2025 was decidedly not the Dallas Cowboys’ year, as they went just 7-9-1 in their first season under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but it was a breakout season for running back Javonte Williams, who took 252 carries for a career-high 1,201 yards and 11 rushing scores in his first season in Dallas.
The sixth-year pro didn’t have the greatest start to the 2026 season, but after a 19-carry, 62-yard, three-touchdown performance in Week 4, he’s back in must-start fantasy territory.
Fantasy managers clearly believe that his level is sustainable, as he’s rostered in 100% of Yahoo Sports fantasy leagues and started in 91%, but he’s also a plausible sell-high candidate, given how rare three-TD games are.
Results and Usage
Last season, Williams established himself as the Cowboys’ main option, as his 252 carries were 200 more than any other running back on the team and the 10th-most in the league. So far in 2026, he’s commanded an even greater share over Dallas’ offense, as he’s taken 62 carries and no other Cowboys running back has taken more than nine. While he hasn’t been particularly efficient, gaining just 3.7 yards per carry, he’s had a nose for the end zone, tying for third among running backs with five touchdowns and adding another score as a receiver. Williams has taken 18 of Dallas’ 25 rushing attempts in the red zone, the seventh-highest proportion in the league.
This season, Williams has posted the 16th-highest offensive grades at Pro Football Focus, an improvement of five ranks over his performance last season, and he’s recorded 0.04 more yards per attempt than expected, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. PFF also loves his dual-threat abilities, as he ranks fourth among running backs by receiving grades, trailing Kansas City Chiefs backup Emmett Johnson, Quinshon Judkins, and Jahmyr Gibbs. He’s been RB6 so far, and the Cowboys have had a pretty efficient overall, so there’s no reason for Schottenheimer to adapt his approach.
Future Outlook
This level isn’t new for Williams; he was far more efficient last season, both on a raw per-carry basis and relative to expectations, and he had a higher success rate. While he wasn’t as good as a receiver in 2025, he was better in 2024, managing 52 catches for 346 yards despite catching passes from a rookie Bo Nix, a somewhat less talented signal-caller than Dak Prescott. While three-touchdown games are rare for any running back, Williams was a pretty consistent end zone threat last season as well, scoring in 10 of his 20 games since the start of 2025.
Williams has been an RB1 despite playing in a system ill-suited for him to produce. This season, Dallas has operated a pretty pass-heavy offense, as it ranks 10th in passing attempts but just 26th in rushing attempts. In part, that’s a result of the Cowboys’ defense; because Dallas has faced at least a 10-point deficit in three of its four games, Prescott has been forced to throw to keep up. Given that the Cowboys’ defense has posted the worst PFF grades this season, ranking dead last in Expected Points added on passing plays and 11th-to-last in EPA on rushing plays, it’s hard to see Dallas getting worse, especially as new acquisition Joey Porter Jr. and rookie safety Caleb Downs settle in. Although he’s had a rough season, I also trust DaRon Bland, an All-Pro First Teamer in 2023. As the Cowboys’ defense improves, their offense should possess the ball for more of the game, providing Williams with opportunities even in a run-friendly scheme.
Williams could have a tough matchup this coming week on Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they lead the league in EPA on rushing plays and have given up the ninth-fewest FPTS per game to running backs. However, the Buccaneers have struggled slightly against dual-threat running backs, allowing the seventh-most receiving yards to the position, and their blitz-heavy scheme could overwhelm Dallas’ offensive line and force Prescott to dump it off to Williams. The Cowboys’ defense should also be well-suited to stop Tampa Bay’s horrific offense, giving Williams more volume.
