Cowboys to give Ezekiel Elliot regular workload in Week 2, boosting fantasy football value

The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly wanting to give star running back Ezekiel Elliot his normal workload in their Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Ian Rapoport tweeted out Sunday morning that the team hoped to give Zeke his “normal touches” this week.

This would be great for football fans and fantasy managers alike as it became very worrisome in the Cowboys' Week 1 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that Elliot was almost eliminated from the game plan. It’s notable that quarterback Dak Prescott, coming off a season-ending injury in 2020, threw the ball 58 times.

Not only was it concerning that Zeke rushed the ball only 11 times, but he was also only targeted by Prescott in the passing game twice! In half-PPR scoring formats, Elliot was the RB44 in Week 1 and definitely was a cause for concern for those that rostered him. If you managed to hold onto your Elliot shares through this week, this is a good sign that he has at least a chance to get back to his normal star running back self this week.

On the other hand, it’s not entirely clear what this means for Tony Pollard. He’s only worth starting in deeper leagues, but if Zeke is going to get 20+ touches, Pollard’s value will depend on how busy Prescott is in the passing game.