Who Should I Start? Hassan Haskins or Dameon Pierce

Wednesday, October 22, 5:21 PM

Los Angeles Chargers running back Hassan Haskins (hamstring) has been officially ruled out for the Thursday night game in Week 8 against the visiting Minnesota Vikings, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Haskins suffered a hamstring injury in the Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and won't be able to suit up on a short week. With the 25-year-old sidelined and with rookie first-rounder Omarion Hampton (ankle) still on Injured Reserve, the Bolts are expected to elevate veteran Nyheim Hines to the 53-man active roster to serve as Kimani Vidal's backup against Minnesota. Trayveon Williams could also come up from the practice squad to serve as backfield depth on a short week. Haskins' next chance to suit up will come in Week 9 on Sunday, Nov. 2, against his former team, the Tennessee Titans. In the RB2 role with Hampton on IR, Haskins has minimal fantasy value and has been dropped in most leagues.

Saturday, October 18, 5:33 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce played a season-high 16 snaps and had seven carries for 21 yards in his team's last game before the bye week. However, it was his first game being active since Week 1, and all his work came in the fourth quarter of their blowout win over the Ravens. With Nick Chubb getting early-down work and Woody Marks as a promising prospect for passing downs, Pierce will likely have no role except in mop-up duty or an occasional one-off carry. He is the No. 69-ranked RB in RotoBaller's rankings for Week 7 and is not expected to be a fantasy factor going forward, barring injury to Chubb or Marks.