Dameon Pierce start or sit: Week 12 fantasy football advice

The Houston Texans head on the road in Week 12 to face a Miami Dolphins team coming off its bye and riding a four-game winning streak. Houston was effectively shut down last week, and the same could be said for promising rookie running back Dameon Pierce. He has a chance to put together a get-right game versus Miami, but should fantasy managers keep their confidence in the fourth-round rookie out of Florida?

Fantasy Football analysis: Texans RB Dameon Pierce

Pierce has a shot at putting together a solid performance versus a Dolphins defense that has held its own versus opposing running backs. Miami ranks 16th in run defense with 116.9 yards allowed per game on the ground, but they also give up the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing tailbacks. The Texans’ rookie is by far the lone offensive threat with the most upside, but the game script has to be in his favor, unlike last week.

Pierce was effectively shut down in Week 11 versus the Commanders, finishing with 0.8 average yards per carry with nine receiving yards for only 3.7 PPR fantasy points. Prior to last week, the rookie running back had finished with 90 or more rushing yards in five of his previous six games. While last week’s quiet performance should not be a reason to discard him in lineups, it may be an indication that he’s not a safe fantasy bet on any given week moving forward.

Start or sit in Week 12?

The hope for fantasy managers is that the game script this week favors Pierce being much more involved in the offense, even if his opponent has historically held its own. The rookie is still an RB2 with upside heading into Sunday, which means fantasy managers should keep in him starting lineups this week.