Who Should I Start? Ezekiel Elliott or Rico Dowdle

Sunday, August 16, 9:35 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle has a real chance to come out of camp with the larger share of this backfield. He rushed for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns on 236 carries with Carolina last season, added 39 catches for 297 yards and another score, and has now cleared 1,000 rushing yards in back-to-back years. Pittsburgh did not bring him in to sit, but Jaylen Warren is not going away either. Warren is still listed first on the initial depth chart, and the Steelers have continued giving both backs first-team work. The interesting part is that Pittsburgh itself has called Warren's No. 1 designation temporary while the coaching staff sorts out the split. Both backs have been described as capable of handling every down, so this could change by game plan or even by who has the hot hand. RotoBaller has Dowdle at RB29. That's a fair spot for the uncertainty, but there is more upside here if Dowdle ends up getting the heavier side of the workload. He looks like a solid middle-round target rather than someone to fade because of the committee.