Open Nav
Show Navigation
Show Menu
FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Rico Dowdle Leads Cowboys Backfield Again

By Jared Smola | Updated on Fri, 27 Sep 2024, 9:06 AM EDT
Rico Dowdle Headshot

Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle carried 11 times for 46 yards in Thursday night's win over the Giants. Both marks led the team. Dowdle also caught his only target for a 15-yard TD, showing impressive burst to beat a couple of angles on his way to the end zone.

2024 Fantasy Football Impact

That TD salvaged what was an otherwise quiet outing from Dowdle. But there were encouraging takeaways from this one.

He averaged a respectable 4.2 yards per carry, making it three straight games with 4.0 yards per carry or better.

More importantly, Dowdle handled 11 of Dallas' 18 RB carries. Here's how his share of RB carries has evolved over the first four games:

  • Week 1 - 42%
  • Week 2 - 41%
  • Week 3 - 62%
  • Week 4 - 61%

Dowdle also notably got the Cowboys' only carry inside the 10-yard line vs. the Giants. Plus, he registered a season-high 43% route rate.

If he maintains this role, Dowdle should at least be a RB3 going forward. The biggest risk probably comes from RB Dalvin Cook, who will likely make his Cowboys debut soon. Cook, of course, is 29 now and was one of the least effective runners in the league last year.

We'd bet on Dowdle keeping the lead role for the rest of the season.

Jared Smola Author Image
Jared Smola, Lead Analyst
Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and My Team tools. He currently ranks 1st among 133 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.
Premium Content Premium ContentWeek 16 DraftKings Tournament Picks

Week 16 DraftKings Tournament Picks

9:25pm EST 12/21/24

Is paying up at TE the key to winning DraftKings tournaments this week? Here are the top stacks and positional plays for Week 16.

Read More »
Premium Content Premium ContentWeek 16 FanDuel Picks

Week 16 FanDuel Picks

3:18pm EST 12/20/24

Get the FanDuel cash game and tournament picks for all of your Week 16 contests.

Read More »
Week 16 Fantasy Football Running Back Preview

Week 16 Fantasy Football Running Back Preview

2:30pm EST 12/20/24

Jahmyr Gibbs gets the backfield basically to himself after the David Montgomery injury. But he was already starting. Many other RBs will make for tougher calls ...

Read More »
Compare Plans » Compare Plans »