 4 were signing free agents Marlon Mack and Dare Ogunbowale. Pierce never had a major role at Florida but regularly found work as a runner and occasionally as a receiver. His last year was his best when he totaled 16 touchdowns, but just 790 yards. Pierce is a physical, powerful runner who might be underrated as a receiver, but he won't outrun many defenders (only two plays of 25-plus yards since 2020) and hasn't been a feature back for an offense since his high school days. You're better off only going after Pierce if it means getting him at a value -- that means drafting him in Round 9 after 100th overall in redraft leagues and a top-16 choice in rookie-only drafts.
Player News
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The Texans selected Pierce in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 107th overall. Pierce is only a middling NFL running back prospect out of Florida, but opportunity is at least as important as talent in fantasy football, and Pierce has an enormous opportunity awaiting him on a Houston roster that badly lacks running back talent otherwise. As much as Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack can't be brushed aside, they're about as weak of a 1-2 punch as any tandem in the league. Pierce (5-foot-10, 218 pounds) offers a denser, more powerful running style than either of Burkhead or Mack, and at Florida he consistently showed the ability to anchor against tacklers and keep moving forward against contact. He lacks speed -- he probably plays slower than the 4.59-second 40 he logged at the combine -- but Pierce should be Houston's best short-yardage runner at the least.
Recent Tweets
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6:00 pm ET / @battleredblogbattleredblog
Film Review: Dameon Pierce’s Thrashing of The Georgia Bulldogs https://t.co/xK01u9tCNN https://t.co/AlCfns2ILk
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7:00 pm ET / @battleredblog
battleredblog
“Pierce brings an extreme amount of energy on and off the field that many describe as contagious.” #Texans… https://t.co/YxKKsq99yd
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4:32 pm ET / @McClain_on_NFLJohn McClain
Texans' contract with Dameon Pierce has slowed negotiations for other fourth-round picks - ProFootballTalk https://t.co/jrY4hZ4Q07
Scheduled Games
| WK | DATE | OPP | OPP RANK | OPP FPTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09/11 | Indianapolis Colts | 5 | 14.00 |
| 2 | 09/18 | @Denver Broncos | 18 | 16.76 |
| 3 | 09/25 | @Chicago Bears | 14 | 16.12 |
| 4 | 10/02 | Los Angeles Chargers | 28 | 20.65 |
| 5 | 10/09 | @Jacksonville Jaguars | 21 | 17.35 |
| 6 | BYE | - | - | - |
| 7 | 10/23 | @Las Vegas Raiders | 25 | 19.67 |
| 8 | 10/30 | Tennessee Titans | 1 | 12.67 |
| 9 | 11/03 | Philadelphia Eagles | 22 | 18.67 |
| 10 | 11/13 | @New York Giants | 26 | 20.06 |
| 11 | 11/20 | Washington Commanders | 13 | 16.12 |
| 12 | 11/27 | @Miami Dolphins | 19 | 16.82 |
| 13 | 12/04 | Cleveland Browns | 15 | 16.18 |
| 14 | 12/11 | @Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 14.44 |
| 15 | 12/18 | Kansas City Chiefs | 10 | 15.10 |
| 16 | 12/24 | @Tennessee Titans | 1 | 12.67 |
| 17 | 01/01 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 21 | 17.35 |
| 18 | 01/08 | @Indianapolis Colts | 5 | 14.00 |