Ahead of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season, Dameon Pierce seemed likely to be the leading back for the Houston Texans. Fantasy football players were not pleased when the game kicked off, as the Texans barely used Pierce in a 20-20 tie with the Indianapolis Colts.
Pierce recorded 39 total yards from scrimmage on 11 carries and one catch in the Texans' tie. He wasn't exactly at Cam Akers' level of disappointment but fantasy football owners have undoubtedly lost some faith in the rookie.
It's not all bad, though. According to Kevin Patra of the NFL website, fantasy football owners should expect Pierce, who played only 29 percent of Houston's Week 1 plays, to bounce back. Texans head coach Lovie Smith said that playing Pierce as little as he did was a mistake, suggesting that his workload should increase greatly.
“Some of the other things we did in the game, looking on the offensive side of the football, I understand how many plays Dameon Pierce played,” Smith said, via NFL.com. “The plan of course was for him to get more. You get into the game and situations make you go a little bit different direction. You learn from those mistakes like that, mistakes of those situations that you look at the day after.”
Pierce should have a better Week 2 but will still have to face a Denver Broncos team that has a strong defense on the road. If Smith's words are true, Pierce could be worth starting as a flex option. Among running backs, he ranks in the top 40 of projected Week 2 points.
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