Dowdle recorded five rushes for 25 yards in Sunday's 47-9 loss to the Lions. He added five receptions on six targets for 30 yards.
After a breakout game in Week 5, Dowdle was surprisingly thrust back into a split backfield with Ezekiel Elliott. Dowdle managed to out-touch Elliott thanks to his work as a pass catcher and also remained the far more efficient back. While their skill profiles suggest that Dowdle should serve as the clear leader of the backfield moving forward, the Cowboys have been hesitant to fully rely on him heading into their Week 7 bye.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Dowdle has taken over the Cowboys backfield, which is awesome. He's scored at least 13.1 PPR points in each of his past two games against the Giants and Steelers, and he's creeping into No. 2 running back territory. But this week against the Lions, Dowdle could struggle given the matchup since Detroit is No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Kyren Williams and Kenneth Walker III each scored at least 14.4 PPR points against the Lions, but Detroit also held Rachaad White and James Conner to a combined 6.8 PPR points. I would only use Dowdle as a flex option at best in most leagues for Week 6.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Shines in SNF victory
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Dowdle rushed 20 times for 87 yards while catching both of his targets for 27 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Steelers.
Dowdle went over the century mark in yards from scrimmage while catching his second touchdown in as many weeks on Sunday Night Football. The 26-year-old was quietly leading a poor Dallas rushing attack in touches leading up to his breakout Sunday, so savvy fantasy managers may have already snagged him off the wire. If not, make sure to put in a claim for Dowdle ahead of next Sunday's tilt against the Lions, as it has become apparent that he is the starting running back for the Cowboys this season.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: RBs to Sit
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Dowdle is coming off his best game of the season in Week 4 at the Giants with 13.1 PPR points, and he should be rostered in all leagues in case he's ready to take over the Dallas backfield completely. But that doesn't mean you need to start him in Week 5 at Pittsburgh. The Steelers are No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Pittsburgh has allowed just one touchdown to a running back this season. Dowdle is just a flex at best in Week 5 in the majority of leagues.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Garners 61 total yards, TD in win
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Dowdle rushed 11 times for 46 yards and brought in his only target for a 15-yard touchdown in the Cowboys' 20-15 win over the Giants on Thursday night.
Dowdle led the Cowboys in rush attempts and rushing yards, outpacing Ezekiel Elliott by six carries and 27 yards on the night. Dowdle also made good use of his one pass-catching opportunity via his 15-yard scoring reception late in the first quarter, his first touchdown of any kind since Week 14 of last season. Dowdle's rushing totals Thursday also were season highs, giving him some momentum heading into a tough Week 5 road matchup against the Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 6.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Dominates opportunity
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Dowdle carried the ball eight times for 32 yards in Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Ravens. He added three catches on five targets for 24 yards.
Dowdle's overall line is unremarkable, but the Cowboys attempted only 16 rushes in the game. Ezekiel Elliott saw just three of those attempts, and Dowdle was the more efficient runner of the duo. He also benefitted from his ability as a pass catcher, and he now has seven receptions for 53 yards across the last two games combined. While it didn't turn into much production Sunday, Dowdle looks to be improving his role in the Dallas backfield.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Leads backfield in Sunday's loss
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Dowdle carried the ball seven times for 30 yards and caught four of five targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 44-19 loss to the Saints.
The Cowboys used a backfield committee once again, but Dowdle got the start and saw 11 touches to Ezekiel Elliott's eight, and he out-gained the veteran, 59 scrimmage yards to 32. Neither back has separated himself from the other so far, making both unappealing fantasy options heading into a Week 3 tilt against the Ravens.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Outperformed in Week 1
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Dowdle carried the ball eight times for 26 yards in Sunday's 33-17 win over the Browns. He added one reception for six yards.
Ezekiel Elliott was on the field first for Dallas, though he way gave way to Dowdle for the second possession, and the duo alternated for the rest of the game. Dowdle's statistical output was poor, though he did have the team's only double-digit gain on the ground from a running back on the day. The Cowboys will presumably be willing to shift the touch allocation to the more effective back at some point in the campaign, and Elliott appears to have the leg up after Week 1.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Likely to share work with Elliott
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Dowdle is expected to have a "pretty even split" of the reps out of the backfield with Ezekiel Elliott in Sunday's season opener in Cleveland, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Though the Cowboys could end up riding the hotter hand of the two backs as the game goes along, both Dowdle and Elliott look set to be part of the team's game plan to begin the contest. Pelissero adds that practice-squad member Dalvin Cook could factor into Dallas' backfield mix as soon as Week 2 against the Saints, but the Cowboys chose not to elevate Cook for Week 1, leaving Deuce Vaughn as the No. 3 option behind Dowdle and Elliott. With the threat of a timeshare with Elliott on the table for at least Week 1, Dowdle might not make for an especially enticing option in fantasy lineups outside of deeper leagues.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Will focus on offense in 2024
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Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday that Dowdle will get less work on special teams this season due to an expected increase in his workload on offense, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The South Carolina product saw a career-high 106 touches over 16 regular-season games last season, leading to 505 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns, but those numbers figure to spike significantly in 2024. It's still unclear how the backfield workload will be divided between Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and recent free-agent signee Dalvin Cook, who will begin the season on the practice squad, but it wouldn't be a surprise if Dowdle handled at least a plurality of the touches out of the gate given his versatility and three-down skill set.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Cameo in preseason opener
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Dowdle carried the ball three times for 14 yards in Sunday's 13-12 preseason loss to the Rams.
Ezekiel Elliott got the day off completely, while Dowdle saw only a handful of snaps on the Cowboys' opening drive before ceding the backfield to Malik Davis and other depth RBs. Dowdle and Elliott are expected to split the bulk of the touches at running back for Dallas this season, but the position is more likely to become a committee than one or the other emerging as a clear starter.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Could lead team in rushing
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Dowdle is on track for a roster spot and could even be considered the favorite to lead Dallas in rushing this year, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Dowdle was the team's No. 2 RB last year but didn't get much work outside of garbage time with Tony Pollard staying healthy all season. Pollard is gone, replaced by the man he once replaced, Ezekiel Elliott, who reportedly has taken fewer carries than Dowdle with the first-team offense this summer. Machota says Dowdle "has to be the favorite" to lead Dallas in rushing, but fantasy managers should also consider the possibility that Elliott is getting fewer reps because he already has so much experience, including three seasons as the starting RB (2020-22) under current Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Remaining with Dallas
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Dowdle is set to re-sign with the Cowboys, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Following the free-agent departure of Tony Pollard, Dowdle is poised to reclaim his role in a Dallas backfield that also currently includes Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis and Snoop Conner. Chances are, the Cowboys will add further RB depth via free agency or the draft, so until the team's personnel at the position is settled, Dowdle's fantasy upside for the 2024 season will be difficult to gauge.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Strong season in backup role
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Dowdle finished the regular season with 361 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries while catching 17 of 22 targets for 144 yards and two more TDs over 16 games.
The 25-year-old running back made his NFL debut with the Cowboys in 2020 but had only seven career carries coming into 2023. Dowdle won the No. 2 job in the backfield behind Tony Pollard in camp and never looked back, setting career highs across the board and posting a couple big performances in blowouts, including 79 yards and a TD on 12 totes against the Giants in Week 10. Dowdle is a restricted free agent this offseason while Pollard is unrestricted, but even if the former stays and the latter departs it's unlikely Dallas would simply hand Dowdle the starting role in 2024. A timeshare or committee role might be the best he can hope for.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Reaches century mark in Week 18
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Dowdle carried the ball nine times for 46 yards and caught three of four targets for 54 yards in Sunday's 38-10 rout of the Commanders.
The backup running back mixed in regularly with Tony Pollard in the Cowboys backfield before taking over completely in the fourth quarter, and Dowdle wound up reaching 100 yards from scrimmage in a game for the first time in his career while seeing double-digit touches for the fourth time this year. The 25-year-old had a solid regular season in his depth role, amassing 505 total yards and four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) on 106 touches, and Dowdle should remain involved in the game plan when Dallas faces Green Bay on Sunday in the wild-card round.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Gets back to full participation
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Dowdle (ankle) practiced in full Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
After sitting out Week 17 due to a lingering ankle injury, Dowdle appears set to resume his standing as the Cowboys' No. 2 running back behind starter Tony Pollard on Sunday at Washington, as he has for most of the season. Since the Cowboys' Week 7 bye, Dowdle has turned 61 touches into 248 yards from scrimmage and three total TDs over the last nine games.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Limited Wednesday
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Dowdle (ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Dowdle has been dealing with the ankle issue for weeks and was ultimately deemed inactive ahead of last Saturday's win over the Lions. In his place, Deuce Vaughn served as the top backup to Tony Pollard and played eight snaps on offense, but Vaughn has since been placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. If Dowdle isn't ready to play in the Cowboys' regular-season finale this Sunday in Washington, Malik Davis would likely be elevated from the practice squad to serve as Dallas' No. 2 back behind Pollard.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Not playing Saturday
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Dowdle (ankle) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Lions, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Dowdle has been playing through an ankle injury in the Cowboys' previous six games, but he apparently reached a breaking point this week after missing back-to-back practices Wednesday and Thursday. His absence could mean Deuce Vaughn is active for the first time since Week 10, but the team may lean on fullback Hunter Luepke instead or otherwise sign Malik Davis off the practice squad to serve as a reserve option behind top RB Tony Pollard.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Stays limited at practice
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Dowdle (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
As has been the case in advance of each of the Cowboys' previous five games, Dowdle is again tending to an ankle injury. The health concern hasn't stopped him from playing a regular, albeit small, role in the Dallas offense, as evidenced by 31 carries and seven catches (on eight targets) for 132 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns that he's generated during that stretch. Even if he has practice restrictions through Friday, Dowdle could still enter the weekend without a designation for Sunday's contest at Miami.
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Cowboys' Rico Dowdle: Ready to face Buffalo
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Dowdle (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Bills, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Dowdle has been playing through the ankle issue for weeks, and Week 15 will be no different. He matched his season high with 12 carries last week against the Eagles, turning them into 46 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season. Dowdle will continue to mix in behind Tony Pollard.
