Who Should I Start? Zack Moss or Dameon Pierce

Monday, April 29, 11:40 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Zack Moss is expected to have a large role in 2024 after the team opted not to select any competition in the NFL Draft. Cincinnati signed Moss during free agency, shortly before trading Joe Mixon to the Houston Texans. This series of moves made it seem like the Bengals could upgrade their backfield in the draft, but that wasn't the case. Instead, it appears Moss will be Cincinnati's primary running back, barring a surprise signing or trade. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic indicates that Moss has a leg up over Chase Brown heading into the summer, and the former Indianapolis Colt is also viewed as the Bengals' preferred option on third down. Such a favorable outlook (combined with his 70.4 scrimmage yards and 0.5 touchdowns per game last season) puts him in the low-end RB2 range for redraft fantasy football, though his draft position could slip if Brown has a strong camp.

Saturday, July 20, 1:20 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce, who will enter the 2024 season as the backup to new lead back Joe Mixon, has looked good early on in training camp. Pierce was more decisive on his runs on the first day of camp on Saturday and could form a strong 1-2 punch with Mixon if he continues to look this good once the pads go on and to open the regular season. The 24-year-old former fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Florida nearly ran for 1,000 yards in just 13 games in his rookie season in 2022 before disappointing in his sophomore year in 2023 and losing the starting job to Devin Singletary. Pierce could excel with Houston moving to an outside-zone scheme, but as long as Mixon stays healthy, he probably won't be anything more than a handcuff option in fantasy leagues.