The Houston Texans‘ running game has failed to produce a reliable fantasy football option at RB this season. With Dameon Pierce still dealing with an ankle injury, can fantasy managers trust backup RB Devin Singletary in their starting lineups against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday? Let’s take a closer look.
Latest Injury News Surrounding Dameon Pierce
According to a recent report from Aaron Wilson, Pierce did not practice at all this week due to an ankle injury and is not expected to play in Week 10.
This isn’t exactly great news for Pierce shareholders, with him missing multiple games and practice reps while dealing with an ankle injury, because it is opening the door for other running backs on Houston’s depth chart to make their case for the feature role in this backfield.
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The good news is Singletary averaged a putrid two yards per carry in a leading role against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Pierce missed his first game of the 2023 season.
When you look at the production from the Texans’ running game in 2023, you quickly realize why Pierce has been such a fantasy disappointment this season.
His 327 yards on 109 carries with fewer than 10 receptions and just one score through the first seven games of the season has certainly opened the door for another player to steal significant work from him for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. Yet, no one has been able to separate themselves from the pack in this backfield through the first half of the season.
Should You Start Devin Singletary?
Singletary is the unquestioned next man up in this Texans backfield but has a season-high of just 10.8 fantasy points this season. Even with the Houston offense dropping 39 points on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pierce not playing in Week 9, Singletary produced just 26 total yards on 15 touches.
Admittedly, the Bucs have been traditionally pretty stout against opposing rushing attacks this season, but the expanded role for Singletary on Sunday didn’t exactly make him any more productive from a fantasy perspective.
On the flip side, if you are simply looking for an option at RB who is guaranteed to see touches, then Singletary could be a plug-and-play Flex option in Week 10. After all, Singletary has seen 10+ carries in three straight games, regardless of whether or not Pierce was in the lineup.
The matchup this week is a bit more favorable for Singletary, with the Bengals defense giving up an average of 129 rushing yards per game and 18.1 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs. The problem is the Texans’ offense has struggled to produce on the ground season, no matter who the matchup has been against. The Houston offense is averaging just 87 rushing yards per game, which ranks 27th in the league.
I have Singletary ranked just inside my top 35 at the RB position this week against the Bengals.
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