Hurl, and artery both make rather nice one round openers.

Furthermore artery does a ####load of damage + str loss + bleeding all in one move.

So yes, dagger specs have rather nice openers (hamstring included)... and if they want to backstab like a thief all they have to do is figure out a way to get the opponent to sleep and then use underhand. I haven't seen this tactic used much (likely because the multiple underhand hits are so unreliable it's easier just to use artery or hamstring or hurl)

but the bleeding and poison bit is spot on as well and coupled with concealed is what allows the dagger's "dps" to match up to what axe and mace used to be and exceed it now.

In comparison, an assassin's openers are strangle and blindness dust. They also have poison darts which is a hell of alot more limited than most dagger strategies.