Pierce said he is "on schedule" in his recovery from an ankle injury suffered Dec. 11 against the Cowboys, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pierce said he could have played the season finale against the Colts, but an "administrative decision" was made to put him on injured reserve. With nothing to play for, the organization didn't want to expose Pierce to further injury or set back his offseason program leading into the 2023 season. He's expected to return as the lead back next year, but much depends on the thoughts of a new coaching regime. With an expected change at quarterback -- the organization will likely choose a quarterback in the draft -- Pierce and the running game will be a big part of the offense.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Hitting injured reserve
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The Texans placed Pierce (ankle) on injured reserve Saturday, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pierce sustained a high-ankle sprain last Sunday at Dallas, and while there was an initial belief that he'd be sidelined for just 1-to-2 weeks, the tide has changed, and he'll now miss the final four games of the campaign. Operating as Houston's lead running back as a rookie fourth-round pick this year, he'll cap it with 220 carries for 939 yards (4.3 YPC) and four touchdowns and 30 catches (on 39 targets) for 165 yards and one more score in 13 appearances.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Ruled out for Week 15
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Pierce (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chiefs.
With Pierce officially ruled out, Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale to are in line to share the Texans' backfield duties in Week 15, at a minimum. With that in mind, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN previously reported that Pierce could miss up to three games due to the high ankle sprain he suffered this past week against the Cowboys. While the Texans haven't confirmed that the running back will miss time beyond this weekend, Pierce's status for the team's Dec. 24 contest against the Titans continues to appear cloudy.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Sitting out Friday
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Pierce (ankle) is not participating in the portion of Friday's practice open to the media, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.
It appears Pierce will miss practice for the third consecutive day as he manages a high-ankle sprain. The 22-year-old appears likely to miss his first game of the season Sunday against Kansas City, which would leave Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale to split backfield duties for Houston.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Misses another practice
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Pierce (ankle) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 reports.
Pierce is dealing with a high-ankle sprain and is trending toward being ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chiefs come Friday. If that's the case, Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale will be in line to handle the Texans' backfield duties Week 15.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Sits out practice
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Pierce (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday.
Brooks Kubena and Jonathan Alexander of the Houston Chronicle previously reported that Pierce is dealing with a high-ankle sprain that will likely prevent him from playing in Sunday's game against the Chiefs, so his absence from the Texans' first Week 15 practice hardly comes as a surprise. Rather than suiting up this Sunday, Pierce may do well just to make it back for the Texans' Week 16 game at Tennessee, given that other reports have suggested he could be sidelined for two or three weeks. In any case, expect the Texans to formally rule Pierce out for Sunday's game by week's end, setting the stage for Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale to lead the Houston backfield for at least one contest.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Expected to miss Sunday's matchup
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Pierce (ankle) is expected to miss Sunday's matchup against Kansas City, Brooks Kubena and Jonathan Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pierce suffered a left ankle sprain during Sunday's 27-23 loss to Dallas. While he was able to play through the issue in Week 14, he's expected to miss at least one game and it's believed he could be sidelined for up to three contests, per DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com. The rookie running back had totaled 1,104 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns this season, so his absence would be a big blow to Houston's offense. Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale figure to handle most of the backfield work in Pierce's absence, but the Texans may also elevate Royce Freeman and/or Gerrid Doaks from the practice squad as well.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Seen limping following game
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Pierce (ankle) was seen limping in the locker room following Sunday's 27-23 loss to the Cowboys, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pierce, who sustained an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, got taped up and tried to return, but head coach Lovie Smith didn't feel the rookie back could be effective, even as a decoy. The injury preceded a Dallas turnover that set the Texans up at the Cowboys' four-yard line and gave them an opportunity to take a two-score lead late in the game, but without Pierce to punch the ball across the goal line, Houston failed to score. Rex Burkhead was used as his replacement on the series and had two carries for minus-3 yards. Pierce's injury will be a major storyline to follow leading up to Week 15's home game against Kansas City. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports that Pierce will undergo an MRI on the injury Monday.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Injures ankle Sunday
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Pierce was forced out of Sunday's game against the Cowboys with an ankle injury.
Prior to his exit, Pierce had carried 22 times for 78 yards and a TD. In his absence, Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale and Eno Benjamin are available to handle the Texans' backfield touches.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Pierce had a solid game against the Browns in Week 13 as expected with 18 carries for 73 yards, along with three catches for 22 yards on three targets. But that was a favorable matchup. Facing the Cowboys this week, we could get the production from Pierce that we saw in his two games prior to Week 13 when he combined for five PPR points against Washington and Miami. He hasn't scored a rushing touchdown since Week 5, and this Dallas defense is No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Only four running backs have scored against the Cowboys this season (Saquon Barkley did it twice), and Pierce is only worth using as a low-end starter or flex this week given the matchup.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Approaches 100 total yards
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Pierce rushed the ball 18 times for 73 yards in Sunday's 27-14 loss to the Browns. He added three receptions on three targets for 22 yards.
Pierce entered the game having recorded 16 rushing yards on 15 carries across his last two games. While his performance against the Browns wasn't overly positive, it did represent a significant improvement from both a volume and efficiency perspective. However, Pierce managed only one rush of more than 10 yards and does not have a gain of more than 20 yards in any of his last three games. While he's shown the ability to excel as a pro, it's difficult to trust Pierce moving forward given the current state of the Texans' offense.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: RBs to Start
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Pierce has been miserable of late with 15 carries for 16 yards, along with five catches for 17 yards on nine targets, in his past two games against Washington and Miami. But he has the chance to rebound this week against the Browns, who are terrible against stopping the run. Cleveland has allowed a running back to score or gain over 100 total yards in three games in a row, with four total touchdowns over that span, and the Browns are No. 2 overall for the season in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs. Prior to Week 11, Pierce had scored at least 11 PPR points in seven games in a row, so hopefully he's back to that level again this week.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Low usage in Week 12 loss
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Pierce rushed five times for eight yards and brought in three of six targets for eight yards in the Texans' 30-15 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday.
The rookie saw disappointingly low usage for the second straight game, although the fact the Texans were down 30-0 at the half naturally played the biggest role in him being iced out of the offense. Pierce' s talent as both a runner and receiver is undeniable, but his attachment to a team with significant quarterback issues does him no favors. He'll look to break out of the two-game funk against the Browns in a Week 13 home matchup.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Worst game as pro Sunday
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Pierce rushed 10 times for eight yards and secured two of three targets for nine yards in the Texans' 23-10 loss to the Commanders on Sunday.
Pierce was the latest back to fall victim to a stalwart Commanders run defense, leading to his lowest single-game rushing total as a pro. The star rookie's previous low-water mark came in Week 1 against the Colts, but he encouragingly remained involved in the passing game with his fourth game in the last five with multiple receptions. Pierce will have another tough assignment on his plate when the Texans travel to South Florida to face the Dolphins in a Week 12 matchup.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Racks up another 122 yards
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Pierce rushed the ball 17 times for 94 yards in Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Giants. He added two receptions for 28 yards.
Pierce saw a slight downturn in volume compared to his Week 9 outburst, but he still accounted for 17 of Houston's 19 carries. He was bottled up for many of those attempts, though he found daylight on a 44-yard rush early in the second quarter. Pierce also chipped in multiple receptions for the sixth time in his last seven games, which helped him surpass 100 total yards for the second consecutive contest. The Texans' offensive struggles may keep Pierce from regularly finding the end zone, but he is locked into volume and has shown the ability to work efficiently.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Reps capped in practice
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Pierce was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice due to chest and shoulder injuries.
During last Thursday's loss to the Eagles, Pierce was on the field for 47 of a possible 60 snaps on offense and carrying 27 times for 139 yards. With no reported setbacks in that contest, Pierce may have been limited Wednesday for maintenance purposes, so at this stage, fantasy managers have no major reason to worry about his status for Sunday's game against the Giants. Added context with regard to the running back's Week 10 availability will arrive upon the release of Thursday's practice report.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Finds end zone against Titans
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Pierce carried the ball 15 times for 35 yards and caught three of five targets for 16 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Titans.
It was shaping up to be a very quiet day for the rookie running back until he caught a three-yard TD from Davis Mills with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Pierce has gotten into the end zone or reached 100 scrimmage yards, or both, in five straight games, and he'll look to extend that streak in Week 9 against the undefeated Eagles.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Powers way to big day
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Pierce rushed 26 times for 99 yards and a touchdown while catching three of five targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 13-6 win over Jacksonville.
Pierce dominated the backfield touches (26 of 29) and plodded his way to a third straight game with at least 80 rushing yards and a score. The red-hot rookie is averaging 94.8 rushing yards since taking over as the Texans' lead back in Week 2. With a combination of results and touches, Pierce should be considered a must-start asset when Houston returns from its bye and takes on Las Vegas in Week 7.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Scores 75-yard touchdown
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Pierce rushed 14 times for 131 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 34-24 loss to the Chargers. He also caught all six of his targets for eight yards.
Pierce took a pitch 75 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, fueling his productive day on the ground. The rookie also hauled in every pass thrown his way, albeit for minimal yardage. Now with back-to-back games with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, Pierce approaches next Sunday's matchup versus the Jaguars with significant momentum.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: RBs to Start
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I said here last week that Pierce would have his best game of the season at Chicago, and he did with 20 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 21 yards on two targets. He should get plenty of work again this week against the Chargers, and he's worth starting as a No. 2 running back in all leagues. The Chargers have only allowed one rushing touchdown this season, but two running backs in a row -- Clyde Edwards-Helaire and James Robinson -- have gained over 100 total yards. Pierce should again have plenty of volume, and he should continue to be productive as the lead running back in Houston.
