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RB Dameon Pierce, HOU (2 Viewers)

Many might not have had the chance to see the game, but he clearly looked like our most expensive back. The system really likes a one-cut and go style and he did that really well. As soon as he got in, there was a noticeable energy to the offense even though Mack was the only RB to play with the first team/Mills earlier in the game.
 
Jayded said:
Many might not have had the chance to see the game, but he clearly looked like our most expensive back. The system really likes a one-cut and go style and he did that really well. As soon as he got in, there was a noticeable energy to the offense even though Mack was the only RB to play with the first team/Mills earlier in the game.
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I'm sure you meant "explosive"?
 
Let me list some of the major negatives here for redraft.

-Houston is going to win how many games this season? Lovie Smith is now their head football coach and if you haven't seen his recent coaching record in both Pro and College, I would encourage you to dig thru some of that. How many running plays will they be calling when the are down a score? How many when they fall down 2 or 3 scores? Wide Receivers getting lots of garbage time will draw me in but a RB in a poor offense that will have to scrape every yard he can...how many of the Saints' 1st Unit was he running thru like Swiss cheese?

-Dynasty players like to create hype but in a redraft scenario which is what I mostly post in here, this guy is someone I would create hype around but not really want to draft. A red-herring for Draft Day.
 
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I thought he looked good. Made 1 cut and got upfield. Good vision and decisiveness. It wasn't a case where he's just faster than everyone else on the field and broke one.

I think he'll lead that backfield in touches. For dynasty, I do worry that unless he sits the world on fire--Houston may invest a higher pick into a RB next year.
 
Ministry of Pain said:
Lovie Smith is now their head football coach and if you haven't seen his recent coaching record in both Pro and College
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Forte seeemed to do just fine and in his two years as Tampa's head coach Doug Martin had a big season. Now I will say Forte took it up a notch after Lovie left and he got Trestman but looking at his tenure as an NFL head coach his RB's have been pretty good for fantasy. One of Pierce's strengths was pass protection and if he can get on the field for third downs if the team is awful I don't think it's going to be so negative for him.
jm192 said:
do worry that unless he sits the world on fire--Houston may invest a higher pick into a RB next year.
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I classify the Raiders as NE West. A big old fashioned NE style RBBC. Is Houston NE South? That's my major concern. The coaching staff is not tied to NE but the guy stocking the roster is so my guess is yes, Caserio will always keep the roster filled with RB's, not neccesarily high picks but just continuing to add RB's in those middle/late rounds which likely lends itself to a RBBC approach.

I'm not really concerned about them drafting a first/second round guy and one good Texans beat writer I follow actually thinks they like Pierce so much they might go out of their way to not run him into the ground if/when they are losing, to preserve him for when the team is ready to turn the corner. So hard to picture him being a major bell cow but I absolutely think he can have value on par with someone like Rhamondre because like Rhamondre he's a big back with really good third down skills.
 
Faust said:

Dameon Pierce rushed five times for 48 yards in the Texans’ preseason opener Saturday.​

Veteran Marlon Mack got the start in the Texans’ backfield But rushed for just six yards on three carries, and Rex Burkhead didn’t even play. Pierce was the star of the night for the Texans, averaging 9.8 YPC with a long run of 20 yards. He ran with power and solidified himself as Houston’s best back. Whether or not the coaches start him right away is to be seen, but Pierce is probably the best bet to lead this backfield in touches this season.
Aug 14, 2022, 10:11 AM ET
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Passes the eye test for me
 
Ministry of Pain said:
Let me list some of the major negatives here for redraft.

-Houston is going to win how many games this season? Lovie Smith is now their head football coach and if you haven't seen his recent coaching record in both Pro and College, I would encourage you to dig thru some of that. How many running plays will they be calling when the are down a score? How many when they fall down 2 or 3 scores? Wide Receivers getting lots of garbage time will draw me in but a RB in a poor offense that will have to scrape every yard he can...how many of the Saints' 1st Unit was he running thru like Swiss cheese?

-Dynasty players like to create hype but in a redraft scenario which is what I mostly post in here, this guy is someone I would create hype around but not really want to draft. A red-herring for Draft Day.
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Not bad points RE redraft, but how much are you paying for him on draft day? Seems like that's baked into his (albeit current) cost. At this point in their careers Mack and Burkhead are JAGs IMO. Pierce has a clear path to solid production and even possibly 3-down work, something that is becoming more and more rare in the current NFL.

I also don't think the Houston offense will be as bad as they have been. If Pierce's pass-pro is solid, he could be seeing the field even if they are chronically playing from behind. At the end of the day, Mack and Burkhead aren't the future of the RB room in Houston.
 
JohnnyU said:
Jayded said:
Many might not have had the chance to see the game, but he clearly looked like our most expensive back. The system really likes a one-cut and go style and he did that really well. As soon as he got in, there was a noticeable energy to the offense even though Mack was the only RB to play with the first team/Mills earlier in the game.
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I'm sure you meant "explosive"?
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LOL well that was a funny autocorrect. I’d temper enthusiasm for year one with every expectation being them forcing Mack out there as a vet despite any degree of effectiveness or otherwise, but I like what I’m seeing this far out of Pierce and the team’s reaction to his performance.
 
Lucky to snag him as my RB 5 in a keeper league draft yesterday. I feel like he is a guy that is going to rise as the season gets closer.

These type of later picks on bad teams can often be a bit of trap though.
 
massraider said:
Jayded said:
Many might not have had the chance to see the game, but he clearly looked like our most expensive back. The system really likes a one-cut and go style and he did that really well. As soon as he got in, there was a noticeable energy to the offense even though Mack was the only RB to play with the first team/Mills earlier in the game.
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Here's his carries
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I know he came in after Mack, so this was against the 2nd stringers? Think Marlon played the first four series (had touches on the first 3.) Looks like those five carries were all in the 5th and 6th drives.

He's legit, just curious so I looked it up as I was answering.
 
massraider said:
Jayded said:
Many might not have had the chance to see the game, but he clearly looked like our most expensive back. The system really likes a one-cut and go style and he did that really well. As soon as he got in, there was a noticeable energy to the offense even though Mack was the only RB to play with the first team/Mills earlier in the game.
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Here's his carries
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Hell Yes

Got him as RB4 in a Hero RB draft last night. Cautiously optimistic for Flex value... could possibly have a solid RB2 type upside
 
John Crumpler @JohnHCrumpler
Lovie Smith after Dameon Pierce's huge game last night for Houston

“He can run with power. He can make you miss. He can cut on a dime. Catch the ball. There are some things that he can do well that you'd expect a good running back in the NFL to do."

#WeAreTexans
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John Crumpler @JohnHCrumpler
Everyone watching last night couldn't help but notice Dameon Pierce's explosiveness, vision, and balance out of the backfield.

He's got an incredible opportunity to take this backfield and make a huge impact in Pep Hamilton's offense

twitter.com/JohnHCrumpler/…
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Rookie running back Dameon Pierce showed his potential as the Texans' future lead running back.
...Much remains unknown with Pierce. During his four seasons at Florida, he never was utilized as a feature back, often seeing a majority of carries inside the red zone. Last season, he flourished in the role, recording 11 of 13 touchdowns from inside 20-yard line.

Pierce enters the year with fresh legs as well. In a running back-by-committee offense, the 5-10, 218-pound runner never recorded more than 106 carries in a season. His best year came last fall when recorded 574 yards on 100 snaps.
 
zamboni said:
Desert_Power said:
These type of later picks on bad teams can often be a bit of trap though.
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I think of it another way - avoiding promising guys because they are on presumably bad offenses is a bit of a trap.

Even poor offenses can produce good fantasy performers, and it’s very possible that Houston’s offense will be better than expected.
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Yea as a Texans fan, I am not full in on them but Collins is essentially free, Cooks is pretty good, and Pierce looks to be their best RB thus far and none of those will break the bank for you to get in redraft
 
zeeshan2 said:
zamboni said:
Desert_Power said:
These type of later picks on bad teams can often be a bit of trap though.
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I think of it another way - avoiding promising guys because they are on presumably bad offenses is a bit of a trap.

Even poor offenses can produce good fantasy performers, and it’s very possible that Houston’s offense will be better than expected.
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Yea as a Texans fan, I am not full in on them but Collins is essentially free, Cooks is pretty good, and Pierce looks to be their best RB thus far and none of those will break the bank for you to get in redraft
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I think the Texans could be pretty improved this year. But they have a rough schedule and a lot of their stats probably come later in the games. Throw in an iffy O-line and a job he still needs to win....I just think it isn't a very high percentage play.
 
agree that he passes the eye ball test....and for his current cost he should probably be a target of every FF player....you are getting him as probably your RB4.....I don't think the negative game script talk should really factor in at his current cost...

IMO I think HOU will be more competitive than people think...I like what I saw in Mills last year....
 
Do people think Mack is just a speed bump in the depth chart at this point? I know the injury was serious but he's only 26. I don't want to over or under emphasize three pre-season carries either.
 
I might be a tad Biased being a Florida guy but he was good at UF. Dan Mullen just didn't run the ball as much as he should've especially when Emory Jones was in at QB. He had a few games here and there he looked like one of the best backs in College at times against some pretty elite SEC Defenses. The good thing for him is the less wear and tear.

He could be the lead back in Houston with time for awhile. But I'd preach patients here. I think if you can afford it he's a late round bench stash first few weeks. I think partially through the season is when it pays off.
 
DJackson10 said:
I might be a tad Biased being a Florida guy but he was good at UF. Dan Mullen just didn't run the ball as much as he should've especially when Emory Jones was in at QB. He had a few games here and there he looked like one of the best backs in College at times against some pretty elite SEC Defenses. The good thing for him is the less wear and tear.

He could be the lead back in Houston with time for awhile. But I'd preach patients here. I think if you can afford it he's a late round bench stash first few weeks. I think partially through the season is when it pays off.
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I should add to this but UF didn't have the best OLine while Pierce was here. The fact our RBs were as good as they are at times was pretty insane. So if you are worried about a possible weak Line don't be with Pierce.
 

ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime believes RB Dameon Pierce could take over the team's starting job by the first month of the regular season.​

Pierce has looked spectacular in training camp and in the team's first preseason game. He averaged 9.8 yards per carry on his five totes in the preseason opener, displaying elusiveness and explosion he showed in spurts during his career at Florida. The rookie could give Houston coaches no choice but to use him as a workhorse this year, though veterans Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead lurk if Pierce stumbles with pass protection or another aspect of the game that often befuddles rookie running backs. Pierce is a screaming draft target for those who fade early-round running backs.
RELATED:
SOURCE: ESPN.com
Aug 16, 2022, 11:05 AM ET
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Currently going in the 9th round. I imagine by the end of preseason you'll need to reach into the 6th or 7th if you want him.
 
habsfan said:
Do people think Mack is just a speed bump in the depth chart at this point? I know the injury was serious but he's only 26. I don't want to over or under emphasize three pre-season carries either.
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yes, Mack is a non-factor IMHO
 
I was not able to watch the game closely tonight.
Not a single carry????? What the Hell....... was he in on special teams at all?
Let's just hope he was nicked up and was benched for the night as a precautionary measure.

Any commentary from people that may have seen the game is appreciated.

🙂
 
TZMarkie said:
I was not able to watch the game closely tonight.
Not a single carry????? What the Hell....... was he in on special teams at all?
Let's just hope he was nicked up and was benched for the night as a precautionary measure.

Any commentary from people that may have seen the game is appreciated.

🙂
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Pierce did not log a carry or target during the Texans' 24-20 preseason win over the Rams on Friday night.

There was no shortage of buzz around the rookie fourth-round pick following his five-carry, 49-yard performance against the Saints in the preseason opener, but head coach Lovie Smith opted to give his veteran backs the run of the ground game Friday. Pierce is battling Marlon Mack for the primary early-down role per Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 AM, and although the latter was more productive than in the opener with an eight-carry, 29-yard tally Friday, Pierce could conceivably lock in the No. 1 running back job with a strong enough showing in Thursday night's home preseason finale against the 49ers, which he'll presumably see action in.
 
Didn't Pierce only get like 9 total carries in college? You'd think they'd want to see him in as much game action as possible.
 
foxco said:
Didn't Pierce only get like 9 total carries in college? You'd think they'd want to see him in as much game action as possible.
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RB is one of the easiest positions for a rookie to pick up. The draft reports show that he was good as a receiver when given the chance, catching all 19 passes thrown his way as a senior. Tunsil missed 9 games last year and the offense came alive a little in the last 5 games of the year. He's a potential RB 2, assuming he's won the starting job and the o-line improves. From a Texan beat writer:

>>Lovie Smith said team simply held out Dameon Pierce because they saw a lot of him last week in impressive debut. Wanted to see more of Marlon Mack. Him not playing was by design<<
 
foxco said:
Didn't Pierce only get like 9 total carries in college? You'd think they'd want to see him in as much game action as possible.
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Well if the knock against him is that he's never had to handle a large workload, I am not sure why giving him extra preseason carries makes sense either.
 

Dameon Pierce was held out of the Texans' second preseason game on Friday evening.​

Texans coach Lovie Smith relayed to the media that he "wanted to get a better look at the other backs." Translation, rookie Pierce has cemented himself as the primary early-down back. "Team loved what he did last week," longtime Texans observer Aaron Wilson reported. "When you get the evaluation you want, you don't necessarily have to double down in preseason." It does seem Rex Burkhead is still in line to begin the year as the primary pass-catching back, no small thing in an offense that figures to remain in plenty of negative game flow. Pierce is nevertheless a strong FLEX flier.
SOURCE: Deepi Sidhu on Twitter
Aug 20, 2022, 11:01 AM ET
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Faust said:

Dameon Pierce was held out of the Texans' second preseason game on Friday evening.​

Texans coach Lovie Smith relayed to the media that he "wanted to get a better look at the other backs." Translation, rookie Pierce has cemented himself as the primary early-down back. "Team loved what he did last week," longtime Texans observer Aaron Wilson reported. "When you get the evaluation you want, you don't necessarily have to double down in preseason." It does seem Rex Burkhead is still in line to begin the year as the primary pass-catching back, no small thing in an offense that figures to remain in plenty of negative game flow. Pierce is nevertheless a strong FLEX flier.
SOURCE: Deepi Sidhu on Twitter
Aug 20, 2022, 11:01 AM ET
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This is actually more encouraging then had he played and looked as good as he did last week.
 
menobrown said:
Faust said:

Dameon Pierce was held out of the Texans' second preseason game on Friday evening.​

Texans coach Lovie Smith relayed to the media that he "wanted to get a better look at the other backs." Translation, rookie Pierce has cemented himself as the primary early-down back. "Team loved what he did last week," longtime Texans observer Aaron Wilson reported. "When you get the evaluation you want, you don't necessarily have to double down in preseason." It does seem Rex Burkhead is still in line to begin the year as the primary pass-catching back, no small thing in an offense that figures to remain in plenty of negative game flow. Pierce is nevertheless a strong FLEX flier.
SOURCE: Deepi Sidhu on Twitter
Aug 20, 2022, 11:01 AM ET
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This is actually more encouraging then had he played and looked as good as he did last week.
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Yeah good news for sure
 
This guy is about to explode draft position wise. Whether it’s warranted is debatable, but this is the type of news the week prior to the heaviest draft weekend of the year that plays.
 

The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander believes Texans RB Dameon Pierce is "looking more like he could be the lead back" for Week 1.​

Pierce, selected with the 107th pick in the 2022 draft, has blown away Houston coaches and beat writers during training camp and into the preseason. He was held out of last week's preseason game because head coach Lovie Smith wanted "to get a better look" at the Texans other running backs, specifically Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead. Pierce averaged a whopping 9.8 yard per carry in Houston's first preseason game against the Saints, showing off his speed and elusiveness. He's become a must-draft running back for those who largely fade the position in the early rounds.
RELATED:
SOURCE: Jonathan Alexander on Twitter
Aug 23, 2022, 10:06 AM ET
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Mister CIA said:
foxco said:
J Giles Band said:
Went 1.10 in our keeper/contract league rookie draft today
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What a jump, got him at 3.06 in a dynasty league a month ago.
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Wow, he went at 1.10 in my PPR dynasty league this past May. Surprised he's been so overlooked in other leagues.
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Even FBG has him fairly low IMO for redraft. They basically have him as a mid-ranked RB3. Maybe it’s in large part due to not being sold on the Houston offense, but with a pretty clear path to bell cow workload and (IMO) an underrated Davis Mills, I think he should be a solid #2 RB with some potential for upside.

I mean, the Steelers were awful last year with an awful offensive line, but Harris had a very nice fantasy year simply because he was the unquestioned guy in a run-based offense.
 
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