What to do with Ezekiel Elliott in Week 15 of the fantasy football playoffs

Game day update: In a surprising move, the Cowboys have announced Ezekiel Elliott is INACTIVE for Week 15. Tony Pollard will get the start in his place against a solid 49ers run defense. Pollard is worth a start.

Last week was supposed to be the week for Ezekiel Elliott. Facing the Cincinnati Bengals, this was where he turns it around, we all told ourselves. It didn’t happen.

With another disappointing game in the books, let’s discuss how you should approach Elliott against a much tougher run defense this week.

Fantasy Football analysis: Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott

At this point, Elliott is an every-week headache. Fantasy owners, especially those in season-long leagues, are left with this weekly conundrum of whether or not to start him. On the surface, that seems like a yes because, well, he’s Ezekiel Elliott, he remains the focal point of Dallas’ offense, and he’s still getting 15-20 touches in most weeks. But he’s just not doing much with those touches. He has scored just once in his last eight games. He has gained 100 yards on the ground once all year. Whereas he was a safe bet for 3-6 catches every week during the first couple months of the season, Elliott has a total of 13 receptions in his last seven games. If he couldn’t perform well against the lowly Bengals (59 scoreless yards on 14 touches), what is there to believe that Elliott, running with a bruised calf and behind a makeshift offensive line, can accomplish even that much versus a San Francisco 49ers run defense that has ceded 70 rushing yards to an RB just once since Week 7? On the whole, the 49ers have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to running backs.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Elliott’s DraftKings price has plummeted to a season-low $6,100. And that still feels like too much to offer up for Zeke right now. He’s a low-end RB2 at best in season-long leagues this week.