Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Chris Olave

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.

Saturday, January 4, 3:50 PM

According to Katherine Terrell of ESPN, the New Orleans Saints have ruled out wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion) for Sunday's regular season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The star wideout has been sidelined since suffering his second concussion of the season during their Week 9 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Even though Olave has been able to participate in practice as a full participant over the past two weeks, Olave has not been able to pass the league's protocol to officially suit up. The 24-year-old has only been able to participate in just six full games this season. Across this small sample size, Olave tallied at least 80 receiving yards in four of them and found the end zone once. As a result, fantasy managers should expect Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kevin Austin to lead the passing attack on Sunday.