Where Cowboys’ Pollard, Texans’ Pierce Rank As NFL’s Most Undervalued RBs

The 2022 NFL season proved to be a renaissance campaign for a pair of running backs that call the state of Texas home.

Between Dallas Cowboys’ fifth year back Tony Pollard and Dameon Pierce of the Houston Texans, there’s no shortage of value.

Pollard finished the 2022 campaign with a career-high 1,007 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He also added 1,378 all-purpose yards for the 12-5 Cowboys.

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Over in Houston, the 2022 season was one to remember for Pierce, who ran for 939 yards and gained 1,104 all-purpose yards in his rookie campaign out of Florida.

Pollard finished with the third-best value of any NFL running back in terms of dollar per all-purpose yard in 2022 at $755, while Pierce ranked fourth by that metric at $823.

Unfortunately, fans won’t be able to wager on either the Cowboys or the Texans this season. Bills legalizing Texas sportsbooks died in the state legislature. The body doesn’t convine again until 2025.

For this study, BetTexas.com utilized ProFootballReference.com to find the cap hit and all-purpose yards of every NFL running back during 2022-23 NFL regular season. After doing the math of the dollar per point share for each player in the league, we were able to determine the 10 most value driven RBs from this season. Salary and yards were included for all teams the player was on during the 2022-23 season.

Most Undervalued NFL RBs of 2022-23

Rank, Name, team	Cap Hit	All-Purpose Yards	$ Per All-Purpose Yard*
1. Rhamondre Stevenson, NE	$1,012,264	1,461	$693
2. Isiah Pacheco, KC	$724,777	960	$755
3. Tony Pollard, DAL	$1,131,945	1,378	$821
4. Dameon Pierce, HOU	$908,858	1,104	$823
5. Tyler Allgeier, ATL	$993,033	1,174	$845
6. Khalil Herbert, CHI	$754,894	788	$957
7. Brian Robinson Jr., WAS	$856,144	857	$999
8. Zonovan Knight, NYJ	$430,833	400	$1,077
9. Latavius Murray, DEN & NO	$933,033	892	$1,113
10. Jaylen Warren, PIT	$709,000	593	$1,196

Note: *Rounded to nearest dollar.

How Much Value Did Pollard, Pierce Provide?

Between the two dynamic running backs, there was no shortage of dollar per all-purpose yard value in the Lone Star State during 2022.

Pollard gained 1,378 all-purpose yards on a contract that had a cap hit of $1,131,945, producing the $821 per all-purpose yard number.

In Houston, Pierce gained 1,104 yards on a rookie contract that had a $908,858 salary cap hit, after being picked by the Texans with the 107th selection of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Gainesville.

Although there are no Texas betting apps, national operators see the fate of this year’s Texans and Cowboys much differently. While Dallas is sixth in Super Bowl odds at +1600, the Texans are second-to-last at +15000.

When it came to running back value last season, both Texas runners ranked behind New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson (1,461 all-purpose yards, $693 per all-purpose yard) and Chiefs’ rookie Isiah Pacheco (960 all-purpose yards, $755 per all-purpose yard).

But the pair of in-state NFL running backs finished ahead of six others, including Atlanta Falcons back Tyler Allgeier ($845 per all-purpose yard).