The Dallas Cowboys entered Week 1 and dominated the Cleveland Browns 33-17. Although the Cowboys dominated the game, their running back room left more to be desired for fantasy football fans everywhere. Ezekiel Elliott rushed 10 times for 40 yards, while Rico Dowdle added eight more for 26. Fantasy managers everywhere were hoping for more clarity within this backfield after Week 1, but the lead-back role is still up for debate.
Can one of the players take over in Week 2? Let us help you identify the correct running back to start for your fantasy football league this upcoming week.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Elliott had the 33rd most carries last week, which means a backup running back outhandled the starting running back for the Cowboys. However, his 4.0 yards per rush were the 20th best in Week 1. This week, the Cowboys play host to the New Orleans Saints, who dominated the Carolina Panthers in the first week of the season. Their 4.3 fantasy points allowed per game to running backs in this young season is the best in the NFL.
The Saints’ defense allowed 1.35 adjusted rushing yards before contact per rush. That TruMedia ranking was the sixth-best in the NFL in Week 1. The Cowboys were a solid offensive line unit, as Elliott was 14th overall in the NFL with 1.8 yards before contact per rush. One of the two will outshine the other, but this matchup will be no walk in the park for Elliott.
Rico Dowdle’s Fantasy Outlook This Week
Dowdle shouldn’t have it any easier this upcoming week. He did outshine Elliott in yards after contact per rush by 0.05, finishing with 2.25. He will be facing a team that leaned heavily into Cover 1 and Cover 3 last week while facing Bryce Young and the Panthers. With the Cowboys having one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL, we can expect a higher percentage of Cover 3.
TruMedia reported two rushing attempts against this coverage for Dowdle last week, averaging 4.0 yards per rush. Although he only converted eight rushing yards, one of the two attempts did go for six yards. Dowdle also ran seven routes to Elliott’s three against Cover 3 last week.
Should You Start Elliott or Dowdle This Week?
This matchup is not ideal, and we want to begin this section by letting you know if you have a better running back to target, you should. However, if you must choose one player, we will lean into Dowdle for one more week. Even with Elliott hurdling a man last week, Dowdle is the youth within this backfield, giving us a chance to reach for a better upside for this Cowboys backfield.
We wouldn’t expect 100 yards for either player in this game. Neither running back should finish with RB1 stats in Week 2. However, with the difference between the two running backs on routes run in their most popular coverage scheme, Dowdle presents a glimmer of hope in an otherwise sad backfield in Dallas.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say Elliott is the player to start. His projected 37.9 rushing yards and 10.1 receiving yards have him with more projected points than Rico Dowdle’s 7.3 total fantasy points. My rankings for the Cowboy’s running backs align with the consensus.
Kyle Soppe’s Week 2 Fantasy Outlook for Dowdle and Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott: This backfield isn’t going to be fun to monitor on a week-to-week basis, but I do think Elliott did enough in the season opener to earn the benefit of the doubt until otherwise noted.
The snap share is always going to be tight between him and Rico Dowdle, though the fact that he matched Dowdle in routes (10) was encouraging and him falling forward for a gain on 100% of his carries against the Browns was a big plus.
You’re not rostering and Flexing Elliott under the impression that he’s a big-play threat or a good bet to post top-10 number, but the ability to move the chains is valuable in an offense that reaches the red zone over 40% of the time. He’s in the conversation with the good-role, bad-team running backs that make up the back end of my Flex ranks (Zamir White, Devin Singletary, etc.).
Rico Dowdle: He had the longest carry by a Dallas running back last week, reinforcing the idea that he is the option in this backfield with the most spike-play potential. That said, outside of that attempt, Dowdle picked up just 2.3 yards per carry and gave the Cowboys no reason to take Elliott off the field.
It’s going to be a test of patience. There might come a time when you are forced with the decision of cutting Dowdle for a flash-in-the-pan option – I’d resist the urge. You can’t play him right now (hovering around RB40 in my ranks), and that might not change in the short term. He is, however, a part of a high-floor offense that lacks reliable options outside of CeeDee Lamb.
Dowdle isn’t an impact asset at the moment. He offers the type of role upside I like to stash. Both things can be true and, in this case, are.