Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Dameon Pierce

Wednesday, November 12, 3:24 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (quadriceps) was held out of practice on Wednesday, according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com. Dowdle continues to manage a quad injury and has been held out of practice on Wednesdays in recent weeks, so fantasy managers shouldn't be too worried about his status for the Week 11 divisional clash against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend unless he also misses practice on Thursday. There was some uncertainty about how the Panthers would handle their backfield when Chuba Hubbard returned from his calf injury, but those questions have been answered, and Dowdle is now Carolina's clear RB1 as long as he's healthy. The 27-year-old has 121 rushing attempts for 705 yards (5.8 yards per tote) and four touchdowns while adding 13 receptions for 122 yards and another score in the last six games. He's a must-start if he plays against Atlanta.

Saturday, October 18, 5:33 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce played a season-high 16 snaps and had seven carries for 21 yards in his team's last game before the bye week. However, it was his first game being active since Week 1, and all his work came in the fourth quarter of their blowout win over the Ravens. With Nick Chubb getting early-down work and Woody Marks as a promising prospect for passing downs, Pierce will likely have no role except in mop-up duty or an occasional one-off carry. He is the No. 69-ranked RB in RotoBaller's rankings for Week 7 and is not expected to be a fantasy factor going forward, barring injury to Chubb or Marks.