Whether they’re America’s Team or not, the Dallas Cowboys tend to produce two things at a high rate — headlines and fantasy football starters. While the team entered the 2025 campaign with a very shallow backfield, starter Javonte Williams broke out with a great showing in Week 1 and seems on his way to a fantasy-relevant season just like Dallas’ lead backs typically do. However, there’s another player looming as rookie Jaydon Blue lingers in the background as well.
It’s early, but what have we learned about the Cowboys’ backfield thus far? Above all, what’s the fantasy football outlook for Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue?
Evaluating the Cowboys backfield
When halfback Tony Pollard left Dallas two seasons ago, plenty of fans were left asking what the team would do to replace him. Well, the Cowboys turned to Rico Dowdle, who stepped up and delivered RB2 value in his lone campaign as the starter at AT&T Stadium. Once he departed for Carolina this offseason, the same question about the backfield was raised once more. Except this time, the front office decided to sign Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders to one-year prove-it deals while drafting Jaydon Blue in the fifth round.
The backfield looked uninspiring at best and horrendous at worst, to put it lightly. Williams averaged just 3.6 yards per carry over two seasons with the Broncos since a major knee injury back in 2022 and saw his fantasy football value propped up by a heavy dose of receiving usage. Sanders barely accomplished anything during a multi-year stint with the Panthers and spent more time injured than anything else. Blue seemed like a favorite to win the starting job thanks to his explosiveness and pass-catching ability, but hasn’t yet earned the trust of the coaching staff and was a healthy scratch in Week 1.
Somehow, some way, Williams put up a respectable effort in the starting role to open the season against the defending Super Bowl Champions. On Thursday Night Football in Week 1, the veteran carried the ball 15 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns, also hauling in two of his three targets for an additional 10 yards. While his raw yardage totals weren’t the most impressive, nor was his efficiency, Williams posted 20.40 PPR fantasy points to finish as the overall RB5 on the week. Can he repeat that moving forward and gain fantasy value, or will Blue eat into his workload as the season progresses.
The verdict
As things currently stand, Williams looks like the back to roster in Dallas. It’s almost difficult to believe we’re saying that in 2025, but given the 77% of snaps he saw in Week 1 along with his 68.1% share of the rushing workload, Williams profiles as a workhorse back for the time being. Now, he wasn’t particularly efficient with his touches, especially in the second half, but the 25-year-old did stand out against a strong Eagles defense (even though lineman Jalen Carter was ejected early in the contest for spitting on Dak Prescott). The Cowboys were more run-heavy than anticipated with 22 rush attempts on the night, but that also may have come as a result of Carter’s ejection as well.
Fantasy managers who drafted Williams should feel nothing but positivity about their selection, especially since running backs with bell-cow roles are exceedingly rare in the later rounds of drafts where the veteran was going. The Dallas offense will likely put up better performances moving forward, and with a bad defense, they’ll spend plenty of time on the field trying to play catch-up. It may not translate to many real-world wins for the team, but it means that Williams should see lots of opportunities to punch in touchdowns as the goal-line back, which is where much of the fantasy value came from for Cowboys RBs in years past. For as long as he gets plenty of touches for Dallas, he settles in as a low to mid-range RB2 in fantasy football running back rankings.
The good news is that Williams will likely see little competition from Sanders, who broke off one long run in Week 1 but lost a fumble which arguably decided the outcome of the game. In the immediate future, Blue likely won’t challenge him too much since he was a healthy scratch in what should have been the rookie’s debut.
Still, it’s tough to deny the talent the Texas product brings to the table if and when he can get on the field. Blue racked up 1,098 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns during his final season of college ball, and he caught 42 passes as well. While not the same caliber of player, he draws stylistic comparisons to Jahmyr Gibbs with his speed and ability to create plays in the open field, so a pass-catching role remains in the realm of possibility once he’s active on game days.
If nothing else, he can spell Williams when the bruising back needs a breather, but there’s always a chance Blue could take over deeper in the season if he shows enough promise. With that in mind, he’s a player to keep on rosters if you have him or pick up if he lands on waivers. As a sleeper stash for later in the year, the upside remains immense at low cost.
