Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Blake Corum

Saturday, August 9, 4:08 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle showed a glimpse of his potential as a pass-catching threat in the team's preseason debut against the Cleveland Browns, recording one reception for 20 yards to go along with two rushes for seven yards. The 27-year-old running back is entering his sixth season in the NFL after spending his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys, which was riddled with injuries. Dowdle is clearly behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart, but could carve out a role in the Panthers' receiving or two-minute offense in 2025. Coming off an underwhelming 2024 season in Dallas, where high hopes for the lead back role didn't materialize (235-1,079-2 on the ground, 39-249-3 in the air), a move to a new location and a backup role could take some pressure off Dowdle and allow him to grow into his potential. Rotoballer currently projects him as RB55, but Dowdle could be a sneaky stash if anything happens to Hubbard throughout the season.

Tuesday, September 16, 1:26 AM

Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum carried the ball five times for 44 yards and one rushing touchdown during Sunday's Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans. He has continued to operate as the direct backup to Kyren Williams, but this was the first time in a while were Corum himself had standalone fantasy value. Of course, without the touchdown, Corum would have had only 4.4 fantasy points, which is not enough to justify starting him. With all this being said, perhaps the biggest indicator of Corum's growing role is his snap count. He played 18 snaps on Sunday as his snap share jumped from 17 percent in Week 1 to 30 percent in Week 2. Corum remains an intriguing riser and one of the league's stronger handcuff options, but a non-receiving role on a 30 percent snap share isn't quite enough to justify starting him in fantasy football. He should continue to be stashed on the bench for the time being.