Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Javonte Williams

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.

Friday, September 5, 12:42 AM

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams carried the ball 15 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns during Thursday's season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. He also caught two of three targets for an additional seven yards through the air. Williams' final rushing line amounted to just 3.6 yards per carry, but he bailed out fantasy managers with a pair of goal-line touchdowns. Unfortunately, we can't expect him to continue scoring twice (or even once) per game, and the yardage inefficiency paints a much clearer picture than his touchdowns. Fantasy managers should continue to view Williams as a mid-range RB3/FLEX, especially with Miles Sanders continuing to rotate in.