Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Dameon Pierce

Friday, September 12, 1:38 AM

A lack of injury updates on Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) is creating a sense of concern and uncertainty for fantasy managers. The Texans have provided very few updates on Mixon since placing him on the non-football injury list, and general manager Nick Caserio was non-committal on the running back playing this season. That was two weeks ago, though, and a lack of chatter about the veteran ball-carrier puts managers in a difficult position. Roster spots are precious, so managers only want to stash Mixon if they think he's going to return later this year. Even in leagues with IR spots, there's no point in holding Mixon if the Texans don't expect him back. However, with the team declining to provide an update, managers have no choice but to keep him on the back end of their rosters. In the meantime, Nick Chubb will remain the team's primary running back with Dameon Pierce and Woody Marks also getting involved.

Monday, September 8, 12:59 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce totaled five yards on his three carries in Sunday's 14-9 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He failed to bring in his lone target. Veteran Nick Chubb was the only Houston rusher to see more than three carries (13), and Pierce technically saw the second-most of his fellow RBs. However, rookie Woody Marks also saw three attempts, and Dare Ogunbowale handled two of his own. It was a rough day for Houston's offense overall, as they were blanked in the second half by a hungry Rams' defense. Still, Chubb was the clear-cut Texans RB1 in this outing, and Pierce's current touch load wouldn't be enough to sustain fantasy value. Houston will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as part of a Monday Night Football doubleheader in Week 2. We'll see if Pierce can carve out a larger role then.