Who Should I Start? Christian McCaffrey or Dameon Pierce

Sunday, September 14, 8:39 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 55 yards on 13 carries during Sunday's Week 2 victory over the New Orleans Saints. He also caught six of seven targets for an additional 53 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. Although the veteran playmaker didn't quite eclipse the 100-yard mark, he made up for it by scoring his first touchdown of the 2025 campaign. He also served as a very valuable and dependable pass-catching option for quarterback Mac Jones amidst the injury to Brock Purdy (shoulder). McCaffrey has wasted no time making a big impact in fantasy football, scoring at least 22.7 points (PPR) in each of his first two games this year. There's minimal competition for the 29-year-old in San Francisco, keeping him in the mid-range RB1 tier ahead of Week 3 versus the Arizona Cardinals.

Monday, September 15, 5:58 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce is a healthy inactive for Week 2 on Monday Night Football against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pierce was active in the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams but only played seven offensive snaps and had three rushing attempts for five yards. With the 25-year-old in street clothes for this one, Dare Ogunbowale, rookie Woody Marks, and British Brooks will be battling for change-of-pace touches behind veteran Nick Chubb. Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) is typically Houston's clear-cut workhorse back when healthy, but he opened the year on the Non-Football Injury list, and it's unclear when he might be able to return this year. It's possible that Pierce could be active in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but for now, he has no business being rostered in single-year fantasy leagues.