Devin Singletary continues to lead receiving work

Texans RB Devin Singletary remained the backfield leader in fantasy scoring in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. But it came from his lead in receiving work. Singletary ranked second on the team in receptions (6) and receiving yards (54) and third in targets (7) in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. He split the rushing work near-evenly with Dameon Pierce in the latter's return from injury. Pierce carried five times to Singletary's six and drew 1 target. (He caught it for 4 yards.) The receiving lead makes Singletary the play over his backfield mate. But the split makes Sinlgetary unattractive as a fantasy option.

The Giants are signing RB Devin Singletary, according to multiple reports. Singletary obviously can't completely fill the Saquon Barkley void, but he enters a backfield with lots of opportunity. And ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that New York is giving him $16.5 million over over three years, with another $3 million in incentives. That certainly points to Singletary most likely leading the 2024 backfield. Expect the Giants to add at least one more RB. But we'll be projecting Singletary to lead the group in touches. Singletary figures to remain a value in best ball drafts for at least a little longer, with a chance to remain a value. He's RB40 in Underdog Fantasy ADP right now.

Texans RB Devin Singletary carried 16 times for 80 yards in Sunday's win over the Titans, adding 3 receptions for 6 yards on 3 targets. That found him doubling Dameon Pierce's carry count and tripling Pierce's target count. Singletary has more than doubled Pierce in opportunities in four of five games since Pierce returned from injury. That includes a 47-15 lead for Singletary over the past three weeks. Week 18 holds a matchup with the Colts, who entered Sunday as the third-best scoring matchup for fantasy RBs. There will be upside to Singletary if you're playing Week 18.

Texans RB Devin Singletary controlled the backfield in Sunday's win over the Titans, rushing 26 times for 121 yards and posting a 4-49 receiving line on 5 targets. Singletary took 26 of 28 RB carries for the game and ceded just 1 backfield target to Dare Ogunbowale. RB Dameon Pierce, meanwhile, played just 4 snaps. That marked a season low -- but only trailing his Week 14 by four. Pierce has seen his role shrink significantly since returning from three games lost to injury. The previous two down weeks came in losses, though, including a lopsided defeat to the Jets. Houston did fall 13-0 behind Tennessee early in the second quarter Sunday and trailed 13-3 at halftime. So perhaps game script played into his usage again. But the dramatic difference between his snaps and Singletary's (58) clearly make the latter the favorite to lead the backfield over the final two weeks. Singletary gets a challenging spot against Cleveland in Week 16 before a rematch with the Titans. He should push for a low-RB2 spot in our RB rankings each week. Pierce looks like a handcuff at best.

RB Devin Singletary's stranglehold on the Texans' backfield has seemingly slipped away. Singletary logged 8 carries for 36 rushing yards with 1 catch for 4 yards as a receiver in Week 13 vs. the Broncos. The veteran appeared on only 45.6% of the team's offensive snaps on Sunday. By contrast, he'd seen the field on 75+% of Houston's offensive snaps in four straight games dating back to Week 8. It was teammate RB Dameon Pierce who led the way in the contest, finishing the day with 15 carries for 41 rushing yards and a TD. It appears the second-year back has resumed his leading duties after missing three games due to an ankle injury. With Pierce back to a more prominent role, it'll be challenging to trust either him or Singletary as much more than flex options in Week 14. Fortunately, they'll be facing off against a Jets defense that's allowed at least 130 rushing yards to opposing offenses in nine of 12 games in 2023.

Texans RB Devin Singletary carried 30 times for 150 yards and a TD in the Week 10 win over the Bengals. The carries and rushing yards were both career highs. Singletary added one catch on two targets for 11 yards, handling 32 of 35 RB opportunities. (Mike Boone got three targets.) We'll see what this backfield looks like when RB Dameon Pierce returns from his ankle injury, but he remained sidelined in practice all this past week and isn't a lock to return for Week 11. Singletary had basically pulled even with Pierce even before the injury and might be the leader of a committee when Pierce returns. Week 11 brings a plus matchup vs. the Cardinals' 28th-ranked RB defense.