Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Brashard Smith

Friday, September 5, 10:33 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce should have an opportunity to contribute early in the season for his team, since Joe Mixon (ankle) is on the reserve/non-football injury list and will miss at least the first four weeks and possibly longer. Pierce is expected to share the workload in the backfield with veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks. Chubb will likely take the lead on early-down work, with Marks playing on receiving downs and Pierce mixing in as well. Exactly how the timeshare is divided out will go a long way to determining the fantasy value of all three running backs at the start of the season. Chubb has been inefficient since returning from injury, but Pierce has also struggled since producing 939 rushing yards on 220 carries as a rookie back in 2022. He had just 40 carries last year but racked up 293 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. If Pierce stays healthy and Chubb struggles, the younger, more explosive back could play his way up the depth chart for new Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley if he comes out strong against the Rams in Week 1, so keep an eye on how the timeshare plays out. Pierce is extremely high-risk in the unclear situation, though, so he's only RB63 in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings, and he shouldn't be started until his playing time is more certain.

Sunday, August 31, 8:53 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith made the 53-man roster in Kansas City, and could have a pathway to the field during his first season with the team. The rookie cleared the first hurdle by sticking around through training camp, which is no guarantee as a seventh-round pick. But with Isiah Pacheco less than a year removed from a broken leg, Smith's competition for time is veterans Kareem Hunt and Elijah Mitchell. As a former wide receiver, the rookie has a skill set the Chiefs like, having featured similarly skilled Jerk McKinnon in prior years. Smith has some lottery ticket appeal playing in Andy Reid's offense.