Pierce was one of the biggest busts in Fantasy Football at the RB position in 2023. He fell out of favor and lost the lead back job to Devin Singletary by Week 9. There is some hope for Pierce heading into 2024 as the Texans have hinted multiple times that they will create a 1-2 punch for him and Joe Mixon, but there are also question marks about how his rushing style fits in Bobby Slowik's blocking scheme. Still, Pierce is part of what should be one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL and worth a dart throw as a late-round pick, especially for teams who didn't invest early-round assets at RB.
Fantasy Stats
rushing
receiving
fantasy
Year
yds
Rushing Yards
avg
Average Yards per Rush
td
Rushing Touchdowns
fl
Fumbles Lost
rec
Receptions
yds
Receiving Yards
td
Receiving Touchdowns
fpts
Fantasy Points
fpts/g
Fantasy Points per Game
2024
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2023
416
2.87
2
—
13
101
—
54
3.9
2022
939
4.27
4
2
30
165
1
123
9.5
3y Avg.
678
3.73
3
1
22
133
0
80
5.7
Fantasy News
Texans' Dameon Pierce: Needs better blocking
Rotowire
Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans said Thursday that the blocking in front of Pierce has contributed to his 1.1 yards-per-carry average during two preseason games, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.
Pierce's adjustment to a new zone-based scheme was slow, perhaps non-existent, in 2023, but he's been comfortable during camp. Ryans reiterated the good work Pierce has done in practice, but the results in game action have not been there. The coach indicated the back needs to get more opportunities carrying the ball, but with Joe Mixon projected to start, giving Pierce volume carries will be difficult. Pierce may have a reduced role in the backfield, but the Texans feel he can contribute in the return game.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Starts Saturday
Rotowire
Pierce started and gained five yards on four carries in Saturday's preseason game against the Giants. He also returned one kickoff for 18 yards.
Pierce got a second straight preseason start and played the first quarter with Joe Mixon not suiting up. Mixon, who opened camp with a quadriceps injury, returned to practice last week but was held out Saturday. The running back rotation following Pierce was Dare Ogunbowale, Cam Akers, J.J. Taylor and then Jawhar Jordan.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Gets start with Mixon sitting out
Rotowire
Pierce rushed four times for four yards and wasn't targeted in Friday's 20-12 preseason win over the Steelers.
Pierce made his preseason debut Friday after sitting out the Hall of Fame Game last week. Offseason acquisition Joe Mixon continues to work his way back from a quadriceps injury, so Pierce shared the field with C.J. Stroud and the rest of Houston's starters on the first two drives Friday. If Mixon's unable to suit up for the Texans' third preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 17, Pierce would likely draw another start.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Not in line to face Chicago
Rotowire
Pierce isn't slated to play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Bears, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
With top back Joe Mixon still recovering from a minor quad injury, the Texans plan to play it safe with his top backup versus Chicago. As a result, Wilson suggests that Jawhar Jordan, Cam Akers, British Brooks and J.J. Taylor could see added backfield opportunities Thursday.
Pierce is expected to see a lot of action in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against Chicago, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.
Joe Mixon (hamstring) will not play in the preseason opener, and was probably not going to play even if healthy. Pierce will get a chance to build off the good work he's shown in practice sessions. After struggling with Houston's zone-blocking scheme in 2023, the third-year back has received good reviews since the start of training camp.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Encouraging start to camp
Rotowire
Pierce has shown improvement in the first days of training camp, John Harris of the Texans' official site reports.
Pierce struggled to produce last season in a new offensive scheme and eventually lost his starting job to Devin Singletary. The new outside zone scheme required reading the defense to dictate where the back goes, which was different from the power-gap scheme, where backs can predetermine where they want to go. During the first two days of camp, Pierce has shown improved patience and decision-making after getting the ball. With Singletary gone, the Texans added Joe Mixon, who is expected to be the lead back in 2024, but Pierce could make this a 1-2 punch in the backfield.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Expected to contribute this year
Rotowire
GM Nick Caserio said Tuesday that he expects Pierce to be "a big part" of the Houston offense this upcoming season, Tyler Milner of Sports Radio 610 reports.
The 2022 fourth-round pick ran for 939 yards in 13 games his rookie season but then managed just 416 yards in 14 games last year. Pierce nosedived from 4.3 YPC to 2.9, losing his starting job to Devin Singletary in the process. Singletary is with the Giants now, but Pierce nonetheless appear destined for a backup role after the Texans traded for Joe Mixon and gave him an extension. The team then waited until the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft to select a running back, taking a player (Louisville's Jawhar Jordan) who six months older than Pierce and might only be used as a kick return specialist. In other words, Pierce has a nice opportunity to keep the second spot on the depth chart despite his subpar performance last season, though Dare Ogunbowale remains a threat to get playing time in obvious pass situations.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Joined in backfield by Mixon
Rotowire
Pierce looks slated to work as the backup to Joe Mixon, DJ Bien-Amie of ESPN reports.
Pierce will no longer have to compete with Devin Singletary, who won the starting job down the stretch in 2023 before leaving in free agency, but he now faces a stronger obstacle to touches in the form of Mixon, who had 257 carries for 1,034 yards and nine TDs last year and boasts a true three-down skillset. As a rookie in 2022, Pierce burst onto the scene with 939 rushing yards, but he disappointed in Year 2 with just 416 yards on the ground. The 2022 fourth-round pick could bounce back if he can better adjust to the running scheme introduced last offseason by offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but the team could also add more competition to this backfield ahead of Week 1.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Lone back under contract
Rotowire
Pierce finished the 2023 campaign with 145 carries for 416 yards and two touchdowns along with 13 receptions (17 targets) for 101 receiving yards over 14 regular-season games.
A promising rookie in 2022, Pierce lost the starting job to Devin Singletary and fell to third on the depth chart by the season's end. Including the two postseason games, Pierce had 19 carries for 34 yards over the Texans' final seven contests. He suffered a midseason ankle injury, but the main reason for his downfall was an inability to adjust to a running scheme installed under the new coaching regime. Pierce enters the offseason as the only running back under contract, but the Texans are expected to add competition. That could be re-signing Singletary or adding another high-profile back in free agency or the draft.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Little involvement in win
Rotowire
Pierce had three carries for zero yards and played six snaps on offense in Saturday's 45-14 wild-card playoff victory over Cleveland.
Two of Pierce's three carries came in the fourth quarter when the game was long settled and Davis Mills had replaced C.J. Stroud. The backup running back did not have a kickoff return, which has been his primary contribution the last few weeks. The one kick return Houston had was by Dare Ogunbowale.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: No snaps on offense
Rotowire
Pierce returned one kickoff for 30 yards and did not play on offense in Saturday's 23-19 win over the Colts in Week 18.
A week after he inched back to relevance with nine touches, a healthy Pierce failed to play on offense for the first time this season. He's operated as the backup to Devin Singletary the last several weeks, but Week 18 was a new low for Houston's former lead back. If Pierce is going to make an impact in the playoffs, it may have to be on special teams. He leads Houston with 225 kickoff return yards (32.1 yards per return) and one touchdown.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Still in backup role
Rotowire
Pierce rushed eight times for 16 yards, caught his lone target for five yards and returned one kickoff for 21 yards in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Titans.
Pierce's 12 offensive snaps remained firmly behind Devin Singletary's 38, and the latter had 16 carries and three targets. Since he returned from an ankle injury in Week 12, Pierce has had fewer snaps on offense in all six games, and it wasn't close in five of them -- Week 13 against Denver stands out as the last time Pierce's workload was on par with Singletary's. Noah Brown and Robert Woods sustained hip injuries Sunday, which could boost the importance of the Texans' running game in Week 18 against the Colts. The winner of that game qualifies for the postseason.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Scores on special teams
Rotowire
Pierce returned five kickoffs for 174 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown, in Sunday's 36-22 loss to the Browns in Week 16. He added three carries for six yards and caught one of two targets for 10 yards.
Pierce provided an early lift by taking a kickoff to the house after Cleveland had jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but Houston's offense was unable to take advantage of the momentum swing. He had just 15 snaps on offense, continuing a downward trend after getting just four in Week 15. Since returning from an ankle injury five weeks ago, Pierce has a combined 85 yards on offense and slipped behind Devin Singletary on the depth chart. While the ankle could have played a role in his diminished production, Sunday's TD return is a strong sign it's no longer a factor, if it ever was -- he hadn't been doing much as the team's lead back prior to the injury.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Disappears from game plan
Rotowire
Pierce rushed the ball once for three yards in Sunday's 19-16 win over the Titans.
Pierce appeared to be the Texans' lead back in Week 13 when he tallied 15 carries, four of which came in the red zone. His role has declined substantially in two games since, bottoming out in Sunday's win. The once-lead back was on the field for four snaps Sunday and eight snaps the previous week. Devin Singletary is set to lead the Houston backfield for the rest of the season.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Outplayed by Singletary in loss
Rotowire
Pierce rushed four times for nine yards and caught his only target for minus-2 yards in Sunday's 30-6 loss to the Jets.
Pierce was handily outplayed by Devin Singletary, who rushed 13 times for 65 yards and a touchdown. C.J. Stroud has entered concussion protocol after exiting in the fourth quarter, and if the rookie quarterback is unavailable in Week 15 against the Titans, both Pierce and Singletary could see additional volume with Houston likely to lean more on the running game if backup Davis Mills gets the start under center.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Retakes lead-back role
Rotowire
Pierce rushed the ball 15 times for 41 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Broncos.
Pierce returned from an ankle injury in Week 12 to a reduced workload, but he regained the primary share of opportunities out of the backfield one game later. He saw 15 touches to Devin Singletary's nine and was also given work at the goal line. While Pierce still wasn't impressive in a positive matchup, it appears that volume will be on his side heading into a tough Week 14 contest against the Jets.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Struggles continue in return
Rotowire
Pierce (ankle) rushed five times for 14 yards and caught his only target for four yards in Sunday's 24-21 loss to the Jaguars.
In his return from a three-week absence, Pierce finished with one fewer carry and four fewer rushing yards than Devin Singletary. While Singletary was hardly better on the ground, he contributed 54 receiving yards, which is almost double Pierce's season-high receiving total of 28 yards from back in Week 3. Pierce has just 341 rushing yards on 114 carries (3.0 YPC) and only one scrimmage touchdown in eight appearances heading into a Week 13 visit from the Broncos.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Appears set to return Sunday
Rotowire
Pierce (ankle) is expected to play in Sunday's game versus Jacksonville, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Pierce has missed three straight games due to an ankle injury and came into this weekend deemed questionable to play, but he appears to have shown enough improvement to suit up against the Jaguars. That doesn't necessarily mean that he'll return to a lead-back role, however. In addition to Pierce potentially needing some time to settle back in following the injury and multi-week absence, Devin Singletary may have put himself in position to hold onto the starting job by racking up 262 rushing yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks. Pierce had been struggling prior to going down with the injury, averaging just 3.0 yards on 109 rushes and scoring just once through seven games.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Returns to full practice
Rotowire
Pierce (ankle) was a full practice participant Wednesday.
Pierce missed a third straight game this past Sunday against the Cardinals, but he appeared to take a step forward leading up to that contest, as he was able to return to practice Friday as a limited participant. He's now opened Week 12 prep as a full participant, signaling that he's moved past the ankle issue and is on track to suit up Sunday against the Jaguars. Though Pierce has served as Houston's starting running back in each of his seven appearances this season and could take the first snap against Jacksonville, Pierce may be the starter in name only. According to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said Wednesday that he believes in "sharing the load" out of the backfield between Pierce and Devin Singletary, who served as the team's lead back over the past three weeks. Considering that Singletary averaged 5.0 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns on 52 totes over the past two games, any timeshare arrangement is seemingly more likely to tilt in his favor, given the extent to which Pierce struggled prior to missing time. Pierce has averaged just 3.0 yards per carry over seven appearances this season, ranking last in the NFL among all players with more than 60 carries.
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Texans' Dameon Pierce: Practicing again
Rotowire
Pierce (ankle) is taking part in practice Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Pierce returned to practice last Friday as a limited participant before missing a third straight game in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. He's on track to be ready for an AFC South battle with Jacksonville on Sunday, though he probably won't be returning to a lead role after Devin Singletary put forth Houston's two best rushing performances of the season the past two weeks.
