Who Should I Start? Hassan Haskins or Dameon Pierce

Tuesday, April 29, 12:04 AM

The Athletic's Daniel Popper writes that Los Angeles Chargers running back Hassan Haskins is the leader in the clubhouse for the third running back spot on the 53-man roster this year behind Najee Harris and first-round rookie Omarion Hampton because of his versatility on special teams. Haskins played the third-most special-teams snaps of any Charger last year. Kimani Vidal will have to come to training camp ready to perform to make it more of a competition for the No. 3 job. The 25-year-old Haskins won't be on the fantasy radar in single-year leagues as long as both Harris and Hampton are healthy for the Bolts. The former fourth-rounder by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 out of Michigan had only 34 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns for L.A. in 17 games last year while also adding three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

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.