Who Should I Start? Ty Johnson or Dameon Pierce

Tuesday, March 11, 7:01 PM

The Buffalo Bills have re-signed running back Ty Johnson on a two-year deal. The amount of the contract is undisclosed. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the news. The Maryland product tied his career high with four total touchdowns last season and was a valuable asset on third downs for the team. Johnson played the second-most snaps of all Bills' RBs in 2024 and will likely again slot in as a change-of-pace option and third-down specialist behind incumbent starter James Cook. However, he'll still have second-year back Ray Davis to compete with for touches, and Davis out-carried Johnson 113-41 in just his rookie season. Despite what this means for the team on the field, it's unlikely to make an impact regarding fantasy. The 27-year-old presents as nothing more than a potential low-end handcuff.

Friday, September 5, 10:33 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce should have an opportunity to contribute early in the season for his team, since Joe Mixon (ankle) is on the reserve/non-football injury list and will miss at least the first four weeks and possibly longer. Pierce is expected to share the workload in the backfield with veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks. Chubb will likely take the lead on early-down work, with Marks playing on receiving downs and Pierce mixing in as well. Exactly how the timeshare is divided out will go a long way to determining the fantasy value of all three running backs at the start of the season. Chubb has been inefficient since returning from injury, but Pierce has also struggled since producing 939 rushing yards on 220 carries as a rookie back in 2022. He had just 40 carries last year but racked up 293 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. If Pierce stays healthy and Chubb struggles, the younger, more explosive back could play his way up the depth chart for new Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley if he comes out strong against the Rams in Week 1, so keep an eye on how the timeshare plays out. Pierce is extremely high-risk in the unclear situation, though, so he's only RB63 in RotoBaller's Week 1 rankings, and he shouldn't be started until his playing time is more certain.