After missing four weeks due to a hamstring injury, Pierce returned to action in Week 6 and balled out. He averaged 9.5 yards per carry and rushed for 43 yards over expectation. In addition, Houston traded Cam Akers to Minnesota on Tuesday, clearing up the depth chart at running back.
The Texans have one of the most potent offenses in the league, so is he now viable for fantasy?
Pierce was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He is 5-foot-10, 224 pounds and runs a 4.59 40. During his rookie season, he carried 220 times for 939 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. The following season, he started only seven of 14 games due to injury and rushed 145 times for 416 yards and two touchdowns.
That injury opened the door for Devin Singletary to rush for 898 yards and four touchdowns, which he parlayed into a three-year, $16.5 million contract with the New York Giants. That move prompted the Texans to trade for Joe Mixon in the offseason.
In his first two seasons with the Texans, Pierce had a Rush EPA of -36.5 and -45.1. Gross. In addition, he only played in 27% of the snaps during Week 6. Mixon received 42% while Dare Ogunbowale got 27%. In the first game of the season, Mixon garnered a 70% snap share.
The Texans easily handled the Patriots in Week 6, and Mixon was returning from an injury. I expect him to return to the 70% number sooner rather than later, which means that Pierce would likely go back to the 10% range he got in Week 1 with Ogunbowale in the 15% range.
I don’t think Pierce gets the volume to have standalone value and, while he was uber-efficient in Week 6, that was one game. His body of work tells a different story.
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