The Dallas Cowboys will face the Washington Commanders in Week 12. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Rico Dowdle.
Is Rico Dowdle Playing in Week 12?
Dowdle is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Cowboys’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Rico Dowdle in Week 12?
Heading into Week 11, we got confirmation that Rico Dowdle would be the lead back in this offense. That’s glorious. All we ask for is straight-shooting from these organizations, and we got just that from the Cowboys last week.
There is no more running back by committee in Dallas. Mike McCarthy said Rico Dowdle is the Cowboys lead back: “Definitely, you have to get him the ball. That's my focus to continue to get him opportunities. He's the lead back.”
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr)
Of course, Houston went on to beat the breaks off of Dallas, completely neutralizing the run game in the process. That could well be the case this weekend as well, though I’m skeptical about the potency of this Washington offense with a compromised version of Jayden Daniels.
That concern is fueling my ranking of Dowdle as a top-20 running back this week. I believe this franchise when they say that a 55-pass Cooper Rush game isn’t the plan; if they can keep this thing even remotely close, the fact that the Commanders allow the second-most yards per carry to running backs this season (5.1) is all it takes to sell me on Dowdle.
With multiple receptions in five straight games, there are a few paths to production. I’m not expecting this to be a work of art, but this is very much like golf in that there are no pictures on the scorecard. I think we are looking at 65-75 total yards with 3-5 targets and a red-zone role — that’s enough for me to rank you as a starter in Week 12.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 12 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Rico Dowdle’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 12
As of early Sunday morning, Dowdle is projected to score 12.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 11.1 rushing attempts for 48.3 yards and 0.1 touchdowns. It also includes 2.9 receptions for 22.8 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Rico Dowdle’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
