Rico Dowdle Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero hears that the Cowboys are looking to get RB Tony Pollard 18-20 touches vs. the Giants tonight. That's more than enough for him to return RB1 production. "We'll also see Rico Dowdle some on third downs, and they do have packages in the game plan for rookie Deuce Vaughn," Pelissero adds.

Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle just might have an opportunity to help your fantasy football team. Saad Yousuf and Jon Machota, Cowboys writers for The Athletic, call Dowdle "the running back best equipped to handle the Ezekiel Elliott void as a runner." They point to his ability as both a runner and pass protector. Elliott, of course, moved on to New England this offseason after ranking 22nd among RBs in PPR scoring last year. We'd bet Yousuf and Machota aren't projecting Dowdle to lead this year's Cowboys in carries, which Elliott did last year. But we'd also bet Dallas doesn't plan to get Tony Pollard near 300 carries. Last year's Cowboys led the league with 462 RB rushes, so there's work available. Dowdle will compete with rookie Deuce Vaughn for those opportunities behind Pollard. But he outweighs Vaughn by roughly 40 pounds. So it's probably not a direct competition. Both players are going at no-risk levels in ADP. Don't be afraid to take a late shot on Dowdle, who has been with the team since arriving as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

The Cowboys released RB Malik Davis. They'll roll with RBs Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn behind starter Tony Pollard to open the season. Neither Dowdle nor Vaughn figure to have fantasy value behind Pollard. And a Pollard injury would likely result in a committee backfield.

The Cowboys released their first "unofficial" depth chart of the season Monday, and it includes RB Rico Dowdle as the backup to Tony Pollard. Malik Davis follows Dowdle, with Ronald Jones fourth and rookie Deuce Vaughn fifth. These preseason depth charts often hold things that aren't close to how the regular season works out. But the rest of this particular depth chart looks legit. We'll certainly be watching Dallas' backfield competition the rest of the way. There is no clear favorite for the No. 2 job -- and still the possibility that the Cowboys import a veteran.