Pierce, RBs dominate work vs. Raiders

It wasn't surprising to see Texans RB Dameon Pierce log 20 carries in Sunday's loss to the Raiders. Pierce's 92 rushing yards marked his 3rd straight game of 90+ and 4th straight of 80 yards or more. He has also collected 20+ rushing attempts in 3 of the past 4 contests. Pierce also caught all 4 of his targets for 25 yards, and that was only good enough for 3rd among Houston RBs in receiving. Dare Ogunbowale led all Texans with 7 looks, catching 5 for 54 yards. Rex Burkhead checked in next with a 5-11 receiving line on 6 targets. WR Brandin Cooks slotted between Burkhead and Pierce, going 4-46 receiving on 5 targets. The RBs combined for 41.5% of Houston's targets in the game. Throw in 3 combined carries for Burkhead (2) and Ogunbowale (1), and the RBs controlled 62.5% of the team's total opportunities (carries + targets). That's well above what's been the norm for Houston -- especially Ogunbowale's involvement. He had played just 1 offensive snap through the 1st 5 games. Don't read too much into that change, though. All 7 of Ogunbowale's targets came on the team's final possession, which started with just 3:26 left and Houston trailing by 18.

The Texans placed RB Dameon Pierce on IR with his ankle injury, ending his 2022 season. Pierce had an impressive rookie season, running for 939 yards on 4.3 yards per carry in a bad Houston offense. He currently ranks 8th in Pro Football Focus rushing grade and 3rd in Elusive Rating among 39 RBs with 100+ carries. It's enough to make Pierce the favorite to lead this backfield in 2023, but we'll see what the Texans do at the position this offseason. The Texans promoted RB Royce Freeman from the practice squad on Saturday. He joins Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale in the backfield for Sunday's game vs. the Chiefs.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs. RBs Dare Ogunbowale and Rex Burkhead are on the active roster, with RBs Royce Freeman and Gerrid Doaks on the practice squad. We’ll see if Houston makes an elevation on Saturday, but you should try to avoid this backfield in fantasy lineups.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. He's expected to miss at least this weekend's game vs. the Chiefs, leaving Houston's backfield to some combination of Dare Ogunbowale, Rex Burkhead, Royce Freeman and Gerrid Doaks.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce is expected to miss "at least" 1 game with a "relatively mild high-ankle sprain," a source tells insider Aaron Wilson. It sounds like Pierce could end up missing a couple of games but is expected back this season. Houston released RB Eno Benjamin on Tuesday, leaving Dare Ogunbowale and Rex Burkhead as the healthy RBs on the active roster. RB Royce Freeman is on the practice squad. Hopefully you don't need to mess with this situation in Week 15 fantasy lineups.

Texans RB Dameon Pierce ran for 78 yards and a TD on 22 carries in Sunday's surprisingly narrow loss to the Cowboys. He didn't draw a single target, which is alarming for his viability going forward. Pierce shared pass routes to Dare Ogunbowale (who led the team in that category), Eno Benjamin and Rex Burkhead. Pierce did leave in the 4th quarter with an ankle injury. Week 15 holds a neutral RB-scoring matchup with the Chiefs, if he's ready.