Dameon Pierce hit the ground running to start the preseason.
Literally.
After a strong training camp, Pierce has clearly been the most electric back on the team and impressed his new teammates and coaches alike.
When asked about his new teammate, Texans rookie safety Jalen Pitre said, “Dameon Pierce, if you’re in his way, he’s going to run you over. That’s the one tidbit I can give about him.”
New Texans head coach, Lovie Smith didn’t hesitate to heap praise on Pierce after his strong first preseason game. Smith said, “He can run with power. He can make you miss. He can cut on a dime. Catch the ball. There are some things that he can do well that you’d expect a good running back in the NFL to do.”
Dating back to the RSJ’s analysis on Pierce after the NFL Draft, we highlighted the same traits Smith praised. Pierce came in as an elusive downhill runner and that appears to have carried over to the pros.
On just five rush attempts in Week 1 of the preseason, Pierce ripped off 49 rush yards, including 42 after contact, and forced two missed tackles, according to Michael Florio of the NFL Network. On the flip side, Marlon Mack only averaged 2.0 yards per carry, while Royce Freeman rushed for a pathetic 25 yards on 12 carries.
Pierce is showcasing his league-winning upside, especially relative to his cost, RB 47, ADP of 10.03 per FantasyPros.
Currently, Pierce ranks as the RB41 on The Wolf’s Big Board (+6 vs consensus ADP and +4 vs consensus ECR) and Underdog Fantasy best ball drafters (click for 100% first deposit bonus) are taking the rookie at 115 overall.
All eyes should be on Pierce going forward as his price tag should continue to rise as he continues to earn more opportunities.
