The Cowboys have released RB Christine Michael.  A much-heralded prospect with impressive measurables, Michael has now been cast off by 2 teams in his first 3 years in the NFL.  He's still only 25 and will get another shot elsewhere, but Michael seems unlikely to ever cash in on his physical talent.  Dallas moves forward with Darren McFadden, Rod Smith and Trey Williams at RB.

ESPN's Ed Werder hears that Cowboys RB Darren McFadden will replace RB Lance Dunbar (knee) as the passing-down back.  That role produced 21 catches on 24 targets for Dunbar over the first 3 games.  McFadden has a pair of 40+ catch seasons on his resume and tallied 36 grabs last week.  He could emerge as a PPR factor, starting this week against the Patriots with Dallas likely to be playing from behind.

The Cowboys "fear" RB Lance Dunbar tore his ACL and MCL in Sunday night's loss to the Saints, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.  Dunbar will undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis.  It'd knock him out for the rest of the season and cost the Cowboys a key part of their passing game.  Dunbar tallied 24 targets in Dallas' first 3 games.  RBs Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden will likely split passing-down work in Dunbar's place.

Update: Monday's MRI confirmed a torn ACL and MCL for Dunbar.  He's done for the year.

Yahoo's Charles Robinson is the latest to suggest that the Cowboys backfield will be a committee this season.  "It's not a bluff," Robinson writes. "As it stands right now, this will be a committee in the purest NFL form. The Cowboys are adamant that their elite offensive line can be the glue that elevates a collection of parts into a greater whole."  RB Joseph Randle started Dallas' 3rd preseason game and was the primary back for the first 2 series.  But RB Darren McFadden entered later with the 1st-team offense.  He ended up with 4 carries for 37 yards, while Randle mustered just 16 yards on 5 totes.  Robinson adds later in his article that the Cowboys "believe McFadden is the best of the bunch."  It's certainly possible that he ends up leading this backfield in fantasy points.  But none of these guys are likely to emerge as a workhorse.  "But when it's all in the books at the end of the year, the ideal split will likely feature a sliding scale of rushing production where Man 1 gets in the neighborhood of 850 yards, Man 2 gets 650 and Man 3 gets 350," Robinson adds.

Cowboys RB Darren McFadden got the start in Sunday's preseason game against the 49ers.  He didn't do much with the opportunity, turning 3 carries into 4 yards.  He also caught 1 ball for 3 yards.  RB Joseph Randle entered on Dallas' 3rd possession and finished the night with 7 carries for 30 yards.  This backfield remains wide-open heading into the all-important 3rd preseason game.  Randle's ADP is still sitting in the 5th round, while McFadden is going in the 12th.

Cowboys RB Darren McFadden got 1st-team reps in Tuesday's joint practice against the Rams.  He scored 2 TDs and received unanimously positive reviews from the Dallas media in attendance.  It's a reminder that McFadden is still  in the mix for the starting job.  We'll see if he can stay healthy long enough to make a run at it.

Cowboys RB Darren McFadden (hamstring) has been activated from the PUP list and will resume practicing.  He missed over 2 weeks of training camp and the 1st preseason game.  But RB Joseph Randle has also missed time with an injury of his own, so the starting job is still up for grabs.  We're just not betting on McFadden doing enough to win it.

Cowboys HC Jason Garrett said Saturday that veteran RB Darren McFadden is expected to finally take the field Aug. 15. That's next Saturday, a timeline that doesn't seem to match with team V.P. Stephen Jones' assertion that McFadden could practice now. Or perhaps the team is just being overly cautious. Either way, we're not betting on D-Mac charging back and taking over a top role in the Dallas backfield. Barring a surprising resurgence, he's not worth considering until the double-digit rounds of your fantasy football draft.

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones told the Dallas Morning News that RB Darren McFadden could be practicing right now but that the team is using extra caution. "We want to make sure that he's 110 percent," Jones said. "I think that's been a little bit of his problem in the past. He wants to be out here and then comes out here 90 percent and then it doesn't work out well. We want to make sure he's 110 percent. He could very easily be out here right now, but we decided to not do it that way." The "110 percent" concept is nonsense, of course, but it's mildly encouraging that McFadden's apparently near full health. At the same time, we can't help but wonder when the last time was that D-Mac actually hit 100 percent health -- and how long he managed to stay there. This still looks like a washed-up RB who might just steal carries from more able-bodied (and valuable) runners.

Here's the least surprising news you'll hear all day: Cowboys RB Darren McFadden will open training camp on the PUP list with a hamstring injury.  He missed time early this offseason with hammy trouble but got back on the field for June minicamp.  It looks like he suffered a setback between then and now.  McFadden, of course, has had major durability problems since entering the league.  He's missed 29 games over 7 seasons with a variety of injuries.  We'll see how long the latest sidelines him for.

Nick Eatman and Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com both predict that RB Darren McFadden will lead the team in carries this season.  "I think Joseph Randle will get the early nod but something tells me Darren McFadden will end up getting more carries," Eatman explains.  Broaddus writes, "I have put my eggs in the McFadden basket but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see one of the other backs step up and have the type of camp that makes this front office and coaching staff sit up and take notice."  Both guys are clearly expecting some sort of committee attack (Eatman also mentions Lance Dunbar), but it's interesting that they have McFadden leading the way.  That's in stark contrast to fantasy football drafters, who have pushed Randle into the late 4th round.  McFadden, meanwhile, is going in the 10th.  Our money is still on Randle leading Cowboys RBs in fantasy points this season, but he's going too early in drafts considering how unsettled the situation is.

Cowboys RB Darren McFadden is back on the field for minicamp this week after missing time earlier this offseason with a bum hamstring.  “I’m 100 percent and ready to go play ball,” McFadden said. “It felt great. We were just taking precautions, they didn’t want me to mess it up or anything crazy."  Now let's see if he can stay healthy.  It sounds like McFadden has already fallen behind Joseph Randle in the race for the Cowboys' starting RB job.

The Cowboys had 8 picks in the 2015 NFL Draft and didn't use any of them on a RB.  Owner Jerry Jones suggested that the signing of Darren McFadden made the team comfortable passing on RBs.  “It might have been a little different story had we not had McFadden on our roster in this draft," Jones said.  HC Jason Garrett added that the Cowboys "feel good" about their current RB depth chart, which also includes Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Ryan Williams.  But Garrett added that, "the issue is never resolved.  We’re always trying to create competition. Competition with those four guys themselves but also competition where we can get running backs from other places."  McFadden is penciled in atop the depth chart, but he could lose that spot to Randle or someone not currently on Dallas' roster.

The Cowboys and RB Darren McFadden have agreed to a 2-year deal, according to insider Charean Williams.  It's obviously a fall-back signing after the team lost RB DeMarco Murray to the Eagles.  McFadden turns 28 in August and hasn't topped 3.4 yards per carry in any of the last 3 seasons.  He also comes with a lengthy injury history, having missed 27 games in 7 seasons.  Dallas' All-World offensive line is a great landing spot for McFadden, but fantasy owners simply can't count on him to produce or stay healthy.  The Cowboys shouldn't either.  Look for them to add another RB in the draft.

Raiders RB Latavius Murray (concussion) is officially probable for Sunday’s game against the 49ers after making it through the week of practice without a setback. Murray is still expected to share carries with RB Darren McFadden, though. That, plus the difficult matchup, leaves him as a risk/reward RB3 .

Raiders insider John Middlekauf hears that RB Latavius Murray (concussion) is "not likely" to play against the Rams on Sunday.  Murray has been cleared to practice but not to play in games yet.  He still has 48 hours to do so, but owners can't be counting on having him available for Week 13.  If Murray can't play, Darren McFadden would continue to serve as Oakland's lead back.  He's hands-off in fantasy against the league's 7th-ranked RB defense.

Raiders RB Latavius Murray (concussion) has been cleared to practice.  He still has another stage of the concussion protocol to get through, but he's on track to do so ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams.  Murray will be the best bet to lead Oakland's backfield in touches in that one, but Darren McFadden will likely still be involved.  And the tough matchup leaves Murray as just a RB3 or flex for Week 13.

The Associated Press' Tony Collins hears that Raiders HC Dennis Allen will be fired this week.  An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday.  Oakland is off to an 0-4 start and has been out-scored 103 to 51.  Allen's career record with the Raiders sits at 8-28.  We'll see who takes over as the interim HC, but the shakeup certainly can't hurt the Raiders' offense.  Derek Carr should remain the starting QB when healthy.

Update: Collins has deleted the tweet reporting Allen's firing.

With Raiders RB Maurice Jones-Drew (hand) looking unlikely to play against the Texans this weekend, HC Dennis Allen suggested that RBs Darren McFadden and Latavius Murray could share backfield duties.  "We'll start with Darren, and it probably will be more series-wise with Latavius and Darren," Allen said.  McFadden remains the superior fantasy play, but he's a shaky RB3 or flex.  Murray shouldn't be in Week 2 fantasy lineups but is an intriguing stash. 

Raiders HC Dennis Allen told CSN Bay Area that he's seen good things from RB Darren McFadden this offseason.  “Darren is probably running the ball as well as I’ve seen him run it since I’ve been here,” said Allen, who arrived before the 2012 season. “I think he’s probably more explosive than I’ve seen him since I’ve been here. I think part of that is that he’s remained healthy throughout the offseason, throughout training camp. There haven’t been any kind of nicks or nagging little deals that have slowed him down. So, hopefully that trend will continue because I’ve seen a lot of positives in what he’s done in the running game.”  Of course, McFadden's also been working slightly behind RB Maurice Jones-Drew and managed just 27 yards on 8 carries (3.4-yard average, plus a TD) Friday night after a 1-carry preseason opener.  He's a fine pick as your 4th or 5th fantasy RB, but it's tough to get excited about the upside at this point.