Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Jahmyr Gibbs

Monday, September 8, 12:59 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce totaled five yards on his three carries in Sunday's 14-9 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He failed to bring in his lone target. Veteran Nick Chubb was the only Houston rusher to see more than three carries (13), and Pierce technically saw the second-most of his fellow RBs. However, rookie Woody Marks also saw three attempts, and Dare Ogunbowale handled two of his own. It was a rough day for Houston's offense overall, as they were blanked in the second half by a hungry Rams' defense. Still, Chubb was the clear-cut Texans RB1 in this outing, and Pierce's current touch load wouldn't be enough to sustain fantasy value. Houston will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader in Week 2. We'll see if Pierce can carve out a larger role then.

Friday, September 12, 1:00 PM

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs had one of the least efficient games of his career in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, totaling just 50 yards from scrimmage on 19 touches without reaching the end zone. Gibbs led the Lions in receptions with 10, but he was only able to log 31 receiving yards on those 10 catches. The 23-year-old has a much easier matchup on paper in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, who allowed 120 rushing yards to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. In two games against Chicago last season, Gibbs rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and added six catches for 62 yards as a receiver. However, it's worth noting that fellow Lions back David Montgomery did not play in one of those games, and Gibbs had fewer rush attempts (nine) than Montgomery (11) against the Packers on Sunday. Gibbs remains a must-start fantasy RB1 in Week 2, but he may need to stay heavily involved as a receiver to post a monster game.