Should you drop Dameon Pierce in your fantasy football leagues?

The Houston Texans nearly pulled off one of the bigger upsets in Week 1 over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Ultimately, the two teams tied 20-20 and the AFC South is back in the basement of the NFL. Anyway, fantasy football managers entered Week 1 with high hopes for prized rookie RB Dameon Pierce, who not-so-quietly climbed draft boards leading up to the season. Instead of paying off on that high ADP, Pierce busted and left a lot to be desired. Let’s take a look at what you should do with Pierce after Week 1.

Fantasy outlook: Texans RB Dameon Pierce

The verdict section will echo this sentiment but DON’T DROP PIERCE. It’s way too early. While he was ineffective, he also had 11 carries and one target. Rex Burkhead outpaced him in carries and targets in the passing game. That isn’t all that surprising considering what we know about NFL coaches. It’s Lovie Smith and Pep Hamilton. These guys have been around a while. Veteran coaches don’t just let rookie RBs run wild. Honestly, we should be more encouraged by Pierce’s usage. The Colts were also a tough draw in Week 1. So really, the expectations for Pierce should have been lower.

Verdict

Again, you’re keeping Pierce for now. The Texans have a tough matchup vs. the Denver Broncos next week, so it may be a bit before we see Pierce have a good fantasy day. Also, if you’re in a PPR league, trying to scoop up Burkhead makes sense. Clearly QB Davis Mills isn’t going to stretch the field all that much. Plus, Houston’s receiving core is so weak, TE O.J. Howard had the game of his life on Sunday.

Worst case long-term, Pierce is in a time-share and will never really reach his ceiling. Best-case, he slowly finds his groove and takes over the backfield as the season progresses.