Week 10 brought Cowboys RB Tony Pollard weakest fantasy score of the season. He recorded 15 carries for 55 rushing yards and went without a target for the first time since Week 5 of 2021. Backup RB Rico Dowdle (12 carries, 79 rushing yards), QB Dak Prescott, and WR CeeDee Lamb all scored rushing TDs in the game. Some of that was just bad luck, though. Pollard got two carries from the Giants' 4-yard line and one from the 2. All three of those runs gained yardage but found him stopped short of the goal line. Pollard also sat out the entire fourth quarter, which was when Dowdle scored his 1-yard TD. Pollard has now failed to hit 10+ PPR points in five of his last six games played. But there almost has to be some positive TD regression coming. He's tied for fifth in the league in carries inside the 5-yard line and has logged the second-most carries inside the 10. But 15 and 24 players have scored more TDs in those ranges, respectively. We mentioned Pollard as a "sell" in the past. If you're still holding him now, though, you basically need to ride it out. Sunday's final stats make it look like Dowdle challenged his role, but Pollard led his backup 15-6 in carries before leaving the game. He gets about as good a rebound spot as possible at Carolina this week, followed by positive matchups with Washington and Seattle.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard had a quiet game in Week 5. The veteran tallied 64 total yards on 12 touches with a lost fumble vs. the 49ers. His teammates Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle combined for 8 carries and 22 rushing yards, so it’s not as though any other Cowboys RB had much greater success in the blowout 42-10 loss. Fortunately, Week 6 brings a matchup against a Chargers defense that ranked as the 11th-easiest opponent in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs prior to their bye week. Fantasy managers will have to get over this bummer quickly and hope for better days ahead.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle (hip) put in full practices on Thursday and Friday and isn’t listed on the final Week 5 injury report. He’s ready to serve as Dallas’ No. 2 RB behind Tony Pollard vs. the 49ers on Sunday night.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle (hip) put in a full practice on Thursday. He looks set to resume No. 2 RB duties behind Tony Pollard vs. the 49ers on Sunday night.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle was knocked out of Sunday's win over the Patriots with a hip injury. X-rays came back clean, but Dowdle will undergo an MRI on Monday, according to Patrick Walker of the team's official site. We'll update Dowdle's status when we know more. His absence would leave rookie Deuce Vaughn as Dallas' No. 2 RB.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard encountered some bad luck in Week 3. He looked spry en route to 121 yards on 26 touches, but he lost a 15-yard screen pass TD to backup Rico Dowdle. (Pollard wasn’t in for the previous play, and the one before that was a false start.) Dallas’ lead back is now sitting on 0 TDs over the past two weeks, despite 58 touches. You’ll continue to see him near the top of our RB rankings due to that high-end volume.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard logged 14 carries for 70 rushing yards and 2 TDs in Week 1’s win against the Giants. He also added a pair of catches on 3 targets for 12 receiving yards. This game got away from the Giants quickly, so fantasy managers should be glad that Pollard got plenty of points before the Cowboys ultimately took their foot off the gas by the fourth quarter. Rookie Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle split backup RB duties, each receiving 6 carries in the victory. Pollard will look to continue his success again in Week 2 vs. the Jets.
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.
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