The status of Ray Rice remains unknown. While the Baltimore Ravens running back remains hopeful that he will be active against the Buffalo Bills, the team is not taking any chances. A game-time decision right now, Rice is still experiencing discomfort from a hip injury suffered a few weeks ago.
The Baltimore Sun reported that Rice had returned to practice, a good sign that he would play come Sunday. However, head coach John Harbaugh remains noncommittal on the running back's availability. Currently listed as questionable, NFL Insider Albert Breer reports the hip injury is more of a pain issue than anything else. The hesitant attitude from the coaching staff may mean Rice sees little action this week.
Fantasy owners are inching closer to the edge with this news, not that Rice cares about that. Rice is owned in a fair amount of leagues, but through the first two weeks of the season, he only put up 72 yards on 25 carries behind a lackluster offensive line. He averaged just four yards on his 11 catches. Yikes. Sitting out a week certainly did not help owners either.
So, is the smart move to start Rice? It is a 50-50 decision, but starting backup Bernard Pierce is not totally a bad idea. The Bills have allowed teams to average 155.0 yards per game on them. Running backs are putting up 4.3 yards per carry. Those numbers work in favor of either back.
Pierce took over as the lead back in Week 3 and proved extremely capable of the job. The second-year back put up 65 yards and touchdown on 24 carries. Those numbers certainly do not blow anyone away, but it was good enough to rank him among the top 20 in starting running backs that week. The Bills' defense could make him look even better.
Pierce is slowly but surely taking over Rice's spot on the team. The injury certainly does not help that scenario. In Week 1, Pierce had just three fewer carries than Rice. In Week 2, he was given more, ignore the fact that Rice left with an injury. With Harbaugh intending on a 50-50 timeshare when both backs are healthy, this week's situation is built for Pierce to break out.