Texans RB Dameon Pierce found paydirt in Week 3 vs. the Jaguars with 14 carries for 31 yards and 1 rushing TD. The second-year back ceded a concerning amount of work to teammate Devin Singletary (9 carries, 41 yards), however. The big thing Pierce had going for him entering the contest was his 61.5% workshare of the Texans' RB touch opportunities. The narrowing of that split between himself and Singletary should raise an eyebrow ahead of their next matchup vs. the Steelers in Week 4.
Texans RB Dameon Pierce had another disappointing outing in Week 2, racking up 35 total yards on a combined 18 touch opportunities vs. the Colts. The second-year back is still by far and away the Houston backfield leader, though. Teammate Devin Singletary only saw 5 touches, and fellow RB Dare Ogunbowale’s pair of carries didn’t make much of a dent. Fantasy managers should be encouraged by the volume that Pierce sees weekly, though tempering expectations from here on out will be vital. Week 3 vs. the Jaguars will provide Pierce another opportunity to improve.
Texans RB Dameon Pierce became a workhorse as a 2022 rookie, taking 74.3% of the team's rushing attempts over his 13 games. For the year, he ranked 10th among all RBs in opportunity share (carries plus targets). Pierce's rushing-efficiency stats provided mixed messages. He tied for 12th in yards after contact per attempt and ranked second in elusive rating, according to Pro Football Focus. But Pierce finished just 37th in Football Outsiders' rushing DYAR and DVOA, among 42 qualifying RBs. He also sat 19th or lower in points per game across fantasy formats. A weak O-line and poor passing offense certainly didn't help. We're betting on more efficiency from Pierce in Year 2. But you should also expect the team to lighten his workload after importing RB Devin Singletary. See where both players sit in our 2023 RB rankings.
The Texans have been “impressed” with RB Devin Singletary this offseason, per insider Aaron Wilson. The former Buffalo Bill signed a 1-year deal (with $2.5 million guaranteed) in March. “Devin has done a good job,” HC DeMeco Ryans said. “Devin has put himself in a really good spot – love the attention to detail, how he prepares each and every day, so I’m excited where Devin is.” Singletary ultimately projects as a complementary piece behind Dameon Pierce. Given Houston’s new coaching staff, though, we’ll keep a close eye on first-team reps at training camp. See where both guys landed in our updated RB rankings.
Texans RB Dameon Pierce has improved his pass protection ability this offseason, according to RBs coach Danny Barrett. "He can now see the big picture and can identify things quicker to get to his pickups," Barrett said. "That's going to help us out tremendously. When he is in the game, teams think we are going to just run the football. But his ability to pass protect, he understands what is needed in our passing game from him." QB C.J. Stroud has also been impressed by Pierce's pass pro skills, Sports Illustrated's Coty M. Davis writes. As a rookie last year, Pierce ranked 73rd among 81 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking grades, allowing a pressure on 21.3% of opportunities. That was part of the reason he averaged a just-ok 3.0 targets and 2.3 catches per game. It sounds like Pierce is a candidate to take on a bigger role in the passing game this year, although he'll need to fend off free-agent addition Devin Singletary. We'll be keeping a close eye on Houston's backfield all summer.
The Texans and RB Devin Singletary have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth up to a reported $3.75 million. The former Bill will immediately walk into a backfield previously devoid of depth behind the incumbent RB Dameon Pierce. From a fantasy perspective, the biggest fallout here is how Singletary's mere presence alone cuts into Pierce's value. In fairness, the Texans adding depth RBs behind Pierce was almost inevitable. This issue was a glaring team need that the Texans had to address this off-season. Even so, Singletary has exceeded 200+ touches in each of the last two seasons and logged three-consecutive years of 50+ targets as a pass-catcher. He's not elite, though he isn't some nobody name either. This spells bad news for Pierce, a player who finished 2022 as the RB27 in PPR scoring on the heels of 250 touches through 13 games prior to a season-ending ankle injury. Simply put, Pierce's effectiveness as a fantasy asset was heavily tied to his high volume, and now, that's not looking likely to work in his favor in 2023. Assuming the Texans don't add anyone else into the fold, a potential backfield split on a lower-tier NFL offense likely means both Pierce and Singletary will cannibalize each other into RB3/flex range at best. That said, it's still too early, and unfair, to believe this will be a 50-50 split. Keep an eye on the NFL Draft next month in case the Texans make this busy RB room even busier.
Bills RB James Cook tallied 12 carries for 39 yards and 1 score in Sunday’s win over Miami. He out-carried Devin Singletary by 2, although neither guy saw a target on 39 Josh Allen attempts. It was Cook who found the end zone in the 1st quarter, though. The explosive rookie will look for more next weekend, likely against the Bengals. Cincy exited the regular season 6th toughest in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs.
The NFL announced that a neutral-site Bills vs. Chiefs AFC Championship game would be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Yes ... that'd be Josh Allen vs. Patrick Mahomes in a dome to go to the Super Bowl. Bills-Chiefs produced 62 points in the playoffs 2 years ago and 78 points last year -- with both games coming outside at Arrowhead Stadium.
The NFL announced that the Bills-Bengals game will not be rescheduled. It's officially a no-contest and players do not receive any stats for the game. Commissioner Roger Goodell is also recommending that the AFC Championship Game be played at a neutral site if the Bills or Bengals make it there as the road team. All 32 teams will vote on that proposal on Friday.
Update: The NFL owners have approved these changes to the playoff setup.
The NFL announced Tuesday that it won't resume the Bills-Bengals game -- halted by S Damar Hamlin's collapse -- this week. The league added that it will keep the Week 18 schedule intact and that no decision has yet been made on how to treat Monday night's game going forward. That means fantasy football leagues and contest providers will either have to wait for further word on the resumption of that contest or figure out alternate solutions. We'll certainly be watching for updates on that front -- as well as, of course, any updates on Hamlin's condition.
The Bills racked up 254 yards and 3 TDs on the ground in Saturday's win at Chicago. RB Devin Singletary rushed 12 times for 106 yards and a TD. His score came from 33 yards out. RB James Cook carried 11 times for 99 yards and his own TD, which came from 27 yards out. QB Josh Allen contributed the other rushing score, among 6 carries for 41 yards.
The forecast for today's Bills-Bears game calls for temperatures in the single digits, wind chill below zero and winds of 20-25 mph with gusts of 35-40 mph. Not quite as bad as what we're seeing in Cleveland -- but pretty ugly. We've adjusted our projections for this game to account for the weather.
Bills RB James Cook caught a TD pass from 4 yards out in Saturday night's win over the Dolphins. He totaled just 2 receptions for 5 yards among 3 targets, though and rushed 5 times for 34 yards. Cook trailed Devin Singletary in each category, making him difficult to start in a Week 16 visit to the Bears. Singletary tallied 42 yards on 13 carries and caught 3 of 4 targets for 28 yards.
The forecast for tonight's Dolphins-Bills game calls for temperatures in the mid-20s and potentially heavy snow. If there's good news, it's that winds are expected to be manageable: 5-10 mph sustained with gusts of 10-15 mph. These are still less-than-ideal conditions for the passing and kicking games, though. We've made some adjustments to our projections for this game. Check out the updated rankings.
Bills RBs totaled just 13 rushing attempts in Sunday's win over the Jets. Devin Singletary led with 8 carries for 39 yards. Rookie James Cook added 4 carries for just 6 yards. Nyheim Hines claimed the other, gaining 3 yards. The trio also combined for just 4 targets. Singletary led there as well, catching 1 of his 2 looks for 4 yards. Cook caught his long target for 9 yards. Hines caught his only opportunity for 4 yards. It'll be tough to like any of these RBs in the Week 15 matchup with the Dolphins.
Bills RB James Cook carried only twice (for 4 yards) and caught 2 of 5 targets for 14 more in Thursday's win over the Lions. He did tie for 3rd on the team in targets, but even that put him way behind leaders Stefon Diggs (15) and Isaiah McKenzie (10). RB Devin Singletary rushed 14 times for 72 yards and caught his lone target for 8 yards.
The normally pass-favoring Bills leaned on the running game in Sunday's win over the Browns. RB Devin Singletary led the way, with 86 yards and the team's only rushing score on 18 carries. Rookie James Cook added 86 yards on 11 carries. Nyheim Hines barely factored in again, losing 8 yards on his lone carry and watching his lone target fall incomplete. Thanksgiving Day brings a Detroit defense that entered Sunday just 27th in Football Outsiders' run-defense DVOA.
The NFL is moving Sunday's Bills-Browns game to Detroit, according to The Athletic's Tim Graham. Buffalo is expected to get pounded with 4+ feet of snow over the next few days. Moving from those conditions to a dome is obviously great news for all of the fantasy players in this game.
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