Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Jaydon Blue

Sunday, November 2, 7:23 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle had 25 rushing attempts, 130 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns during Sunday's Week 9 win over the Green Bay Packers. He also caught two of his three targets for an additional 11 receiving yards. Dowdle was named the official lead back ahead of this week's game, and he wasted no time confirming the coaching staff made the right decision with his role. He averaged at least 4.65 yards per carry for the fifth consecutive week, bringing his season total to 5.61 YPC. After being somewhat of a non-factor through the first four weeks of the season, Dowdle has suddenly emerged as a potential league-winner in fantasy football. He is the RB3 in PPR leagues over the last five weeks, as well as the overall RB9 over the full nine weeks since the season began. He has a firm grasp on the No. 1 role in Carolina and should be deployed as a strong RB1 option in fantasy football ahead of next week's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Monday, November 3, 8:00 PM

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Jaydon Blue and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo are both healthy scratches for the team's Monday night game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was very critical of Blue following the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos, in which Blue had a costly fumble. The 21-year-old will now be inactive this week in favor of Malik Davis as Dallas' RB2 behind starter Javonte Williams. It's a step back for Blue, who didn't make his NFL debut until Week 5 for the Cowboys. In his four games played, the fifth-rounder out of Texas has carried the ball 22 times for 65 yards (3.0 yards per carry) while adding one catch for five yards. While Blue probably won't be in the doghouse for the rest of the season, he's in street clothes on Monday night and has currently lost out on the RB2 role in Dallas.