Texans rookie RB Dameon Pierce ran for 37 yards and a TD on 6 carries in Thursday night's preseason finale against the 49ers. Pierce started the game and handled Houston's first 4 RB carries before giving way to Rex Burkhead for a 2nd-down run on the opening possession. Pierce then converted the 3rd-and-1 play that followed and later scored the 1-yard TD run to close the drive. That marked the end of Pierce's night, with Burkhead, Marlon Mack and other playing on. HC Lovie Smith tried to temper the buzz on Pierce ahead of the game. “We’re talking a lot about Dameon, but I’m going to say the same thing for, we like what Marlon has done, Royce, Rex, Dare," he said Wednesday, per Texans Wire. "We have a good group. We have a good strong running back room.” It's pretty clear that the rookie will lead that room into the season. Just how much work Pierce gets will be the question we can't answer. And it's worth keeping in mind that no one expects this offense to rank in the top half of the league. Still, there's a case to be made for Pierce anywhere beyond the top 24 RBs in fantasy football drafts right now. The rookie moved up our RB rankings a little this morning.
Texans RB David Johnson was not activated from the COVID list and will miss today’s game vs. the 49ers. Rex Burkhead should remain Houston’s clear lead back, with Royce Freeman the #2.
Texans RB David Johnson (quad) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Chargers. Rex Burkhead should operate as Houston’s clear lead back, with Royce Freeman as the #2.
Texans RB David Johnson (quad) is not expected to play vs. the Chargers today, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That'll leave Royce Freeman as the #2 RB behind Rex Burkhead.
Texans RB David Johnson (quad) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Chargers. He didn’t practice all week, though, so he seems unlikely to play. Look for Rex Burkhead to serve as Houston’s clear lead back on Sunday, with Royce Freeman as the #2.
Texans RB Rex Burkhed (hip) won't play vs. the Jaguars on Sunday, HC David Culley said. It'll be David Johnson and Royce Freeman in the backfield for that one. Johnson is the better fantasy bet, but it's a situation to avoid if you can.
Texans RB David Johnson (illness, thigh) is "unlikely" to play vs. the Colts today, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. We'll find out for sure around 11:30 am ET. Johnson and Rex Burkhead have been splitting backfield work lately, so Johnson's absence would be a boost to Burkhead's projected volume. Houston also has RBs Royce Freeman and Jaylen Samuels on the active roster.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey is scheduled for testing on his injured hamstring on Friday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. So we should get an idea of how long CMC will be out later today. Per Rapoport, McCaffrey was quickly ruled out of last night's game because he "could not push off at all on that hamstring." McCaffrey owners should be bracing for a multi-game absence, but we'll pass along more info as soon as we have it. After McCaffrey exited the Texans game, RB Chuba Hubbard out-snapped RB Royce Freeman 38 to 11. Hubbard is the priority add on waiver wires, but Freeman is worth a stash in most leagues, too.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey suffered a hamstring injury in the 2nd quarter of Thursday night's game vs. the Texans and was quickly ruled out. That suggests a relatively serious injury. We'll update McCaffrey's status as soon as we learn more. RB Chuba Hubbard looks like the next man up for Carolina. RB Royce Freeman is also on the roster.
The Panthers have claimed RB Royce Freeman off waivers from the Broncos. He joins a thin depth chart behind Christian McCaffrey. Freeman's not likely to find fantasy relevance in Carolina, but he could challenge rookie Chuba Hubbard for touches behind McCaffrey.
The Broncos are cutting RB Royce Freeman, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The move follows "a couple of waiver claims and the need for space on the roster." We're a little surprised Denver couldn't find a trade partner here and would bet on Freeman landing somewhere pretty quickly. Atlanta seems like an obvious candidate, while several other teams ended up with shallow RB depth charts after cutting rosters down to 53.
Broncos RB Mike Boone (quad) has been placed on short-term IR. He's eligible to be activated starting in Week 4. Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams and Royce Freeman figure to open the season as Denver's top 3 backs.
Broncos RB Royce Freeman (ankle) is inactive for today’s game against the Texans. That again leaves the backfield to Phillip Lindsay and Devontae Booker. With Freeman out last week, Lindsay carried 18 times and caught all 3 of his targets while Booker handled 9 carries and 4 targets.
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