It was pretty clear early this preseason just how much the Houston Texans liked tailback Dameon Pierce. Word out of training camp spread quickly about the rookie’s ability on the rebuilding club.
But in a position group crowded by veterans Marlon Mack, Royce Freeman and Rex Burkhead, it seemed like Pierce had his work cut out for him to make an impact right off the bat.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the fourth-round pick was able to do just that. On Tuesday the Texans cut Mack, essentially making Pierce the team’s RB1.
This had an immediate impact for fantasy managers and bettors alike.
Already the hype around Pierce was palpable.
FantasyPros tracked his averaged draft position across Yahoo and ESPN leagues at No. 89—with Pierce going as high as No. 40 in some drafts—despite being the No. 36 ranked tailback. Tuesday’s roster cuts now have many fantasy analysts projecting Pierce as a top-20 running back this season. For leagues that have already drafted, this is tremendous news for his managers. For those who are waiting to draft until this weekend, the top sleeper on the board is no longer a hidden secret. You can expect Pierce will be on the mind of every manager—especially in dynasty leagues.
Another surprise: Texans are releasing veteran running back Marlon Mack, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2022
Pierce was also considered a sleeper pick for Rookie of the Year, where he has consensus +1148 odds. That put him behind Kenny Pickett (+789), Breece Hall (+824), Chris Olave (+1000), George Pickens (+1000), Drake London (+1030) and Skyy Moore (+1100). Some books have already started to move lines in Pierce’s favor.
The reality of the situation is this: Pierce is playing in a rather weak AFC South and has a pretty established offensive line blocking ahead of him. While no one expects the Texans to blow out many teams this year—limiting how often they’ll let Pierce kill the clock—Houston certainly doesn’t have the most daunting schedule ahead.
Tankathon ranks the Texans’ schedule at No. 15 overall this year. They’ll get to face the Jacksonville Jaguars (twice), Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New York Giants in 2022. And while looking at last year’s team stats isn’t the best predictor of future outcomes, it is notable that the Bears, Giants and Raiders all ranked among the bottom half of the league’s rush defenses in 2021.
Pierce has tons of upside this season. Houston is ready to see how much it can get out him.