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How valuable is Dameon Pierce in Week 6 if Saquon Barkley is ruled out?

How valuable is Dameon Pierce in Week 6 if Saquon Barkley is ruled out?

NFL DraftKings Fantasy Advice Season Long

Published:

By: Alex Hunter

The Eagles are trending towards being without Barkley (hamstring, $6,600) for the second week in a row, as the star back was not spotted at practice Wednesday.

With Barkley out and Tank Bigsby (core) on IR, Will Shipley started at running back this past Sunday vs. the Jaguars, but he unfortunately hurt his foot early in this game and is expected to miss a few weeks.

So, if Barkley is unable to play this Sunday vs. the Panthers, Pierce ($5,100) will be in line to start for the Eagles and how valuable for fantasy will he be in that situation?

Dameon Pierce Fantasy Outlook for Week 6

The Florida product rushed for just 14 yards on 11 carries and he caught 2-of-5 targets for -2 yards vs. the Jaguars (3.2 FPTS). Since the start of 2025, Pierce has averaged just 2.0 YPC.

However, this was a brutal matchup for Pierce, as Jacksonville’s defense is giving up the fewest yards per rush in the NFL (2.9) and the club ranks second-to-last in pace this season. The veteran is in a polar opposite spot this Sunday vs. the Panthers. Carolina is yielding the most yards per rush (5.4) and the team ranks second in pace.

This is an elite matchup and Pierce would likely receive around 15 touches in this spot if Barkley sits, making Pierce a worthy start, regardless of how poor he has been as a rusher the last few seasons.

Given the Eagles’ offensive struggles – they rank 25th in offensive EPA per play – our expectations do need to be tempered, but if Pierce is starting, he will be a decent bet for 10+ FPTS and will be a viable RB3/FLEX for season-long leagues. On Yahoo, Pierce is only rostered in 22% of leagues.

For DFS, DraftKings quickly increased Pierce’s salary from $4,000 for last week to $5,100 for this week, but he remains underpriced for a starting role in this type of matchup and will be one of the best running back values on the slate if Barkley is sidelined.

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Alex Hunter
Alex Hunter is an avid DFS player and sports handicapper, who has been a proud member of the DraftKings Network team since 2020. He is a data-driven analyst, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Worcester State University and has been in the sports content business for nearly a decade, covering the NBA, NFL and PGA TOUR. Alex is a diehard Boston Celtics fan, who loves to be on the golf course when he isn’t grinding lineups or producing content. For all of Alex’s work or if you need any lineup advice, be sure to follow him @Hunta512 on X.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.