Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Christian Watson
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Rico Dowdle News
Friday, March 27, 11:40 AM
Across 17 games with the Carolina Panthers in 2025, running back Rico Dowdle racked up 1,373 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns on 275 touches. After recording just 83 rushing yards over Carolina's first four games of the season, Dowdle took advantage of a mid-season injury to fellow Panthers back Chuba Hubbard and emerged as the team's RB1 through the remainder of the year. Dowdle's emergence in Carolina was enough to earn him a two-year, $12.25 million contract from the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. In Pittsburgh, Dowdle will likely split touches with incumbent Steelers back Jaylen Warren. Warren's presence limits Dowdle's fantasy upside, particularly as a receiver. However, Dowdle is the more physical of the two backs and could be the team's preferred early-down and red zone rusher. Overall, Dowdle profiles as a fringe starting running back option for fantasy managers in a split backfield in Pittsburgh.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Christian Watson News
Wednesday, March 25, 4:16 PM
As long as he can stay healthy, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson will be a popular breakout candidate in fantasy football in 2026 in his fifth year in the NFL. Watson has yet to play in more than 15 games in a season due to injuries since being drafted in the second round in 2022 out of North Dakota State. The 26-year-old played in just 10 regular-season games in 2025 after recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered late in 2024, but he still ended up being a top-50 fantasy wideout. Watson excelled as a top playmaker for Green Bay upon his return from Injured Reserve, catching 35 of his 55 targets for 611 yards and six touchdowns. He finished second on the team in catches, targets, and receiving yards to Romeo Doubs, who is now in New England. Tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) will be returning from a torn ACL, and second-year wideout Matthew Golden will have a bigger role, but all signs point to Watson being the projected clear receiving leader in 2026 if he's healthy. Watson's big-play ability (17.0 yards per catch in his career) will make him a high-risk/high-reward WR2 in fantasy drafts later this year.
Rico Dowdle vs. Christian Watson
Still trying to decide between Dowdle and Watson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Rico Dowdle is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Christian Watson is projected to score 0.0 points.
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