Dameon Pierce On The Rise
Running back Marlon Mack was released from the Houston Texans as part of roster cuts in preparation for the 2022 season. Marlon Mack was signed in the offseason to a one-year, $2 million contract this offseason after the Indianapolis Colts let him hit free agency. Mack was recovering from a torn Achilles injury during the 2020 season with the Colts, allowing then-rookie Jonathan Taylor to take the reigns as the lead back.
Mack was a solid running back prior to the Achilles injury. Mack averaged 4.7 and 4.4 y/a after his rookie season as the starter for the Colts and had his first thousand-yard season in 2019 when he ran for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns on 247 rushing attempts. Mack would finish just outside the top 10 in rushing that season, getting edged out by Dalvin Cook and his 1,135 rushing yards at the 10th spot.
Another surprise: Texans are releasing veteran running back Marlon Mack, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2022
After landing with the Texans, it seemed that Mack may have had a shot to get the lead role for the team. That is until fourth-round running back Dameon Pierce out of Florida stole the show in the offseason. Slowly but surely the buzz continued to build around Dameon Pierce as he not only showed off his versatility but his speed, vision, and patience. Pierce also displayed some big play ability with his speed, making defenders miss and turning up the juice once he hit the second level.
Pierce grew up in Bainbridge, GA but was a monster from in the making at running back. During his senior year, Pierce rushed for 2,123 yards and 32 touchdowns for Bainbridge High School. He would finish his career with over 6,000 rushing yards (6,779 rushing yards to be exact) and 92 touchdowns! No, you aren’t misreading those numbers. Pierce was getting busy on the field at the high school level.
Pierce’s college stats may not jump off the page but he was still a pretty solid contributor for the Florida Gators. While he may not have cracked a thousand yards rushing, he did manage to average a healthy 4.7 y/a or better over his four years there. He finished on the strong side with his 16 total touchdowns and 790 yards from scrimmage and averaged 5.7 y/a on the ground and 11.4 y/r through the air.
The Texans have been in need of an all-purpose running back over the last few seasons. Since 2018, the Houston Texans have brought in several running backs like Lamar Miller, David Johnson, Duke Johnson, and Rex Burkhead just to name a few. The Texans have finished in the bottom half of the league in rushing over the last two seasons. Pierce’s toughness at his 5’10”, 215 lbs frame is certainly what the Texans could use and with Marlon Mack out of the picture, Pierce can see a full workload making him an optimal fantasy piece for managers looking for a lead back.
You are still too low on Dameon Pierce
— Alex Caruso (@AlexCaruso) August 26, 2022
DAMEON PIERCE WITH NO HELMET 😳😤😤 pic.twitter.com/75DdoaASg7
— 247Sports (@247Sports) November 27, 2021
Fantasy Impact
Pierce’s fantasy value, with the news of Marlon Mack being cut, should be on the move. Before the cut, Pierce was going in the double-digit rounds but after the news has settled in, Pierce’s fantasy value sits at the back of the sixth round at 6.12, per Fantasy Football Calculator. That puts him in the company of running backs like Chase Edmonds, Devin Singletary, and Rhamondre Stevenson. Should that be the case heading into fantasy drafts, Pierce will stick out like a sore thumb among backs that are in committees so be conscious of that when you draft.
Pierce’s competition for work shouldn’t hinder fantasy managers from drafting him either. Rex Burkhead is the “older statesman” of the Texans backfield and both Royce Freeman and Dare Ogunbowale should continue to have minimal roles behind the starter and backups. The backfield belongs to Dameon Pierce.
