Who Should I Start? Antonio Gibson or Dameon Pierce

Monday, March 11, 3:08 PM

Free agent running back Antonio Gibson and the New England Patriots have agreed to a contract on Monday. The official details of the agreement have yet to be released, but the former Washington Commander is heading to New England. Gibson rushed for 265 yards and a touchdown while catching 48 of 59 targets for 389 yards and two touchdowns over 16 games for the Commanders in 2023. With Ezekiel Elliott set to become a free agent, Gibson will join Rhamondre Stevenson and is set to be an integral part of New England's backfield. The 25-year-old will handle passing situations and third-down duties while spelling Stevenson on early-downs. With the move to New England, Gibson's fantasy value improves slightly, but he is a better fantasy option in PPR formats, making him a borderline RB4 heading into fantasy drafts in 2024.

Thursday, May 2, 4:48 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce had a notable rookie campaign after being selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In just 13 games before being sidelined with injuries, he racked up 939 yards and four touchdowns on 220 carries and caught 30 passes for 165 yards and one score. However, his role, production, and efficiency declined in 2023 after the arrival of Devin Singletary, as he posted just 517 total yards and rushed for 2.9 yards per carry. Singletary is now gone, but the team traded for former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon. Despite this, Texans general manager Nick Caserio spoke highly of Pierce in a recent media availability. "He is going to be a big part of what we're doing. Watching him move on the field, he looks pretty good. Everybody's looking forward to the opportunity in front of them; you can't worry about what's happened in the past," Caserio said. "He's got as good an attitude as anyone on the team. We're glad DP is here." While you never know whether a head coach or general manager is being honest in these situations, Caserio's comments can only help his fantasy stock. Fantasy managers should go into the season with low expectations for Pierce, but he should at least be viewed as a high-end handcuff running back in what projects to be one of the league's best offenses.