Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Dameon Pierce

Sunday, January 5, 9:23 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle rushed 22 times for 72 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders. He also caught two of his three targets for an additional 12 yards through the air. Dowdle was quite impressive throughout the 2024 season, supplanting Ezekiel Elliott as the Cowboys' undisputed No. 1 running back. He finished the campaign with 1,079 rushing yards, 249 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns through 16 games, ranking as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football. There has been plenty of speculation that the Cowboys could take an aggressive approach with their pursuit of a running back this offseason, such as drafting Ashton Jeanty. However, there's also a real possibility they feel confident in Dowdle and don't take as big of a swing for a backfield addition within the upcoming months. The 26-year-old currently still has appeal as a mid-range RB3 option heading into the 2025 campaign, and until Dallas brings in competition, this backfield belongs to Dowdle.

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.