The Dallas Cowboys RB room has been much discussed this offseason, with the team seemingly ignoring their needs at the position before bringing back Ezekiel Elliott. Now the team has also added Dalvin Cook to the practice squad, setting up a four-man depth chart that also contains Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.
Let’s examine the fantasy football outlook for Elliott, Cook, Dowdle, and Vaughn to see which is the best value to select in drafts.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR fantasy Points: 188.5 (134.3 Non-PPR)
- Rushing Yards: 782.2
- Rushing Touchdowns: 7.9
- Receptions: 34.8
- Receiving Yards: 208.9
- Receiving Touchdowns: 1.2
Elliott still appears to be penciled in as the starter, even with Cook’s arrival. The question is really about how long he has that role.
Elliott hasn’t been as effective in recent seasons as earlier in his career. His yards after contact per carry have dropped from over two ypc to an average of 1.6 in recent seasons.
That decrease in production after contact has been a major contributor to his decline as a fantasy asset over the last three years. He really struggled last year with the New England Patriots, who had offensive line troubles, and other competition for touches as the starter in Rhamondre Stevenson.
The expectation this year was that Elliott had a chance to bounce back into the top 30 at the position and potentially be a weekly RB2. Nether Dowdle or Vaughn was expected to take significant touches away, and Cook might not be much more effective. The intriguing element will be whether this signing actually pushes Elliott’s ADP down a little and makes him a better value.
As of the time of the signing, Elliott was going off the board as the RB36 at No. 106 overall. While I wouldn’t describe him as an amazing value at this point in his career, he’s still a potential starting RB option at a budget price. It’s hard to envision him not returning value on that draft-day value.
Dalvin Cook’s Fantasy Outlook and Projection
- PPR fantasy Points: 59.5 (49.0 Non-PPR)
- Rushing Yards: 306.9
- Rushing Touchdowns: 1.7
- Receptions: 10.5
- Receiving Yards: 70.7
- Receiving Touchdowns: 0.2
At this point, it’s tough to know what to make of Cook’s potential. His final season in Minnesota was relatively effective, even if his efficiency had diminished. In those last two years with the Vikings, Cook averaged less than two yards per attempt after contact, having been well above that mark earlier in his career. However, he had still proven to be a useful fantasy asset.
Last year was a complete disaster, with just 75 total carries and 102 opportunities with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens. Cook looked like a shell of the player we had seen even the year before, and it doesn’t raise the prospect of him being much more effective this year.
Cook’s ADP is tough to judge right now because he hasn’t been in the conversation at all this season. We will likely see his name value ensuring he gets selected late in drafts, and as a flyer in those latter rounds, it’s not a terrible bet.
Cook is not a player I am actively chasing, but he could be a deeper league stash that pays off if he gets a starting opportunity.
Rico Dowdle’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR fantasy Points: 164.9 (134.3 Non-PPR)
- Rushing Yards: 650.7
- Rushing Touchdowns: 3.6
- Receptions: 30.6
- Receiving Yards: 259.5
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3.6
Dowdle is another player who is tough to figure out because we haven’t seen much of him in the NFL so far. In his career, he has just 96 carries and 118 touches for 529 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns.
On top of that, Dowdle’s metrics last year didn’t offer a huge amount of promise. He averaged just 1.9 yards after contact per attempt and didn’t do much to make you think a breakout is coming in 2024.
Dowdle was already second on the Cowboys’ depth chart behind Elliott, and now he could start the year behind Cook in the pecking order.
Being taken as the RB45 at 146th overall is not a huge expense, but for a player who has proven nothing in his career, it still feels like a bit of an overpay.
Could Dowdle be the next starter in Dallas? Absolutely, but that might just be because the competition is so weak around him rather than because he’s a star in the making.
Deuce Vaughn’s Fantasy Outlook and Projections
- PPR fantasy Points: 87.0 (46.4 Non-PPR)
- Rushing Yards: 232.1
- Rushing Touchdowns: 0.1
- Receptions: 40.6
- Receiving Yards: 232.5
- Receiving Touchdowns: 0.1
Deuce Vaughn offers the wild card opportunity in this backfield. He only had 30 opportunities last year, which he turned into just 80 scrimmage yards. He averaged less than a yard per attempt after contact as a rookie and just generally did not excite you with what he put on film.
At best, Vaughn appears to be a pass-catching back who the team will look to get the ball in space. Even then, his value will be limited to such a point that spending a last-round pick on him in a 14- or 16-team league seems like a bit of an overpay.
Hopefully, Vaughn and Dowdle prove me wrong, but I’m not holding out hope on either carrying much fantasy relevance.
