Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Isaiah Davis

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.

Saturday, September 6, 11:36 AM

New York Jets running back Isaiah Davis will operate as the team's third option this Sunday when his team lines up against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers. The South Dakota State product recently dealt with an ankle injury, but avoided the Jets' injury report this week as the organization gears up for their home opener. Before injuring his ankle, Davis briefly appeared with the starting offense during New York's first preseason contest with the Packers before finishing out the game. Head coach Aaron Glenn has noted on numerous occasions that Davis, along with backfield mates Braelon Allen and Breece Hall, will all be used in some fashion of a committee. How that shakes out remains to be seen, but Hall and Allen figure to handle most of the work while Davis spells them both. The 21-year-old doesn't forecast to have standalone value, but this backfield is worth monitoring - at least in the early going - until the roles are more defined. He's RotoBaller's RB79 in PPR formats ahead of Week 1.