Who Should I Start? George Holani or Dameon Pierce

Wednesday, August 27, 11:31 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani has made the team's roster and will open the season as the third option on the depth chart, according to Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. Holani turned heads this preseason by rushing for 110 yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts. He's also a candidate to return kicks during the regular season. Holani beat out Damien Martinez, a seventh-round rookie from the University of Miami. Kenneth Walker III's injury history could give Holani more fantasy intrigue, but he's still not worth rostering in most redraft leagues.

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.