According to reports on Saturday, the Cowboys won’t have veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott available on Sunday vs. the Falcons. Without Zeke, the Cowboys will have to lean heavily on Rico Dowdle ($6,000), Dalvin Cook ($4,800) and maybe even a little bit of Deuce Vaughn ($4,000).
There haven’t been any details about exactly what is going on with Elliott, but it is clear that he isn’t with the team and will be inactive on Sunday. This week will be the first time the veteran has been a healthy scratch in his career aside from season finales when resting for the playoffs.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott did not travel to Atlanta because of disciplinary reasons and will be inactive Sunday, per ESPN’s @toddarcher. pic.twitter.com/MrlLylKjuY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2024
It creates a very interesting spot for the rest of the Cowboys running back room in a matchup that has the highest over/under of Week 9 at 52 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Is Rico Dowdle a RB1?
Dowdle missed last week with an illness that broke late on Sunday ahead of the team’s Sunday night matchup with the 49ers, leaving Zeke to share the work with Cook, who was elevated from the practice squad.
Before the illness, it looked like Rico was taking over as the primary ball-carrier in Dallas. He averaged 11.0 fantasy points per game on 12.5 touches for 62.8 yards from scrimmage. He also scored two touchdowns, both as a receiver.
In Week 5, he had a huge game 5 with 20 carries, 87 rushing yards and 19.4 fantasy points against the Steelers, but then he managed only 10.5 fantasy points and had just five carries against the Lions in Week 6 while the team played from behind.
He’s expensive at at $6,000 in DFS contests like the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], but he also brings a very high ceiling, especially now that he’ll get almost all the workload. If you have Dowdle in season-long fantasy, he’s definitely a must-start with Zeke out.
Is Dalvin Cook a starting option for fantasy football?
Last week without Dowdle, Cook had six carries for 12 yard and caught a 10-yard pass. He will probably get less work than Zeke but still figure into Dallas’s gameplan to give Dowdle breaks.
In his seven games this season, Zeke played 34.4% of snaps and averaged 6.9 carries per game. The key to remember, though, is that he did get two rushing touchdowns and seemed to be the preferred short-yardage and goal-line back.
The experienced Cook should be a good fit in that role as well, and he brings enough upside to be a desperation flex start if you’re combing the waiver wire for options. He’ll also be just one Dowdle injury from taking over a huge workload, so even if you just stash him in a roster spot, he’s worth owning.
Any love for Deuce Vaughn?
Vaughn has been inactive since Week 4, so the short answer is easy–nope. Even though he may be active as a third option, he probably won’t get meaningful work. He showed a little pop and sizzle in training camp but can be safely left on waiver wires for now.
The Bottom Line
It’s a weird situation with Zeke and while details are sketchy, it opens the door for Dowdle to seize the full-time job and Cook to step up as his primary backup and a short yardage change of pace.
The Cowboys are 3.5-point underdogs in this matchup in Atlanta with Dowdle at +120 to score a touchdown and Cook at +220 to score a touchdown in Week 9.
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