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RB Dameon Pierce, HOU (1 Viewer)

I don't understand how this guy is still getting carries in this offense. I mean I'm sure the staff is also seeing the same thing we are that he's averaging 3.0 (!) YPC this season and hasn't had a single game over 3.8 YPC, with a bunch of 2.x YPC sprinkled in. He hasn't shown any special talent this season. The team simply cannot be ok with continuing to give this guy the ball and getting a cloud of dust in return. Why has Singletary not overtaken him as the primary running back?

Edit to say that, yes, I know about the O-line issues, but good RBs find a way to overcome bad lines.
 
Dameon Pierce (ankle) did not practice on Thursday.
That’s two-straight missed practices for Pierce, who is officially on the wrong-side of suiting up for Week 9. He still has Friday to log a limited session, but according to Texans’ beat writer Aaron Wilson, the team is “contemplating to have him miss a game to allow ankle to heal up.” Devin Singletary would step into a fairly significant workload if Pierce is unable to go but faces a Buccaneers defense that’s allowing the second-lowest EPA per rush attempt this season.
 
It’s not only an o-line issue, but also a scheme change issue. Blame shouldn’t solely be put on Pierce, coaches are doing that old fashioned thing where they are trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

I’m not sure where I read it, but I believe Texans went to a zone scheme and this year - after running primarily a power scheme last year.

Someone closer to the team please correct me if I’m wrong.

Pierce is a power runner. Those guys don’t always adapt well to a zone scheme.
 
Doesn't look like he's playing.

Looks like I have to swap one headache for another (T. Spears, D. Foreman, K. Ingram, other desperados).
 
’m not sure where I read it, but I believe Texans went to a zone scheme and this year - after running primarily a power scheme last year.
Maybe my post a few posts up? Lol.

Anyway I doubt he plays and I'm not even down about it, he was unplayable. I'd add that in the two leagues I cuffed him with Singletary I would consider him not playing as welcome news as that at least makes one of them a viable starting candidate.
 
Everyone should go read @menobrown 's post at the bottom of the last page.
Thanks for the recommendation. Meno makes a great point I have never considered. Some questions come to mind:
  1. Are there characteristics that help us to clearly ID power runers? Outside-zone runners?
  2. Can a power RB be coached-up to be an effective outside zone runner? Are there examples?
  3. Is it possible that the oline isn't suited for the outside zone scheme, contributing to Pierce's disappointing performance?
 
Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) is out for Week 9 against the Buccaneers.

Pierce could not overcome an ankle injury suffered in Week 8, which should pave the way for Devin Singletary to operate as the de facto lead back in a difficult matchup. Fantasy managers that are desperate for running back production could do worse than Singletary, but should also temper expectations considering the return of Vita Vea for the Buccaneers.
 
It’s not only an o-line issue, but also a scheme change issue. Blame shouldn’t solely be put on Pierce, coaches are doing that old fashioned thing where they are trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

I’m not sure where I read it, but I believe Texans went to a zone scheme and this year - after running primarily a power scheme last year.

Someone closer to the team please correct me if I’m wrong.

Pierce is a power runner. Those guys don’t always adapt well to a zone scheme.

A few teams that have O-line issues use the short passing game as their run game (see Bucs). Seems this inexperienced staff hasn't even thought about it or even tried it? I mean you have Singletary who's an excellent pass catcher so no excuses!
 
After watching Singletary crap the bed yesterday, I feel better about it not really being a Pierce issue. Unfortunately I don’t think we see the run blocking or scheme issues get resolved any time soon to lead to any kind of fantasy success. Will continue to be good for Stroud, Nico, Tank, etc. though.
 
After watching Singletary crap the bed yesterday, I feel better about it not really being a Pierce issue. Unfortunately I don’t think we see the run blocking or scheme issues get resolved any time soon to lead to any kind of fantasy success. Will continue to be good for Stroud, Nico, Tank, etc. though.

Agree.

Did we get any official "low" vs. "high" ankle sprain for Pierce?
 
So who dropped this week?

Holding because I'm not forced to drop him this week, but that time may be coming.

There's a couple of good matchups the next couple weeks in AZ and DEN run Ds, but then HOUs schedule looks downright terrible:

@NYJ
TN
CLE
TN

After week 13, he's probably off my roster.
 
I am holding because our waiver RBs are even worse than Pierce. But he has been demoted to lotto ticket, behind guys like Spears and Dowdle now.

If your waiver somehow has a decent RB available or you have needs at WR/QB I wouldn't hesitate to drop at this point.

The good news is the Texans will be playing meaningful football until the end so there could still be some value in Pierce as a flex if he gets healthy and maybe more if Singletary ever gets dinged up. Prior to week 10 Singletary looked much more like Pierce than Sayers.

Ty Chandler and R. Dowdle both on the wire tonight. Wouldn't mind one of them.

Holding Pierce, T. Spears, and Z. Charbonnet. Think one has to go.

Think I'm leaning towards your hold. HOU offense is rolling, not sure I trust Singletary to hold onto the job.
 
Dameon Pierce (ankle) returned to practice on Friday.

Friday marks the first time Pierce has practiced in two weeks. The second-year back has missed each of the team’s last two games with his ankle injury, and is a long shot to play in Week 11 despite returning to practice. We’ll see what the Texans list him as when they release their final injury report for the week, but his extended absence coupled with a late return doesn’t bode well for his fantasy outlook this weekend.
 
Texans beat writer Aaron Wilson reports Dameon Pierce (ankle) is “not slated to play” in Week 11 against the Cardinals.

This inevitably means another week of Devin Singletary leading the Texans’ backfield. Pierce returned to practice on Friday, but was a long shot to play after missing two weeks’ worth of practices prior to Friday. Singletary has handled 84 percent of the Texans rush attempts over the last two weeks and ripped off a 30-150-1 performance in Week 10 against the Bengals. He’ll be on the high-end RB2 radar against the Cardinals.
 
Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) is back at practice on Wednesday.

Pierce was also able to practice last Friday but was still inactive for Sunday’s game. He has not played since mysteriously hurting his ankle in Week 8. With him gone, Devin Singletary has taken hold of the Texans’ backfield. However, before injury, Pierce was handling 60 percent of the Texans’ rushes and 45 percent of the carries within the five yard line. He figures to return to at least a small share of the Texans’ running back rotation. Even if Singletary does remain the lead back, he had zero carries inside the five yard line when Pierce was healthy, so it feels likely that Pierce will at least carve out a red zone role for himself if he’s able to play in Week 12, which will be a hit to Singletary’s value.
 
went from late round diamond to cuttable...

We've been going over draft capital ad nauseum in the dynasty threads, and all I can say is caveat emptor if you're drafting a guy that went in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Don't hang your hat on that guy because the teams just aren't invested in them and if you get a coaching change like Houston did—look out!
 
went from late round diamond to cuttable...

We've been going over draft capital ad nauseum in the dynasty threads, and all I can say is caveat emptor if you're drafting a guy that went in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Don't hang your hat on that guy because the teams just aren't invested in them and if you get a coaching change like Houston did—look out!

For sure got him for peanuts and was hopeful and it didn't work out...so be it
 
went from late round diamond to cuttable...

We've been going over draft capital ad nauseum in the dynasty threads, and all I can say is caveat emptor if you're drafting a guy that went in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Don't hang your hat on that guy because the teams just aren't invested in them and if you get a coaching change like Houston did—look out!
I can't say I agree on the draft capital thing and defintely not where he was going in rookie drafts and it's not like the coaching staff threw him to the curb when they got hired. They tried with him, in fact was overly patient. The scheme of the new offense was a problem, not their investment cost or lack thereof.
 
This guy is a drop in every format, right?
If he remains with the Texans absolutely but Ryan's comments were actually encouraging to me as it sounds like they gave up on trying to fit him into a system he's not very good in so I'm now moving from away from sure cut to hold until I see if/where he lands.
 
Marcus Mosher
One RB that I wish the #Cowboys would acquire via a late-round pick is #Texans RB Dameon Pierce.

He was incredible as a rookie and is only 24. Would be a massive upgrade over everyone else on the roster right now.

Jim Nagy
Not sure if Texans would be willing to part ways with Dameon Pierce but every non-wide zone team in league should be inquiring about possible trade.

Proven starter-level runner and true juice guy in locker room.

If Pierce were in this year's RB class he might be the best one.
 
Marcus Mosher
One RB that I wish the #Cowboys would acquire via a late-round pick is #Texans RB Dameon Pierce.

He was incredible as a rookie and is only 24. Would be a massive upgrade over everyone else on the roster right now.

Jim Nagy
Not sure if Texans would be willing to part ways with Dameon Pierce but every non-wide zone team in league should be inquiring about possible trade.

Proven starter-level runner and true juice guy in locker room.

If Pierce were in this year's RB class he might be the best one.
I like Marcus but I just can't get behind this. He's a hard runner. That's it. Go back to college, this guy isn't much more than that. I mean for dynasty, I would buy for very very cheap but I don't see much here.
 
Marcus Mosher
One RB that I wish the #Cowboys would acquire via a late-round pick is #Texans RB Dameon Pierce.

He was incredible as a rookie and is only 24. Would be a massive upgrade over everyone else on the roster right now.

Jim Nagy
Not sure if Texans would be willing to part ways with Dameon Pierce but every non-wide zone team in league should be inquiring about possible trade.

Proven starter-level runner and true juice guy in locker room.

If Pierce were in this year's RB class he might be the best one.
I like Marcus but I just can't get behind this. He's a hard runner. That's it. Go back to college, this guy isn't much more than that. I mean for dynasty, I would buy for very very cheap but I don't see much here.
I wouldn't agree with best RB in this class, but I would agree that he's a better than he was last season and would be an upgrade on what Dallas currently has. Incredible is certainly some hyperbole though.

Pierce would probably be somewhere in my RB3 to RB6 range in this class. He's nowhere near Brooks and doesn't have Corum's all-around ability. I can argue him with anyone else. depending on offensive scheme.

I'm someone who believes Joe Mixon is a lot better than his numbers were, and I think Pierce is looking no more likely to see work in Houston this year, as Mixon>>Singletary.
 
I wouldn't agree with best RB in this class, but I would agree that he's a better than he was last season and would be an upgrade on what Dallas currently has. Incredible is certainly some hyperbole though.

Pierce would probably be somewhere in my RB3 to RB6 range in this class. He's nowhere near Brooks and doesn't have Corum's all-around ability. I can argue him with anyone else. depending on offensive scheme.

I'm someone who believes Joe Mixon is a lot better than his numbers were, and I think Pierce is looking no more likely to see work in Houston this year, as Mixon >> Singletary.
This is also a trash RB class. Saying he is the best of this group isn't saying much.
 
I wouldn't agree with best RB in this class, but I would agree that he's a better than he was last season and would be an upgrade on what Dallas currently has. Incredible is certainly some hyperbole though.

Pierce would probably be somewhere in my RB3 to RB6 range in this class. He's nowhere near Brooks and doesn't have Corum's all-around ability. I can argue him with anyone else. depending on offensive scheme.

I'm someone who believes Joe Mixon is a lot better than his numbers were, and I think Pierce is looking no more likely to see work in Houston this year, as Mixon >> Singletary.
This is also a trash RB class. Saying he is the best of this group isn't saying much.
I think this class isn't as near as bad as its being sold as. I think Pierce's class in 2022 was worse, with Walker, Hall and a lot of meh guys. Rachaad White and Kyren Williams have greatly exceeded expectations, and I imagine a few will from this class as well.

I kinda think the RB class is overshadowed because its such an elite WR class, and also a strong QB class, as well as having an elite TE. There's like 7 RBs in this class that I think could be major contributors, and I think Brooks may have been a 1st rounder without his knee injury.
 
I wouldn't agree with best RB in this class, but I would agree that he's a better than he was last season and would be an upgrade on what Dallas currently has. Incredible is certainly some hyperbole though.

Pierce would probably be somewhere in my RB3 to RB6 range in this class. He's nowhere near Brooks and doesn't have Corum's all-around ability. I can argue him with anyone else. depending on offensive scheme.

I'm someone who believes Joe Mixon is a lot better than his numbers were, and I think Pierce is looking no more likely to see work in Houston this year, as Mixon >> Singletary.
This is also a trash RB class. Saying he is the best of this group isn't saying much.
I think this class isn't as near as bad as its being sold as. I think Pierce's class in 2022 was worse, with Walker, Hall and a lot of meh guys. Rachaad White and Kyren Williams have greatly exceeded expectations, and I imagine a few will from this class as well.

I kinda think the RB class is overshadowed because its such an elite WR class, and also a strong QB class, as well as having an elite TE. There's like 7 RBs in this class that I think could be major contributors, and I think Brooks may have been a 1st rounder without his knee injury.
Breece Hall alone makes this class look bad. Because he played at Iowa State, he didn't get the hype but IMO he's the best RB prospect of the last decade. Better than Saquon or Taylor or even Bijan.
 
I wouldn't agree with best RB in this class, but I would agree that he's a better than he was last season and would be an upgrade on what Dallas currently has. Incredible is certainly some hyperbole though.

Pierce would probably be somewhere in my RB3 to RB6 range in this class. He's nowhere near Brooks and doesn't have Corum's all-around ability. I can argue him with anyone else. depending on offensive scheme.

I'm someone who believes Joe Mixon is a lot better than his numbers were, and I think Pierce is looking no more likely to see work in Houston this year, as Mixon >> Singletary.
This is also a trash RB class. Saying he is the best of this group isn't saying much.
I think this class isn't as near as bad as its being sold as. I think Pierce's class in 2022 was worse, with Walker, Hall and a lot of meh guys. Rachaad White and Kyren Williams have greatly exceeded expectations, and I imagine a few will from this class as well.

I kinda think the RB class is overshadowed because its such an elite WR class, and also a strong QB class, as well as having an elite TE. There's like 7 RBs in this class that I think could be major contributors, and I think Brooks may have been a 1st rounder without his knee injury.
Breece Hall alone makes this class look bad. Because he played at Iowa State, he didn't get the hype but IMO he's the best RB prospect of the last decade. Better than Saquon or Taylor or even Bijan.
Strictly prospect wise? Saquon should be at the top of that list, followed by Bijan imo.

I’d agree Breece>Taylor.
 
I wouldn't agree with best RB in this class, but I would agree that he's a better than he was last season and would be an upgrade on what Dallas currently has. Incredible is certainly some hyperbole though.

Pierce would probably be somewhere in my RB3 to RB6 range in this class. He's nowhere near Brooks and doesn't have Corum's all-around ability. I can argue him with anyone else. depending on offensive scheme.

I'm someone who believes Joe Mixon is a lot better than his numbers were, and I think Pierce is looking no more likely to see work in Houston this year, as Mixon >> Singletary.
This is also a trash RB class. Saying he is the best of this group isn't saying much.
I think this class isn't as near as bad as its being sold as. I think Pierce's class in 2022 was worse, with Walker, Hall and a lot of meh guys. Rachaad White and Kyren Williams have greatly exceeded expectations, and I imagine a few will from this class as well.

I kinda think the RB class is overshadowed because its such an elite WR class, and also a strong QB class, as well as having an elite TE. There's like 7 RBs in this class that I think could be major contributors, and I think Brooks may have been a 1st rounder without his knee injury.
In defense of that RB class, you just listed 2 top 5 and 2 top 10 dynasty RBs (or somewhere around there). Turned out pretty good.
 
I think it was clear that Dameon was not comfortable with the new zone scheme that the coaching staff brought in....frankly I'm surprised they haven't dealt him because he's more valuable in other situations.

But as a guy that has already proven he belongs in the NFL that's on a dirt cheap rookie contract, the Texans may not be getting the right offers or are just content with having him be an economical backup to Mixon.

He's a potential buy-low if owners are getting nervous. The undeniable talent he showed his rookie year can resurface in the right situation.
 
When you get excited to see breaking news that your disaster of a dynasty acquisition got traded to a better situation, only to find platitudes from the GM about them being a very big part of what they're going to do in the same role that wasn't working out last year.

I really wish teams would just move off of young players faster on the trade market when it's clear that it's not a fit. That said, I can't imagine anyone is banging the door down looking to make him their #1 right now.

I do agree with the buy-low sentiments even though I don't have a lot of optimism as it currently stands. Unfortunately, I thought that I was buying low early in the season last year.
 
Serious question, what is the incentive for a team to trade a RB on a reasonable rookie contract?

I get the point that the community might think that Pierce could do better in a different system/different team, but from Houston's perspective, they have a backup for a steal of a contract who they already know, has shown some success and isn't a trouble maker. Unless someone overpays(which teams don't do for RBs), why would you even consider moving him?
 
Serious question, what is the incentive for a team to trade a RB on a reasonable rookie contract?

I get the point that the community might think that Pierce could do better in a different system/different team, but from Houston's perspective, they have a backup for a steal of a contract who they already know, has shown some success and isn't a trouble maker. Unless someone overpays(which teams don't do for RBs), why would you even consider moving him?

They don't even adequate depth at RB. I don't see him getting moved.
 
Serious question, what is the incentive for a team to trade a RB on a reasonable rookie contract?

I get the point that the community might think that Pierce could do better in a different system/different team, but from Houston's perspective, they have a backup for a steal of a contract who they already know, has shown some success and isn't a trouble maker. Unless someone overpays(which teams don't do for RBs), why would you even consider moving him?

A late pick in '25. Opening up more playing time for 6th rounder Jawhar Jordan, who might be able to eclipse 2.9 YPC in a zone blocking scheme. Opening up a roster spot for someone else that also might be a better fit.

You're right though, I'm not overly optimistic about a trade happening. There's not much on the depth chart. However, at 2.9 YPC is Pierce anything other than a name on that depth chart? It just seems like there should be a another team that could look at his '22 film and work with that, add him to a rotation. Then again, Joe Mixon and not much else isn't exactly buried in terms of a potential for a big volume opportunity. So it might very well be a case of careful what you wish for if the trade isn't to Dallas.

Maybe there's a case study or two of gap runners who struggled early in zone and then figured it out. However, I feel like I've seen this movie before. NFL operating model is to hold on to the player until they're fully dejected and success is a distant memory. Deposit in RB graveyard. Draft another one.
 
I loved Pierce going into last season. I am not falling for it again.
He was benched for Singletary and Mixon is an absolute upgrade on a rising offense. Peirce will simply provide a breather.
100%. If this news depresses Mixon's ADP then I'll happily take him as a value RB. Pierce is just a guy until he moves to another offense that runs a power scheme.
 

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