Injuries continue to wreak havoc on fantasy lineups. It’s even worse when they coincide with bye weeks. Last week, Houston Texans RB Dameon Pierce missed the game with an ankle injury. Should fantasy football managers bank on his return in Week 10?
Latest Injury Update on Dameon Pierce
The Texans were surprisingly tight-lipped about details on Pierce’s injury last week. All we really got was that it was an ankle sprain and that Houston held him out to try and get him right.
With situations like this, injuries can tend to be worse than the team is letting on. Last week, it sounded as if this might’ve been just a one-week absence. Unfortunately, things are not trending in the right direction to start Week 10.
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Pierce did not return to practice on Wednesday. We know Wednesday practices are largely meaningless at this point in the season. Many players, especially veterans, either get the day off or are limited with even the most minor of ailments.
With that said, players returning from missing the previous game often are able to get in at least a limited session on Wednesday. Pierce logging a DNP is an inauspicious start to the week.
Will Pierce Play This Week?
At this point, it’s too early to draw any definitive conclusions about Pierce’s Week 10 status. Hopefully, we will hear from Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, and he’ll be able to provide some more insight into Pierce’s injury.
If not, we’ll have to wait for Thursday’s practice report for some clarity.
It’s exceedingly rare for players to play after starting the week with consecutive DNPs. Given that Pierce was out last week, if he can’t return to at least a limited session on Thursday, he will almost certainly be out again for Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Editor’s note: Pierce is expected to be ruled OUT for this Week 10 matchup after missing every practice this week.
What Does This Mean for Pierce’s Fantasy Ranking?
This is a rare situation where Pierce’s status has no real impact on his fantasy value. He belongs far, far, away from fantasy lineups, whether he’s active or not.
Pierce has been woefully inefficient all season, averaging 3.0 yards per carry. Just 1.8% of his runs have gone for 15+ yards, and his evaded tackles per touch rate is outside the top 30.
Pierce has been a zero in the passing game with no targets in his past two games and can’t get it done at the goal line, getting stuffed repeatedly in his final game before getting hurt. Pierce is closer to being on the cut list than fantasy lineups.
If Pierce is active, it completely takes Devin Singletary off the table. If Pierce is out, Singletary would be elevated to at least a volume-based RB3 dart throw.
Last week, Singletary operated as Houston’s lead back, handling 13 carries with two targets. Fifteen opportunities are great to see, but he did nothing with them, totaling just 26 scoreless yards.
This week, Singletary should be able to have a little more success against a Bengals run defense that is far less suffocating than the Bucs. Even so, he’s not a recommended start, as he’s almost entirely touchdown-dependent.
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