Who Should I Start? Rhamondre Stevenson or Dameon Pierce

Friday, January 3, 11:03 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson remains an unreliable fantasy option heading into Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Buffalo Bills. Stevenson was effectively benched last Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. While he did log the first touch of the game, he finished the contest with just two carries for one yard while Antonio Gibson rushed the ball 12 times. Gibson has led the Patriots' backfield in snaps for two consecutive weeks, which is the product of Stevenson's poor ball security this season, including a costly Week 16 fumble against the Bills. The Patriots have been somewhat quiet about their personnel decision for Sunday's regular-season finale, but we would expect Stevenson to remain in the doghouse. He's not a dependable fantasy option as the Patriots' season wraps up.

Sunday, January 5, 4:02 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce set a new career high in rushing yards Sunday in a 23-14 win at Tennessee, finishing with 176 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The third-year pro did the most damage on a career-long 92-yard touchdown run in the first half, after Houston had pulled key offensive starters from the game. Sunday was the Florida product's first 100-yard game since midway through his rookie season in 2022. Though Houston already had locked down the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs and didn't have anything to gain with the win, Pierce certainly made use of his additional playing time. He and the Texans will be back in action with a to-be-determined Wild Card home game next week.