Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Michael Carter

Friday, October 9, 1:31 PM

With multiple injuries in the backfield, the Philadelphia Eagles signed running back Dameon Pierce off of the practice squad and added him to their active 53-man roster. Pierce will make his 2026 season debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 in London. Starter Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and backup Tank Bigsby (abdomen) were both injured during a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 and will miss this week's contest against the Jaguars. Bigsby is now on injured reserve, while Barkley's injury isn't expected to be as long term, but he will miss the Week 5 game at minimum. Fellow running back Will Shipley will play a large role for the Eagles against the Jaguars, but it appears that Pierce should be involved as well. Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni called Pierce "an NFL starting running back," so he has a lot of belief in Pierce despite his practice squad status throughout the early part of the season. The Eagles also signed running back Carson Steele to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. However, Pierce, Shipley, Steele and the Eagles are going up against a Jacksonville defense that only allows 74.3 rushing yards per game (third in the NFL). In 43 career games played, Pierce has recorded 419 attempts for 1,684 (4.0 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns, while adding 45 receptions for 268 yards (6.0 yards per catch) and one receiving touchdown. Pierce ranks as RotoBaller's No. 46 running back for Week 5. He is currently rostered in just 2% of Yahoo leagues. While Pierce is a stash option in deep leagues, it is best to leave him on the bench or on the waiver wire until his role is more clearly defined.