Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Ty Chandler

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, August 16, 6:58 PM

Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler rushed three times for 12 yards and dropped his only target on Saturday against the New England Patriots. It was yet another uninspiring performance for the UNC product, who doesn't appear to be a lock to make Minnesota's 53-man roster. Chandler's best case at this point may be as a returner, especially after the Vikings lost receiver Rondale Moore (knee) for the season, but Zavier Scott is also lurking as a viable RB3 candidate who has put together a good camp and back-to-back strong showings in the preseason. This will be a battle to watch in the coming weeks.