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Justin Carter takes a look at who has emerged as the top running back for the Texans based on the final 2022 preseason game. Should he be drafted in your league?
The Houston Texans enter 2022 without a lot of fantasy hype. The offense isn't expected to be very good, which is why there isn't too much chatter about the team from a fantasy perspective.
Though, there is one player who has fantasy Twitter abuzz: rookie running back Dameon Pierce.
But is Pierce even the starter? What about Marlon Mack? Or Rex Burkhead? Let's figure out the situation in Houston.
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Who Is The RB1 For The Texans?
Based on the preseason, Dameon Pierce has gained control of this backfield.
Let's look at the team's final preseason game, for example. Houston played its starters for varying lengths of time, including QB Davis Mills being in the game in the second half, but the way Pierce was used was very much indicative of how you use someone you expect to start.
On Houston's first offensive drive, the team ran the ball seven times, with Pierce getting six of those carries and Rex Burkhead getting the other one.
Burkhead then got a lot of carries as the first half went on. We didn't see an offensive touch for Marlon Mack at all in the first half. His first carry came after halftime. And while yes, the starting offense was in, it was pretty clear that Mack wasn't part of that starting offense. He was in the game because they didn't want to keep Pierce in that long.
What is Dameon Pierce's Fantasy Value?
Pierce is the only Texans running back who has fantasy value this year. And a lot of people really like him.
I like him too, but I'm also going to temper expectations just a little bit. Pierce is a rookie running back in a bad offense and in the preseason, he came off the field for Rex Burkhead on passing downs. That worries me.
Pierce has jumped up to the RB3 range in a lot of rankings, but he's been going above that range in drafts:
Pierce can be a solid RB3. If you can draft him at that value, do it. But if Pierce's ADP continues to rise, we'll probably want to avoid him.
What is Marlon Mack's Fantasy Value?
Nothing. When the Texans signed Mack, he was a really interesting piece. This backfield was messy and Mack had shown some good flashes with the Colts.
But now, Pierce has surpassed Mack, and Burkhead is going to be the third-down back. There's no reason to roster Marlon Mack in fantasy this year. The Texans offense is too bad for a No. 3 running back to have any standalone value, and there's not enough upside to hold onto Mack in case of a Pierce injury, because...well, that's just wasting a roster spot.
And as you can see above, fantasy managers agree, as Mack is one of the most dropped players right now.
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