The Cowboys have decided to release long-time former Pro Bowl RB Ezekiel Elliott after seven seasons spent with the franchise. This move will save the Cowboys $10.9 million in cap space. Elliott entered the league in 2016 and immediately led the league in rushing yards (1,631) as a rookie. For as good as the affectionately nicknamed Zeke has been as a pro, his production has seen a precipitous dropoff over time. 2022 saw Zeke post career lows in rushing yards per game (58.4), total touches (248), and PPR fantasy PPG (12.4). It's certainly feasible that Elliott can latch on somewhere as the hammer in a committee, but it's tough to imagine he'll have much of a market entering his age-28 season. This move does, however, free up RB Tony Pollard to take on the lead role in the Cowboys' backfield. The soon-to-be fifth-year back averaged 15.6 PPG en route to an RB8 overall finish in PPR in 2022. Whispers of the Cowboys' interest in Texas RB Bijan Robinson might put a damper on the prospective upside of Pollard. However, if the franchise opts to pair Pollard with another RB of lesser acclaim, he should have a highly productive season in 2023 and find himself well within the RB1 conversation. The absence of Elliott is now one hurdle cleared for Pollard, the RB16 in our dynasty rankings.

As expected, the Cowboys are applying the franchise tag to RB Tony Pollard. That will cost the team $10.1 million on a one-year deal, if the two sides can't agree to a longer-term contract before the July 15 deadline. Pollard's anxiously anticipated breakout this past season made Dallas' move inevitable. There is still some question about whether the team also keeps RB Ezekiel Elliott around. Cowboys leadership has spoken as though that's the plan. And HC Mike McCarthy intimated in February that he split with former OC Kellen Moore because McCarthy wants a more run-leaning offense. The ankle injury that knocked Pollard out of the playoff loss to San Francisco isn't expected to affect his 2023 availability or contract negotiations with the Cowboys. You'll have to pay up if you want to draft him, though. Pollard's already going 13th among RBs in best ball ADP.

The Athletic's Bob Sturm writes that the consensus opinion from analysts and scouts is that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott "has very little left in his legs." Zeke isn't even 28 yet but has amassed well over 2,000 touches through 7 NFL seasons. He posted career lows this past year in yards per carry (3.8) and yards per catch (5.4), while ranking outside the top 30 RBs in Pro Football Focus' rushing and receiving grades. The Cowboys are reportedly hoping to get Elliott to agree to a pay cut to stick around for 2023. We'll see how that plays out over the next few weeks. Elliott is cheap in early best-ball drafts, with a current Underdog ADP of RB37. But he's not an exciting pick even at that price point.

Pro Football Network's Tony Pauline hears that the Cowboys are looking to keep both RB Ezekiel Elliott and RB Tony Pollard on the team for 2023. The plan is to get Elliott to agree to a pay cut from the $16.7 million he's currently scheduled to make this upcoming season and then use the franchise tag on Pollard, which would pay him a little over $10 million in 2023. Elliott and Pollard split backfield work basically down the middle this past year, with Zeke averaging 15.4 carries and 1.5 targets per game to Pollard's 12.1 carries and 3.4 targets. Both guys' fantasy ceilings would be capped if they remain together in Dallas.

The Cowboys named Brian Schottenheimer their new OC. He spent this past season in Dallas as an offensive consultant. HC Mike McCarthy is expected to take over play-calling duties from the departed Kellen Moore, so we're not sure Schottenheimer's role will change much in 2023. He does have 12 seasons of experience as an NFL OC, most recently from 2018-2020 with the Seahawks. Those were run-leaning attacks, with 2 of the 3 finishing top 3 in rushing attempts.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott tallied 26 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's Divisional Round loss vs. the 49ers. It's difficult to project the veteran's future fantasy value looking ahead into 2023. Elliott has seen his average rushing yards per game drop year-over-year and concluded this season at a career-low 58.4 in 15 games. The Cowboys have an out in Elliott's contract with an $11.86 million dead cap hit that would enable them to move on if they choose to. That may sound like a lot of money to cut, but it's certainly a cheaper option than paying Elliott an average of around $16 million a year for the next 4 seasons. There's also the difficult situation of the franchise figuring out what to do with upcoming free agent RB Tony Pollard, who left Sunday's game with a fractured left fibula in the 2nd quarter. This will certainly be a backfield to watch in the coming months.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard led the team in rushing with 77 yards on 15 carries in addition to hauling in all 3 targets for 12 yards as a receiver in Monday’s Wild Card win vs. the Buccaneers. Fellow RB Ezekiel Elliott logged 13 carries with 27 yards. The duo shouldered nearly even amounts of the rushing workload, but Pollard is the one who looked considerably fresher. Next week’s matchup vs. the 49ers will present a difficult challenge. The 49ers’ defense ranks as the single-toughest matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs this season and held the entire Seahawks’ offense to a mere 104 rushing yards on Saturday.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (thigh) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Titans. It's unclear if he'll be able to return for next week's regular-season finale. Pollard's absence makes RB Ezekiel Elliott a safer bet for touches tonight. He'll be backed up by Malik Davis and Qadree Ollison, who was elevated from the practice squad this afternoon.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (thigh) won't play against the Titans tonight, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. We'll see if Pollard can make it back for Week 18. We don't have any details on this thigh injury. His absence is an obvious boost for RB Ezekiel Elliott -- although we're not expecting Zeke to get a massive workload in what should be an easy Dallas win. Malik Davis will step in as the Cowboys' #2 RB and is worth considering in 1-game DFS contests.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says the Cowboys plan to put RB Tony Pollard through "early" pregame warmups tonight and determine his status. Pelissero adds that the team will "err on the side of caution." Pollard has missed practice all week with a thigh issue, and the Titans have unofficially announced that they don't care about this game by listing many starters as either out or doubtful. We're hoping Pollard will be officially inactive so that there's no fantasy-lineup decision to be made here. We'll keep an eye on the situation otherwise, but lean away from even an active Pollard if you have someone else worthwhile. If Pollard is inactive, RB Malik Davis could pick up significant work. We're still betting on Ezekiel Elliott garnering plenty of touches in a game that does matter for Dallas, and his matchup got a lot easier when Tennessee listed much of its defense on the final injury report.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard is questionable for Thursday night's game against the Titans after missing his 3rd straight practice Wednesday with a thigh issue. Even if he's active for the game, Dallas will be facing a Tennessee team benching a lot of starters in a contest that doesn't affect their playoff status. That could limit Pollard's exposure in what should be an easy win. Limited time for Pollard and a slew of missing starters on the Tennessee defense add lots more upside to RB Ezekiel Elliott than the initial matchup pointed to.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (thigh) did not practice on Tuesday. With Week 17's game vs, the Titans coming up on Thursday, it'll be crucial that Pollard logs some activity on Wednesday. Check back tomorrow for more updates. RB Ezekiel Elliott would see a potential boost if Pollard were to be absent, so this is one we'll surely be keeping an eye on.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (thigh) did not practice on Monday. The Cowboys held a walkthrough on Monday ahead of Week 17's Thursday night game vs. the Titans. As such, this is just an estimation of his participation. There's still plenty of time between now and Thursday's game. Check back tomorrow as we learn more information regarding Pollard's health.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott tallied a mediocre 61 total yards on 17 touches in Saturday's win over the Eagles: 16-55 rushing, 1-6 receiving on 1 target. He scored the team's lone rushing TD, marking his 8th straight game with at least 1 score. Elliott has also carried 15+ times in every appearance since Week 7. He gets 1 of the league's worst RB-scoring matchups in the Titans in Week 17, however. That will challenge his usability in fantasy football lineups. RB Tony Pollard managed just 19 yards on 9 carries against the Eagles, adding 6 catches for 61 yards on 8 targets. Each of those receiving numbers ranked 2nd on the team. That aspect will make Pollard better suited for the Tennessee matchup.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott has scored at least 1 TD in 7 straight appearances, a stretch dating back to his Week 6 meeting with the Eagles. Elliott hasn't simply gotten lucky, though. Since his Week 11 return from a knee injury, only Austin Ekeler has seen more total red-zone opportunities. Elliott has also logged 15+ carries in 6 straight games and 10 of 12 games for the season. He carried just 13 times in the 1st Eagles matchup but averaged 6.2 yards per rush. Philly arrives to the rematch still just 20th in Football Outsiders' run-defense DVOA.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott claimed the team's lone rushing TD to open the scoring in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. He totaled 58 yards on 16 carries (3.6 per rush), adding 13 yards on 2 receptions. RB Tony Pollard led the team in carries (19) and rushing yards (75, 3.9 per carry) and caught 4 of 5 targets for 31 more yards. The Cowboys get a rematch in Week 16 with the Eagles, a defense that has been far more favorable to RB production than to opponent passing games.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard found the end zone twice in Sunday's tight win over the Texans. He rushed 10 times for 42 yards and a TD, adding a 4-20-1 receiving line on 5 targets. RB Ezekiel Elliott added a 15-62-1 rushing line, scoring the game-winning TD from 2 yards out with 41 seconds left. He added 3 catches for 19 yards on 5 targets. Dallas gets a generally soft Jacksonville defense on the road in Week 15.