Who Should I Start? Zamir White or Dameon Pierce

Tuesday, April 29, 4:47 PM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White will be competing for a roster spot in training camp this summer after the team selected former Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in this year's NFL draft. The Athletic's Tashan Reed has White listed as the current No. 4 behind Jeanty, Raheem Mostert and Sincere McCormick. The Raiders are unlikely to hand the ball to Jeanty almost 27 times per game like Boise State did in 2024, but he will still be the unquestioned workhorse back in Vegas in his rookie season. The veteran and oft-injured Mostert has become strictly a third-down back at this point in his career. The 25-year-old White had a very disappointing season in 2024 as the team's primary back to open the season, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry. Unless Jeanty misses time with an injury in his first NFL season, White will be off the fantasy radar.

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.