Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle was mentioned as "battling it out" with RB Malik Davis by EVP Stephen Jones. He was highly complimentary of RB Royce Freeman.
The Cowboys signed RB Royce Freeman to a one-year deal. It's the 28-year-old's fourth different team in the last three years. Freeman was decent for the Rams last year, rushing 77 times for 319 yards (4.1 YPC) and two TDs. He ranked 21st in Pro Football Focus rushing grade, 29th in yards after contact per attempt, and 16th in PFF Elusive Rating among 69 RBs with 50+ carries. Freeman joins Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Malik Davis in a Cowboys backfield that still looks like a prime spot for a Day 2 rookie. We'll see exactly what the draft brings, but Freeman is not a good bet for 2024 fantasy value.
The Cowboys released RB Malik Davis. They'll roll with RBs Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn behind starter Tony Pollard to open the season. Neither Dowdle nor Vaughn figure to have fantasy value behind Pollard. And a Pollard injury would likely result in a committee backfield.
The Cowboys released their first "unofficial" depth chart of the season Monday, and it includes RB Rico Dowdle as the backup to Tony Pollard. Malik Davis follows Dowdle, with Ronald Jones fourth and rookie Deuce Vaughn fifth. These preseason depth charts often hold things that aren't close to how the regular season works out. But the rest of this particular depth chart looks legit. We'll certainly be watching Dallas' backfield competition the rest of the way. There is no clear favorite for the No. 2 job -- and still the possibility that the Cowboys import a veteran.
The NFL has suspended Cowboys RB Ronald Jones for the first two regular-season games for violating the PED policy. That's no big news for fantasy football drafts, but his absence won't help Jones' case for working ahead of Malik Davis or Deuce Vaughn. It might even factor into whether he makes the regular-season roster. Of course, if he hasn't appealed yet, Jones could point to totaling just 92 yards over a full season with the Chiefs as evidence that he didn't enhance a thing.
Jon Machota of The Athletic believes RB Malik Davis is “the most likely candidate” to earn Dallas’ RB2 job. His competition includes Ronald Jones and rookie scat back Deuce Vaughn. As Machota admits, the team could bring in a veteran to share the load with Tony Pollard. We’ll see how this situation develops in training camp. For now, outside of ultra-deep formats, Davis isn’t someone we’re looking to buy. The former Florida Gator brings some pass-catching chops with 54 receptions over his final two college seasons. But Davis also went undrafted last April following his redshirt senior campaign. He'll turn 25 in November.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (thigh) is inactive for tonight's game vs. the Titans. It's unclear if he'll be able to return for next week's regular-season finale. Pollard's absence makes RB Ezekiel Elliott a safer bet for touches tonight. He'll be backed up by Malik Davis and Qadree Ollison, who was elevated from the practice squad this afternoon.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard (thigh) won't play against the Titans tonight, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. We'll see if Pollard can make it back for Week 18. We don't have any details on this thigh injury. His absence is an obvious boost for RB Ezekiel Elliott -- although we're not expecting Zeke to get a massive workload in what should be an easy Dallas win. Malik Davis will step in as the Cowboys' #2 RB and is worth considering in 1-game DFS contests.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero says the Cowboys plan to put RB Tony Pollard through "early" pregame warmups tonight and determine his status. Pelissero adds that the team will "err on the side of caution." Pollard has missed practice all week with a thigh issue, and the Titans have unofficially announced that they don't care about this game by listing many starters as either out or doubtful. We're hoping Pollard will be officially inactive so that there's no fantasy-lineup decision to be made here. We'll keep an eye on the situation otherwise, but lean away from even an active Pollard if you have someone else worthwhile. If Pollard is inactive, RB Malik Davis could pick up significant work. We're still betting on Ezekiel Elliott garnering plenty of touches in a game that does matter for Dallas, and his matchup got a lot easier when Tennessee listed much of its defense on the final injury report.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard got a modest 14 carries with Ezekiel Elliott out Sunday, but he racked up 131 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. The biggest strike came from 54 yards out in the 4th quarter, but he also scored from 18 and 7 yards out. Pollard added 16 yards on his lone reception. Malik Davis checked in 2nd with 8 carries for 23 yards and caught both of his targets for 18 more. Dallas now gets a Week 9 bye. We'll see about Elliott's knee after that.
ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) is not expected to play vs. the Bears today. He's listed as doubtful after missing practice all week. RB Tony Pollard is positioned for a workhorse role against Chicago's 25th-ranked RB defense. RBs Qadree Ollison and Malik Davis were both elevated from the practice squad on Saturday.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee) is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. the Bears. He didn’t practice all week and looks likely to sit through Dallas’ upcoming Week 9 bye. Zeke’s absence should land RB Tony Pollard in a workhorse role. It’ll be RBs Qadree Ollison and Malik Davis behind him.
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