The Dallas Cowboys will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Rico Dowdle.
Is Rico Dowdle Playing in Week 17?
Dowdle is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Cowboys’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Rico Dowdle in Week 17?
All of the Rico Dowdle momentum (three straight 100-yard games) came to a screeching half on Sunday night against the Buccaneers, as his 13 carries picked up just 23 yards. He did, however, manage to catch multiple passes for the eighth time in 10 games to give his managers a little something. Even so, it was a big letdown, and it’s hard to project a major bounce back against the best yards-per-play defense in the sport.
Limited efficiency is one thing, but getting vultured by Ezekiel Elliott is another. Any lead-back on a below-average offense needs to control his team’s few scoring chances—we didn’t see that last week.
I’m hanging tough in there and have Dowdle as a reasonable Flex option. The versatility is something that I’m banking on – either they ride Dowdle in a major way and keep this thing close, or they are forced to pass more often than they’d like. He turned 15 touches into 56 yards during the Week 10 loss to these Eagles, the production that I think makes for a pretty good starting point.
He’s far from “safe,” but at this point, I value his role more than anything going on in Tennessee, Jacksonville, or even Kansas City.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 17 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Rico Dowdle’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 17
As of Sunday morning, Dowdle is projected to score 13.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 11.5 rushing attempts for 50.3 yards and 0.1 touchdowns. It also includes 3 receptions for 23.8 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Rico Dowdle’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)