Dameon Pierce is Fantasy Football’s Best Kept Secret
If I told you to draft Dameon Pierce, would you even know who in the world I’m talking about? Probably not. Even our Texans training camp preview — that literally talked about the running back spot as an important positional battle — failed to mention the fourth-round rookie. That’s why I think he’s fantasy football’s best kept secret this year.
Pierce’s outlook in 2022 reminds me a bit of Elijah Mitchell from last year. As a late round rookie, he’s shown up at Houston’s training camp earning some serious praise from around the organization. With a backfield that consists of Marlon Mack, who’s coming off an Achilles tear, and old man Rex Burkhead, the starting job is absolutely up for the taking. Now it might be unreasonable to assume Pierce gets this role immediately, but let’s see how he’s been progressing so far.
Look, talent wise he’s no Breece Hall or anything like that. There’s a reason he went in the fourth round of the NFL draft with question marks around his speed and pass protection. However, considering the team he’s on and the opportunity he has, Pierce very well could be the most talented back for the Texans. That means some level of fantasy relevance and at his current cost, it’s almost a guarantee he’ll outperform his ADP of running back 46.
I know a lot of you will also think that even if he gets a decent role, he’s still on a terrible team. Now you’re not wrong, but I think the Texans aren’t so bad that no one has any fantasy value on that offense. Davis Mills has something, and he showed it last year. Houston receivers Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins are capable and overall, I think the running backs will play a large role in what the Texans do.
It will be a running back by committee approach, but the hope is that the most talented back will get the largest piece of the pie — and in this case it’s Dameon Pierce. So, draft him at the end of you drafts and be patient with him. He probably won’t wow you week one, but when it’s Week 8 and your league-mates are looking for him on the waiver wire, you’ll be glad he’s already on your team.
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