Dameon Pierce (RB, HOU): 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~43 Overall

CURRENT ADP: ~50

ANALYSIS:  Dameon Pierce finished just short of the 1000-yard mark last year (939 yards) but would have cleared it easily had he not suffered a high-ankle sprain late in the season.

This offseason, Houston did bring in someone to split the workload with the sophomore. Devin Singletary led the Buffalo Bills with 177 carries for 819 yards while adding five touchdowns on the ground in 2022. He also proved to be efficient in the passing game, tallying 38 receptions for 280 yards and another score.

Pierce has never been known for his soft hands. His career high for receptions -- dating back to his college days -- came last season at a grand total of 30. That was also good for a 9.4% target share. With knowledge of what both backs bring to the table, one would assume that Pierce takes snaps on running downs and Singletary plays on third downs. However, it may not be that black and white.

In their second preseason game, Pierce received all 14 of the snaps on the Texans' first two drives. That included obvious passing downs 3rd-and-6, 4th-and-6, and a 3rd-and-7. He did not receive a target but being on the field in those situations sends his potential skyrocketing. Singletary came onto the field once Pierce was done for the day.

The biggest question that remains for Pierce is the success of the offense. In 2022, the Texans only scored 29 offensive touchdowns. There was only one team worse than Houston, their AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts.

The popular opinion is that the offense will only improve under rookie C.J. Stroud and first-year coach DeMeco Ryans. That hasn't shown to be the case in the preseason and we may have rocky roads before the offense starts to click. That means they'll likely rely more on the running game, but it will come at the expense of touchdown opportunities.

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