Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or Rico Dowdle

Wednesday, January 15, 5:04 PM

The Baltimore Ravens claimed wide receiver Diontae Johnson off waivers from the Houston Texans on Wednesday. However, per NFL rules, Johnson won't be awarded to the Ravens until after the Super Bowl, so he won't be eligible to play in the rest of the postseason. Johnson has had quite the wild ride this year, starting the year with the Carolina Panthers before being dealt to Baltimore at the trade deadline. After being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and catching only one of five targets for six yards in four games with the Ravens, he was released and picked up by the Texans. He caught three of five targets for 24 yards in his two games with Houston before being waived, and now he's back in Baltimore. The 28-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent in March, so there's a good chance he won't open the 2025 season with the Ravens.

Sunday, January 5, 9:23 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle rushed 22 times for 72 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders. He also caught two of his three targets for an additional 12 yards through the air. Dowdle was quite impressive throughout the 2024 season, supplanting Ezekiel Elliott as the Cowboys' undisputed No. 1 running back. He finished the campaign with 1,079 rushing yards, 249 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns through 16 games, ranking as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football. There has been plenty of speculation that the Cowboys could take an aggressive approach with their pursuit of a running back this offseason, such as drafting Ashton Jeanty. However, there's also a real possibility they feel confident in Dowdle and don't take as big of a swing for a backfield addition within the upcoming months. The 26-year-old currently still has appeal as a mid-range RB3 option heading into the 2025 campaign, and until Dallas brings in competition, this backfield belongs to Dowdle.