Thursday Preseason Recap: Pierce Shines, RoJo Glimmers

This article is part of our NFL Observations series.

There were two games Thursday night, with the Texans and Niners playing a majority of starters while the Packers and Chiefs mostly played backups. Rookie running back Dameon Pierce was the fantasy headliner, again, starting for Houston and running all over the 49ers early on.

The Chiefs played some starters briefly — including RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire and WR Mecole Hardman — then gave Isiah Pacheco and Ronald Jones plenty of work into the third quarter. We'll cover that and more below in team-by-team recaps of Thursday's preseason games (check back Monday for recaps on every team, along with projections for Week 1 roles).

Green Bay Packers (at KC)

• The Packers rested starters again, and again used Romeo Doubs, Juwann Winfree and Amari Rodgers as their top three wide receivers early in the game, with Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis splitting TE snaps.
  • The difference in this one was Tyler Goodson starting at RB and getting nearly all the work early — an honor that went to Patrick Taylor the week before.
    • Goodson took seven carries for 28 yards and a TD and caught all five of his targets for 26 yards, helping his bid for the No. 3 RB role, though it was mostly empty touches/yardage until his 24-yard TD on a 3rd-and-11. (Kylin Hill, who tore an ACL last year, hasn't returned to practice yet.)
• Rodgers caught each of his four targets for 39 yards, and Doubs caught two of three for 13 yards.
  • Doubs looks to be at least the No. 4 receiver to open the year, and we can't rule out a surprise start when the guys ahead of him are Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Randall Cobb. 
• Seventh-round rookie Samori Toure has mostly played with the third unit again, but he caught six of eight targets for 83 yards Thursday, making his case for a roster spot.

Projected Week 1 Roles

RB1: Aaron Jones

RB2: AJ Dillon

RB3: Patrick Taylor

WR1: Allen Lazard

WR2: Sammy Watkins

WR3: Randall Cobb

WR4: Romeo Doubs

TE1: Josiah Deguara

TE2: Marcedes Lewis

Houston Texans (vs. SF)

• The Texans played most starters for a third week in a row, with Brandin Cooks once again among the select few who rested.
  • Nico Collins, Chris Conley and Chris Moore were the top three receivers for Davis Mills, who played into the third quarter while mostly handing the ball off. Collins, Conley and Moore also played into the third.
• Rookie RB Dameon Pierce got the start, after being rested the week before. He took six carries for 37 yards and a TD, and looked darn good in the process.
  • Pierce played every first/second-down snap on Houston's 11-play opening drive, only subbing out for Rex Burkhead on third downs.
  • Marlon Mack didn't play until Pierce was done... and Pierce was pulled before other starters.
• TE Brevin Jordan got most of the snaps while Mills was in the game, but I did notice Mason Schreck replacing the second-year pro in two-wide formations a few times.
  • Jordan was targeted twice... once on a screen pass for five yards, and one short drop that would've resulted in a hard hit and short gain if he'd caught it. Jordan got a lot of snaps with the starters this preseason but didn't make much of it. Collins was really the only guy to have success with Mills.

Projected Week 1 Roles

RB1: Dameon Pierce

RB2: Rex Burkhead

RB3: Marlon Mack

WR1: Brandin Cooks

WR2: Nico Collins

WR3: Chris Conley

WR4: Chris Moore

TE1: Brevin Jordan

TE2: Pharaoh Brown

Kansas City Chiefs (vs. GB)

• The Chiefs rested most starters and some veteran backups, but they did play Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Mecole Hardman, the latter coming back from a groin injury.
  • Edwards-Helaire got the start and played the first two snaps, including an eight-yard run that was wiped out by a penalty. He didn't play thereafter.
  • Ronald Jones entered the game next, carrying for nine yards on second down, before Jerick McKinnon came in on 3rd-and-9 and caught a pass for three yards.
    • Note that Isiah Pacheco played ahead of Jones in the first two preseason games. This could be taken as a sign both will make the initial 53-man roster, though it guarantees nothing.
• Pacheco did play on the second drive, and both he and Jones were still getting touches into the third quarter. 
  • Pacheco finished with 10 carries for 52 yards, while Jones had eight carries for 43 yards and one catch for four yards.
  • McKinnon barely played, and had just one catch for three yards. The Chiefs want him around, but it's possible they cut him instead of Jones or Pacheco, knowing McKinnon is less likely to attract interest from other teams (allowing the Chiefs to re-sign him at some point within the first few weeks of the season, potentially).
• Hardman was in for a couple drives and caught his lone target (a jet sweep) for five yards. He left before the other wide receivers who were getting playing time early — Justin Watson, Skyy Moore and Daurice Fountain.
  • Moore likely will start the year as KC's fourth or fifth receiver if Hardman avoids a setback with his groin and JuJu Smith-Schuster's minor knee injury is indeed minor. 
    • Moore wasn't targeted Thursday and finishes a quiet preseason with three catches for 23 yards on four targets in three games. He did have a nice punt return early in Thursday's game, picking up 35 yards.

Projected Week 1 Roles

RB1: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

RB2: Jerick McKinnon

RB3: Isiah Pacheco / Ronald Jones

WR1: JuJu Smith-Schuster

WR2: Marquez Valdes-Scantling

WR3: Mecole Hardman

WR4: Skyy Moore / Justin Watson

TE1: Travis Kelce

TE2: Noah Gray

San Francisco 49ers (at HOU)

• The Niners played most starters, including Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, each of whom played two drives and saw one target.
• Jeff Wilson, who was rested last week, got the start in this one in place of Elijah Mitchell (hamstring).
  • Wilson looked good and took three carries for 16 yards while playing seemingly every snap through San Francisco's first two drives.
  • Trey Sermon was next through the RB rotation after starting the week before. He finished with eight carries for 20 yards and one catch for five yards. Rookie Tyrion Davis Price took four carries for a loss of three yards and one catch for a gain of 10.

Projected Week 1 Roles

RB1: Elijah Mitchell (hamstring)

RB2: Jeff Wilson

RB3: Trey Sermon

WR1: Deebo Samuel

WR2: Brandon Aiyuk

WR3: Jauan Jennings

WR4: Ray-Ray McCloud / Danny Gray

TE1: George Kittle

TE2: Charlie Woerner / Tyler Kroft