Who Should I Start? Jerome Ford or Dameon Pierce

Sunday, September 8, 8:14 PM

Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford carried the ball 12 times for 44 yards and a touchdown while adding six catches for 25 yards in a 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. Ford's final stat line will be useful in fantasy, but the third-year back benefitted greatly from garbage time. Most of his production in the passing game came after the game was out of hand and his two-yard touchdown run came with the Browns down 23 points with just 29 seconds left on the clock. On the bright side, Ford saw most of the backfield touches for Cleveland, which should continue for as long as Nick Chubb (knee) is on the PUP list. Treat Ford as an RB2 in PPR fantasy leagues going forward.

Tuesday, August 27, 2:46 PM

It was clear early last season that running back Dameon Pierce wasn't a fit in the Houston Texans' zone-blocking system, making Year 2 a frustrating one for the power back. Things haven't changed this preseason for Pierce, who won't start now that Joe Mixon is back at practice, and Cam Akers has impressed in recent action in his bid to make the roster. Dare Ogunbowale seems like a lock for his special-teams and third-down value, and Houston might still want to develop rookie Jawhar Jordan rather than lose him to the waiver wire. While it's unlikely the Texans would release Pierce, he remains a trade candidate and still could be a solid reserve. The 24-year-old was approaching 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie before his season-ending injury in 2022. If an RB-needy team such as the Dallas Cowboys offered a late-round pick for him, it wouldn't be shocking to see Houston pull the trigger.