Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis (eye) is expected to be limited in the first practice of the week on Wednesday, according to head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Starting RB Javonte Williams (shoulder) will also be limited. With both Davis and Williams dealing with injuries going into the final week of the regular season in a meaningless game on Sunday against the division-rival New York Giants, rookie Jaydon Blue could be active and see playing time for the first time since Week 8. It's unclear if Davis or Williams will be held out entirely in Week 18, but the bottom line is that Dallas' backfield carries a lot of uncertainty going into Sunday's game. With Williams injuring his shoulder in the first half of the Christmas Day win over the Washington Commanders, Davis had 20 carries for 103 yards. If Williams is inactive against New York, Davis could be in line for another big workload if he's active on Sunday.
Dec 31, 2025 2:19 PM EST
Dallas Cowboys' fourth-year running back out of Florida, Malik Davis (eye), led the backfield in running back touches in the Cowboys' Week 17 30-23 win on Christmas Day over the Washington Commanders. He stepped in for the injured Javonte Williams (shoulder) and ended the game with 20 rush attempts (5.15 YPC) for 103 yards. Since Week 15, Davis has emerged as the Cowboys' clear No. 2 running back and has been playing 45.6 percent of the snaps, which is a massive increase from his season-long snap share, which was well below 20 percent before Week 15. If Williams is unable to go in Week 18, Davis should be in line to see the majority of the team's running back touches and would be a plug-and-play RB2 for fantasy managers still competing in Week 18. Important to note: Davis did sustain an eye injury in that matchup, but he played through it and is likely to play in Week 18; however, it's something to monitor as the week progresses.
Dec 31, 2025 9:44 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys' fourth-year running back out of Florida, Malik Davis, led the backfield in running back touches in the Cowboys' Week 17 30-23 win on Christmas Day over the Washington Commanders. He stepped in for the injured Javonte Williams (shoulder) and ended the game with 20 rush attempts (5.15 YPC) for 103 yards. Additionally, over the past two games, he has earned 54 percent and 34 percent of the snaps, respectively. He is starting to see an increased workload as the season comes to an end for the eliminated-from-the-playoffs Cowboys. With a strong Week 18 matchup looming against the New York Giants in Week 18, Davis is a must-add off the waivers for those fantasy managers still competing for a championship. If Williams were to sit out, Davis would immediately become a plug-and-play RB2.
Dec 29, 2025 9:22 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis won't be an optimal choice for fantasy when his team takes on the hosting Washington Commanders on Christmas Day. The fourth-year pro has seen a bit of extra work over the previous two weeks, notching eight carries in consecutive outings while getting a boost in playing time. In both appearances, Davis' extended play came while backfield mate Javonte Williams tended to injuries. With Williams presumably back to full health ahead of a road outing with the Commanders, considering he carries no designation, owners can look elsewhere for assistance in the fantasy playoffs. Even in an excellent matchup with the league's fourth-worst rush defense (141 yards per game), the 27-year-old is little more than a desperation flex play for fantasy. Davis lands as RotoBallers PPR RB57 for Week 17.
Dec 25, 2025 11:16 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis saw more run in last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings after Javonte Williams (neck) missed time in the first half. The 26-year-old ended up playing a career high 53% of the offensive snaps and handled eight carries for 21 yards and a touchdown while adding two catches (three targets) for 16 yards. Williams eventually returned for the second half and was a full participant in practice this week. Still, it remains clear that Davis is the primary backup ahead of rookie Jaydon Blue, who has been a healthy inactive for the past six games. Davis' fantasy upside for Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers remains capped, as he hasn't seen much usage when Williams has been healthy, handling just 14 touches in the five games leading up to last week.
Dec 20, 2025 12:32 PM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis played 53 percent of the snaps in Week 15 and earned 11 touches (eight rushes and three receptions) for 37 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' Loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. As far as the 2025 season goes, that was season-highs for Davis in all categories: snaps, touches, yards, and fantasy points. The reason he played and got the volume is that Javonte Williams (neck) missed most of the second quarter, allowing Davis to see the majority of the work. Important to note that rookie running back out of Texas, Jaydon Blue, was a healthy scratch, so it's clear that the Cowboys view Davis as the top option behind Williams, which makes him a top handcuff option for the last few weeks of the fantasy football season. Davis does not have standalone fantasy value at this time, but if Williams were to miss time, he would immediately enter the rankings as a low-end RB2 based on projected volume.
Dec 19, 2025 9:31 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis saw more action in Week 16 when Javonte Williams left briefly in the first half with a shoulder injury in Sunday night's loss to the Minnesota Vikings, but Williams returned in the second half. Davis took advantage of his increase in opportunities in the first half, handling eight carries for 21 yards and a touchdown to go with two receptions (three targets) for 16 yards as a receiver. He had only played 52 total offensive snaps entering the game, but played 37 in the loss to the Vikings. The 27-year-old has proven to be a quality backup behind Williams this season, adding more explosiveness to the Cowboys' backfield. It seems Williams will be good to go for Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but his status will be worth monitoring this week. Davis should be added as a strong contingency option in an elite Dallas offense.
Dec 16, 2025 10:59 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis has emerged as the primary No. 2 option behind workhorse Javonte Williams in the team's backfield. However, Davis has been unable to carve out a substantial role, which makes him a handcuff with RB4 value heading into a Week 15 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Since their Week 10 bye, Davis has been the only other running back Williams to log an offensive snap, suggesting he would see a massive workload in the event the former first-round pick misses time with an injury. However, during this four-game stretch, Davis has been unable to log over 20% of the snaps in a single game and has only logged more than three carries once. In Week 13, Davis made the most of his change-of-pace role, tallying 47 yards and a score on three attempts. However, in the other three games, Davis has totaled 50 yards on 10 carries. Given his current usage, managers should continue to view him as a top handcuff that should not be in their starting lineup outside of a cheap flier in a DFS single-game slate.
Dec 12, 2025 7:41 PM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis has steadily accounted for a larger share of the backfield touches over the previous few weeks, supplanting rookie rusher Jaydon Blue as the handcuff to own behind starter Javonte Williams. Davis didn't get his first snaps with the team until Week 7's win over the Commanders, although he's since been an effective runner. While he hasn't eclipsed four touches in a given outing, the 27-year-old's efficiency has improved each week. If he can continue boasting more work, Davis may present some standalone fantasy value down the stretch. However, fantasy managers can't trust him as such just yet, considering Williams has dominated backfield opportunities for the entirety of 2025. Davis is a nice speculative stash in deep leagues, and a must-own for those carrying Williams this late in the campaign.
Dec 4, 2025 11:34 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis had his best game of the season last week against the Chiefs on Thanksgiving, handling three carries for 47 yards and a touchdown. Davis ripped off a 43-yard touchdown during the second quarter, showing impressive burst and explosiveness. That marked the longest rushing touchdown of the season for the Cowboys, and Davis' speed is a nice complement to the bruising running style of starter Javonte Williams. The 27-year-old Davis has been up and down from the practice squad for Dallas this season, but he has been active for each of the past six games and has firmly established himself as the No. 2 running back over rookie Jaydon Blue. He could work his way into more touches against the Lions on Thursday night after an impressive Week 13 performance. However, Davis still profiles as a handcuff option for now and should remain on benches in Week 14.
Dec 4, 2025 12:44 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis is a player on the rise as the backup RB in Dallas. The 27-year-old has taken on a bigger role behind Javonte Williams in recent weeks, with rookie fifth-rounder Jaydon Blue being a healthy scratch for the last four games. Davis has had at least three carries for the Cowboys in the last three games, and he ran for a season-high 47 yards and his first touchdown of 2025 in the Thanksgiving Day win over the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday. Williams is still the team's unquestioned workhorse back, though, which means Davis is going to continue to see scraps out of the backfield as the team heads into a Week 14 tilt on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. Davis is not rostered in any Yahoo leagues at the moment, but fantasy managers who have Williams might want to consider handcuffing him to Davis to close out the year.
Dec 2, 2025 12:33 PM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis has been active for the last five games, mostly contributing on special teams. However, Davis has seen a slight uptick in playing time on offense in the past two games. After playing just 10 snaps total and handling three carries for six yards in his first three games active on gameday, the 26-year-old has played 25 snaps total and rushed seven times for 44 carries in the past two weeks. Davis noticeably has a bit more explosiveness than starter Javonte Williams and adds a useful change-of-pace element to the Cowboys ' backfield. He had three carries for 24 yards in Dallas' comeback win over the Eagles in Week 12, reaching 15+ mph on two of those carries, per Next Gen Stats. Davis looks like the clear handcuff to Williams at the moment and is stashing on benches in 12-team leagues and deeper.
Nov 26, 2025 12:32 AM EST
The Dallas Cowboys signed running back Malik Davis to the active roster ahead of their Week 12 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Nick Harris of the Star-Telegram. Davis has been active for the Cowboys' past four games as rookie Jaydon Blue has fallen out of favor as the team's No. 2 running back. The 26-year-old Davis has handled seven carries for 26 yards while playing just 8.4% of the snaps behind starter Javonte Williams. He can be left on the waiver wire in most redraft leagues.
Nov 22, 2025 1:23 PM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis has been waived by the organization on Tuesday. Davis was signed off the practice squad ahead of Monday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. The 26-year-old has seen a minimal role in the backfield over the last two games. Davis has rushed three times for six yards over the last two games. His absence isn't going to make much of an impact on the Cowboys backfield going forward.
Nov 4, 2025 7:48 PM EST
The Dallas Cowboys have signed free-agent running back Malik Davis on Friday. The team needed additional depth with Jaydon Blue (ankle) and Miles Sanders (knee) both banged up right now. Davis figures to give this team an extra body ahead of Saturday's preseason contest versus the Los Angeles Rams. Davis spent last season on the Cowboys practice squad, so he knows the system. The 26-year-old is likely just an extra player for camp, but maybe he'll catch on as depth.
Aug 8, 2025 4:44 PM EST
The Dallas Cowboys announced on Wednesday that they waived running back Malik Davis, offensive linemen Jack Anderson and Earl Bostick and linebacker Brock Mogensen. Davis spent the entire 2024 season on the Cowboys' practice squad and then signed a Reserve/Futures deal with the organization in early January. The 26-year-old former undrafted free agent out of the University of Florida played in only three games with Dallas in 2023 and has 38 rushing attempts for 161 yards and one touchdown in his two years in the NFL. Davis played 45 snaps on special teams in three games in 2023 and wasn't used at all on offense. He will now be looking to join another team before training camps kick off at the end of July.
May 1, 2025 12:22 AM EST
Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis led the Cowboys backfield in carries and yards in a preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. Davis ran the ball eight times, gaining 18 yards, with a long of just four. The rest of the Cowboys backfield combined for just nine carries, so Davis had his chances in this one, but didn't do a ton with them. He was also targeted five times in the passing game, catching two passes for 20 yards. The second-year running back will be third at best on the depth chart, well behind Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, and likely behind Royce Freeman as well.
Aug 11, 2024 9:48 PM EST