After Week 2’s stunning Falcons comeback over the Eagles on Monday Night Football, Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce owners got some good news before their heads hit their pillows. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, neither Mixon’s ankle injury nor Pierce’s hamstring strain is considered whatsoever serious.
This is fantastic news for not just the Texans, but fantasy managers everywhere; Week 2’s will-miss-extended-time body count was already stratospheric. Mixon is one of a handful of running backs who has actually looked explosive behind a good offensive line. And on a new team, to boot! It would have been a shame to see a pleasant renaissance season silenced so early.
This update does, however, sound like Mixon could potentially miss Week 3. Especially if Dameon Pierce has a good week of practice. Wilson’s tone in the above tweet certainly sounds like the team is optimistic Pierce is trending toward a potential start on Sunday.
Pick up Dameon Pierce for Week 3
After a spectacular rookie season during which it appeared the Texans found a headstrong, relentless anchor to their offense for the foreseeable future, Pierce injured his right ankle in December of 2022. His production plummeted in his 2023 campaign. Pierce’s final line last season was 416 rushing yards on 145 carries with two touchdowns. For those checking their math, it does indeed average to an abysmal 2.9 yards per carry.
Positive touchdown regression, however, has to be coming Pierce’s way. Right? Especially with the Texans’ offense humming at juggernaut frequencies. It’s possible that Pierce might thrive in a role not unlike David Montgomery in Detroit. The wear-and-tear of starting anywhere from 12-to-17 games in the NFL might just not optimize Pierce’s efficiency out of the backfield.
Peculiar note: There’s a bit of mystery surrounding his hamstring injury; there’s been no official word on which leg it’s affecting. Having said that, I’d hate to hear it was on his right leg, as that’s clearly his power-planting foot. It also might suggest that the ankle injury from almost two years ago is something that’s lingered with Pierce.
But it’s no matter now, seeing as sources are reporting it’s only a minor strain. Pierce is a back who bodies his weight around and routinely shows up on the injury report with scuffs, scratches, and the like.
It wouldn’t surprise me whatsoever if the team went into the week with the plan to sit Mixon, start Pierce, and have Cam Akers operate in the number-two/change-of-pace role. He’s a top-tier waiver add for Week 3 with this late-night news from Wilson.
Cam Akers will likely return decent value this week, too, even though he’ll likely be playing backup. He and the Texans are facing off against Akers’s former team in the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday. Another one of our analysts here at DraftKings Network, Sean Barnard, wrote about why Akers is a must-add handcuff for this week with Mixon’s injury.
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