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 and RB Ezekiel Elliott have agreed to a contract, NFL Network reports. It's a reunion after Elliott spent his first seven seasons in Dallas. The 28-year-old mustered just 3.8 yards per carry in his last season with the Cowboys and then averaged 3.5 yards per carry for the Patriots last year. Elliott ranked 29th among 42 qualifiers in Pro Football Focus' 2022 rushing grades and 41st among 49 last year. There's very little gas left in this tank, although Elliott still proved capable of handling big workloads down the stretch last season. He averaged 14.8 carries and 6.5 targets over the final six weeks. The Cowboys are desperate for RB help after losing Tony Pollard in free agency and failing to land a RB in the draft. Elliott just might be the favorite to lead the backfield in touches ahead of Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Royce Freeman. He's still not an exciting fantasy pick. We'll see where his ADP settles.
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.
Rams RB Kyren Williams returned from IR in Week 12. You might say he did so with a bang. Handling 16 carries, the Notre Dame product tallied 143 yards – the second-highest mark of his career. He added a 6-61-2 receiving line on an 18.1% target share. A positive matchup with Arizona helped. But it’s clear Williams is back near 100% coming off an ankle injury. Also note: Royce Freeman mixed in for 13 carries, 77 yards, and 1 score. So Williams doesn’t look like a true workhorse as we advance. The next two weeks turn up difficult matchups vs. Cleveland and Baltimore.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero hears that Rams RB Kyren Williams will return as the lead back vs. Arizona today but that RB Royce Freeman will stay involved. "They wanna be careful about not overworking" Williams, Pelissero says. "Look for a roughly 2-to-1 ratio between Williams and Royce Freeman. Game flow is gonna dictate a lot of that." Our current projections have Williams for 16.7 carries to Freeman's 7.5 -- close to that 2-to-1 split. Williams should handle the majority of the passing-down snaps, though, and remains a strong RB2 play today. Freeman is really only in play in non-PPR fantasy leagues.
The Rams released RB Darrell Henderson, making room for RB Kyren Williams to re-join the roster. Henderson was abysmal as a runner over the past four games, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. He was easily out-played by RB Royce Freeman, who will be the No. 2 going forward. The move to dump Henderson is a good sign that the Rams feel good about Williams' ankle. He should return as Los Angeles' clear lead runner and handle most passing downs.
Rams HC Sean McVay confirmed on Monday that RB Kyren Williams (ankle) will return for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. He's been sidelined since Week 6. Williams was dominating Rams backfield work before going down, averaging 16.4 carries, 81 rushing yards, 4.4 targets, 2.6 catches, and 21 receiving yards from Week 2 to 6. We can't bank on Williams regaining that type of workload, but we are expecting him to return as Los Angeles' clear lead back. RBs Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman didn't do nearly enough in Williams' absence to lock in significant roles.
Rams RB Royce Freeman led Darrell Henderson by 11 carries in Sunday's win over the Seahawks. Henderson still beat Freeman 7-0 in targets, but Freeman ran more pass routes (16-12) for the first time since both RBs stepped into the lineup. The shift might not matter, because RB Kyren Williams is expected back for Week 12. But we'll keep an eye on the situation heading into an upside matchup with the Cardinals. Freeman and Henderson are worth holding where possible for now.
Rams HC Sean McVay said Monday that the team is expecting QB Matt Stafford (thumb) to start this weekend's game vs. the Seahawks. Stafford was able to grip and throw the football in Monday's post-bye-week practice. We'll keep an eye on his progress throughout the week. Stafford would be a shaky QB1 play in Week 11 fantasy lineups, but his return is great news for the Rams' skill-position players.
Rams HC Sean McVay says he expects RB Kyren Williams (ankle) to be ready when he's eligible to return from IR, according to multiple reports. Williams has missed three games, so he'll remain out at least through Week 11 -- on the other side of the team's bye. But we should have him back for fantasy lineups from Week 12 on. Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman have combined to take over the backfield in Williams' absence. We'd guess some version of that duo will hold on to a little more work after Williams' return than any other Rams RB had before he went down. That's not because they've outplayed Williams, but rather because few RBs dominate backfield touches the way Williams was pre-injury. That said, we'll certainly assume a controlling share for Williams upon return until/unless the team shows otherwise.
Rams RB Zach Evans is a healthy scratch for today's game vs. the Cowboys. Not a big surprise after he played zero snaps last week. RB Myles Gaskin is active for Los Angeles, but we're expecting RBs Darrell Henderson and Royce Freeman to again handle the majority of the work.
The duo of veteran RBs Darrell Henderson Jr. and Royce Freeman led the way for the Rams’ rushing attack in Week 7 vs. the Steelers with a combined 30 carries between them. Henderson Jr. logged 18 carries for 61 rushing yards and a score in the loss, while Freeman accumulated 66 yards on 12 attempts. Turns out rookie RB Zach Evans was not the correct waiver wire pickup from the Rams’ backfield, as he did not see a single offensive snap in the contest. Fantasy managers who play in leagues where Henderson Jr. or Freeman are still available on waivers this coming week should seek their services ahead of next Sunday’s contest vs. the Cowboys.
Rams RB Myles Gaskin is a healthy scratch for today’s game vs. the Steelers. RBs Royce Freeman, Darrell Henderson, and Zach Evans are active. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this morning that Freeman and Henderson will get "the majority of the workload” today. See our projections for the Rams backfield.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Rams RBs Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson are expected to lead the backfield vs. the Steelers today. Those two will get "the majority of the workload," a source tells Schefter, while rookie RB Zach Evans serves as the No. 3 RB. RB Myles Gaskin will be inactive today, per Schefter, but is expected to play next week. This backfield will continue to evolve while RB Kyren Williams recovers from his ankle injury. And Schefter adds that no Rams RB will "dominate the workload the way Williams did before he suffered a high ankle sprain ... and that might be the case even once Williams returns as the team aims to preserve his longevity." For Week 7, Freeman and Henderson are just desperation fantasy plays in what figures to be a pass-heavy game plan from Los Angeles. Evans is not useable.
The Rams placed RB Kyren Williams on IR with his ankle injury, knocking him out for the next four games. Los Angeles has a Week 10 bye, so we won't see Williams until Week 12 at the earliest. He's worth keeping stashed in the vast majority of fantasy leagues considering how productive he was before going down. We'll get our first look at the Rams' Williams-less backfield in tomorrow's game vs. the Steelers.
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