Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Bijan Robinson

Tuesday, August 27, 2:46 PM

It was clear early last season that running back Dameon Pierce wasn't a fit in the Houston Texans' zone-blocking system, making Year 2 a frustrating one for the power back. Things haven't changed this preseason for Pierce, who won't start now that Joe Mixon is back at practice, and Cam Akers has impressed in recent action in his bid to make the roster. Dare Ogunbowale seems like a lock for his special-teams and third-down value, and Houston might still want to develop rookie Jawhar Jordan rather than lose him to the waiver wire. While it's unlikely the Texans would release Pierce, he remains a trade candidate and still could be a solid reserve. The 24-year-old was approaching 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie before his season-ending injury in 2022. If an RB-needy team such as the Dallas Cowboys offered a late-round pick for him, it wouldn't be shocking to see Houston pull the trigger.

Saturday, July 13, 1:11 PM

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was slowed by a left-ankle sprain in the offseason, but he'll be fine for training camp and is ready for the team to put more on his plate in his sophomore season. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and head coach Raheem Morris haven't been shy about saying the plan is to use Robinson like the 49ers use RB Christian McCaffrey. He finished 15th in the league in 2023 with 976 rushing yards while also adding 58 receptions for 487 yards and eight total touchdowns. With a more diversified attack on offense after Atlanta stuck with a wide-zone rushing attack in 2023, there's plenty of room for growth for Robinson as a high-end RB1 in fantasy, especially with quarterback Kirk Cousins now leading the offense. "I'm going to be more of a runner that does everything else," Robinson said.