Ezekiel Elliott Injury Update: Is he playing today?

It has not been a good season for the Dallas Cowboys, or for that matter, fantasy football teams that drafted Ezekiel Elliott back in August, an issue furth compounded with Zeke’s recent injury. Elliott’s performances have mirrored those of the 2-6 Cowboys (third in the NFC East) with numerous disappointing fantasy returns over the past eight weeks. With question marks surrounding Ezekiel Elliott’s availability in Week 9, is he set to suit up today, or will he be another big name not playing this week?

Update: Ezekiel Elliott is active for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9.

[sv slug=”fantasy”]

Is Ezekiel Elliott playing today in Week 9?

The question remains, is Ezekiel Elliott playing today? Elliott’s availability this week has been up in the air for a large portion of the week, as he has battled a hamstring injury. Given that Elliott has missed just eight games out of the 72 the Cowboys have played in the regular season since he was drafted, you could be forgiven for shrugging off this injury as nothing more than background noise. However, Michael Gehlken reported on Saturday afternoon that the Cowboys have been making plans as if Ezekiel Elliott is not playing when they take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.

Related | Fantasy RB Injury Report: Week 9 injury updates on Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, others

Head coach Mike McCarthy has said that Elliott will have a pregame workout to determine his availability, but the Cowboys have elevated fullback Sewo Olonilua from the practice squad in order to have more depth in the event Elliott is missing on Sunday. Olonilua will be the third back on the Cowboys roster, behind Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle. The latest report from Ian Rapoport on Sunday morning indicated that Zeke Elliott is expected to be available today for the Cowboys Week 9 clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Should fantasy owners make plans to be without Ezekiel Elliott?

While there is always a chance that the injury to Ezekiel Elliott is something he can play through, given the matchup this week it certainly makes sense to plan sooner rather than later for the absence of Elliott. The Steelers defense ranks as the seventh-toughest unit to face in terms of Pro Football Network’s Defensive Points Allowed Consistency Score (D-PAC), which measures how consistently a defense allows points to a position. They also allow the second-least amount of fantasy points to the running back position on average, only bettered by the San Francisco 49ers.

The success of the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8 may have given fantasy GMs with Zeke Elliott on their roster hope that he could have a good week. However, the Ravens rushing attack is so unique that it is not comparable. Therefore, the numbers suggest that this might be a good week for Elliott to miss in terms of fantasy football for managers because it saves the headache of deciding whether to start Elliott or not. Additionally, with the Cowboys on bye in Week 10, Elliott will have two weeks in which to prepare for a matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11.

Should you start Tony Pollard this week?

We have already discussed what a tough matchup this will be for the Cowboys run game, and if Zeke Elliott is out, that pressure passes on to Tony Pollard. Pollard has not had much success either this season, seeing his yards per attempt drop below four yards per carry, after having run for over five yards per carry in his rookie season.

Related | Tony Pollard fantasy outlook in Week 9 with Ezekiel Elliott injury

The long and short of it is that usually, it makes sense to chase any running back that will see the majority of his team’s touches. However, in this instance, it would not be sensible to give up a lot of resources, be that your FAAB budget or a trade. If you own Pollard, and your other options are somewhat shaky, then, by all means, start Pollard. If you have other reliable options, however, Pollard is a player that you should not be working hard to get in your lineup.

What is the long term outlook for Ezekiel Elliott?

If Zeke Elliott does miss this game, is there a case for his fantasy GMs to look to move on from him during the Cowboys bye week? Elliott’s schedule coming out of the bye is not easy by any means. The Week 11 game against the Vikings is a matchup he should be able to exploit, but after that, Elliott will face three teams that are among the five toughest when it comes to D-PAC scores allowed to opposing running backs.

Those games against Baltimore, Washington, and San Francisco will come between Week 12 and 15, which could be a make or break time for your fantasy team. With that in mind, while you should not sell Elliott for cents on the dollar, if you can find a player willing to buy into Elliott coming back strong after the bye, then it might be time to move on.

Another option would be to look to hold onto Elliott until after the game against the Vikings. If he impresses in that matchup, then you might be able to get additional value compared to what you will get going into his bye week, with question marks surrounding his Week 11 availability.

Want more fantasy football analysis and news?

Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @PFN365 to stay up to date with all things around the NFL and the 2020 fantasy football season. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis while also seeing our fantasy football section for more coverage and up-to-date rankings.