Ezekiel Elliott Injury Updates | Shark Bites

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reports that the "initial belief" is that Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson "will miss time, possibly multiple games," with the ankle injury he suffered in the Week 13 loss to the Chargers. Stevenson is scheduled for additional testing on the ankle on Monday, so we should get another update on his status then. But fantasy owners should plan on being without Stevenson for at least Week 14 -- and potentially the rest of the fantasy season. His absence leaves Ezekiel Elliott as New England's lead back and an unexciting but-useable fantasy play.

Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott (thigh) was limited in practice all week and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game vs. the Chargers. We've heard nothing to suggest that Zeke is in danger of missing this one. But the thigh injury is just more reason to believe that RB Rhamondre Stevenson will control backfield work again this weekend.

Patriots RBs Pierre Strong (concussion) and Ty Montgomery (leg) returned to practice on Tuesday. Strong isn’t yet cleared for full contact, per reporter Zack Cox. Montgomery sustained an undisclosed leg injury on day 2 of training camp. Neither guy is on the fantasy radar in standard-size leagues following the arrival of Zeke Elliott.

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.

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 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 Tony Pollard matched Ezekiel Elliott's 15 carries in the latter's return from a knee injury. Pollard, of course, out-gained Elliott 80 yards to 42 on the ground. Elliott claimed both rushing scores, however. Pollard made up for that with a huge receiving day. He led the team in targets (6), catches (6) and receiving yards (109), while scoring both of the team's receiving TDs. Those came from 30 and 68 yards out. There might be weeks of frustrating usage for Pollard going forward, but he'll be tough to sit.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) is active for today’s game vs. the Vikings. He was limited in practice all week but is reportedly "light years ahead of last week." It’s unclear exactly how backfield work will be divvied between RB Tony Pollard and Elliott in his 1st game back from the knee injury. See where both guys sit in the Week 11 RB Rankings.

The Cowboys plan to give RB Tony Pollard "a little bit more in terms of touches" than RB Ezekiel Elliott agains the Vikings today, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Dallas wants to "ease Elliott back in" coming off an LCL injury and "significant contusion all the way down his shin" back in Week 7, per Pelissero. Elliott will wear a brace on that knee today. Consider him a TD-dependent RB3 play in fantasy lineups. Pollard is a RB2.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott said after a limited practice Wednesday that he'll "need to get some more reps to see where I'm at" for Sunday's game at Green Bay, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. "The long game (playoffs) is definitely the priority," Elliott added. It sounds like even if Elliott's ready to return Sunday from the knee injury that cost him the last game, we should expect a lighter-than-usual workload. That bodes well for RB Tony Pollard's usage. We'll keep watching for more on the situation throughout the week.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) remained sidelined on Thursday. He could probably play vs. the Bears this weekend without practicing, but there's a real chance Elliott sits that one out, especially with Dallas' upcoming Week 9 bye. We'll see how he's listed on the final injury report.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) did not practice on Wednesday and admitted afterwards that he might miss this weekend's game vs. the Bears. “I think it’s a consideration, but it all depends on how I feel at the end of the week," Elliott said. The Star-Telegram's Clarence Hill reports that Elliott has a Grade 2 MCL sprain and "deep thigh bruise," but a source tells The Dallas Morning News' Michael Gehlken that it's more of a "hyperextension injury." Regardless, it sounds like there's a good chance Elliott is held out of Sunday's game, especially with a Week 9 bye on tap. His absence would turn Tony Pollard into a RB1. We'll continue to keep a close eye on Zeke's status.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott injured his right knee in the 2nd half of Sunday's win over the Lions but was able to play through it. “I think I’ve got a contusion on it. I still have to go back and talk to the trainers," Elliott said after the game. We'll keep an eye on this. RB Tony Pollard would obviously turn into a strong fantasy option if Elliott misses time.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with his thumb injury, ESPN's Todd Archer reports. Prescott is meeting with a hand specialist on Monday, but the expectation is that he'll need a pin and plate inserted to stabilize his fractured joint. The short end of that 6-8 week timetable would have Prescott back for Week 8. But Dallas has a Week 9 bye, so Week 10 might be the most likely return date for Dak. His absence is obviously a big blow to all of the Cowboys' skill-position players. Prescott is cuttable in fantasy leagues without an IR spot.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott admitted that he was a little nervous about the status of his right PCL injury early in the offseason. "But by the time OTAs hit, I was back to 100 [percent]," he said. Elliott suffered that injury in Week 4 last season, so it's fair to assume he was never at full strength the rest of the way. It's certainly possible he has a more efficient season in 2022.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott said after Sunday’s loss to San Francisco that he played part of the season with a PCL injury. "It was hard," Elliott said. "It's never fun being banged up. But it's my job to make sure I get my body right and be ready for this team, for the fanbase and for the coaches. It's hard, but that's my job. I won't need a procedure. I just partially tore my PCL this year. It was an injury that wasn't going to get worse, but it was just going to take time. I was just doing my job in playing through the injury. I was going out there and doing what I needed to do for my team.” Zeke, 27 in July, will return for his 7th season in Dallas next fall.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) is not listed on the final injury report for Thursday night's game vs. the Saints. He was listed as a full participant in practice all 3 days. We're expecting Elliott to cede more work than usual to RB Tony Pollard -- like he did on Thanksgiving -- making both guys RB2s. We still prefer Zeke over Pollard if you're choosing between the 2.

The bone bruise to Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott's knee is expected to linger for the rest of the season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones mentioned after Thursday's loss to the Raiders that the team will need to alter the game plan to reduce Zeke's volume going forward. We saw that on Thanksgiving, with Elliott handling 9 carries and 8 targets to RB Tony Pollard's 10 carries and 4 targets. We'll keep a close eye on this split in coming weeks. But, for now, consider Elliott more of a high-end RB2 and Pollard a viable RB3 or flex play.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) isn’t listed on the final injury report. He practiced all week, including a full workout on Friday. Zeke suffered a knee contusion last weekend but was able to return to that game. He should be ready for his usual role vs. the Falcons on Sunday.