Dameon Pierce expected to play in Week 4 vs. Chargers

Friday update: Pierce was taken off the injury report and is expected to play on Sunday.

Thursday update: Pierce was back at practice in full on Thursday and should be fine for Week 4 vs. the Chargers.

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce, who has emerged as the team’s leading back, was limited in Wednesday’s practice ahead of the team’s Week 4 encounter against the Los Angeles Chargers. Pierce is dealing with a hip injury after a strong showing in Week 3.

Fantasy football implications

Pierce has been solid this year despite Houston’s overall offensive struggles. He put up 80 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 against the Bears on a season-high 20 carries, so the Texans are ready to give him more work. If Pierce were to experience some type of setback with his hip injury, look for Rex Burkhead to get most of the carries out of the backfield. The Texans may even throw Dare Ogunbawale in there to give Burkhead more of a receiving role. For now, we’ll wait for more clarity on Pierce from the Thursday and Friday injury reports.