Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Will Shipley

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.

Thursday, September 4, 11:55 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley (ribs) exited during the third quarter of Thursday night's season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. He is officially listed as questionable. Shipley left the field with his teammates when Thursday's game entered a weather delay, but he did not return to the field when the game resumed. It's a tough loss for Philadelphia, as Shipley was highly efficient when he was on the field, totaling 26 rushing yards on just three carries. In his absence, A.J. Dillon will operate as the direct backup to superstar Saquon Barkley.