Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Kyle Monangai

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.

Friday, September 5, 11:44 PM

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (hamstring) logged a limited practice on Friday. He carried the same designation on Thursday. While the Bears won't play until Monday night, when Chicago meets the Minnesota Vikings, the rookie's status is somewhat concerning. With Roschon Johnson (foot) missing practice for a second-straight day, it appears there's a real chance he won't be out there in Week 1. If that's the case, Monangai will climb to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, assuming he's cleared to suit up. All things considered, it should still be D'Andre Swift getting most of the work out of the backfield. Although Monangai could see more involvement, it likely won't be enough to make him relevant from a fantasy standpoint. Managers can expect another injury update on Saturday.