Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Keaton Mitchell
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
Tuesday, June 23, 5:37 AM
Veteran running back Rico Dowdle has topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, playing for two different teams, and he looks to keep that streak alive after signing a two-year, $12.3 million deal this offseason to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Dallas, Dowdle shared the backfield with three-time Pro Bowler Ezekiel Elliott, while last year in Carolina, he joined a room with Chuba Hubbard, who was fresh off an RB15 finish and a four-year contract extension. While he was able to ultimately wrestle primary duties from both, Elliott was well past his prime, while Hubbard spent much of the year slowed by a calf injury. In Pittsburgh, even as he reunites with former head coach Mike McCarthy, Dowdle could face notably stiffer competition for playing time from jack-of-all-trades Jaylen Warren, who himself finished as the RB16 in 2025 while splitting work with one of the league's most proficient pass catchers, Kenneth Gainwell. However, in an Aaron Rodgers-led offense unlikely to push the ball downfield, both backs are likely to see heavy involvement, and with neither currently being drafted inside the top 30 of the position, both stand a strong chance to outperform ADP. Dowdle is RotoBaller's RB33 for 2026, but with multiple paths to fantasy relevance, he could prove to be one of the year's better mid-round values.
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 |
Keaton Mitchell News
Tuesday, June 30, 6:00 AM
Los Angeles Chargers running back Keaton Mitchell has averaged more than six yards per rushing attempt through his first three seasons in the league, but injuries and a sub-200-pound frame have limited him to fewer than 60 carries every year. Landing in a Chargers offense, where new coordinator Mike McDaniel values speed above perhaps any other trait, Mitchell has a chance to see the largest workload of his career. Having run a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Combine, Mitchell is a player who only gets faster when the pads come on. Per Next Gen Stats, his 14.49 MPH average run speed per carry in 2025 led all players with at least 50 attempts and was more than a full mile per hour faster than the next player on the list, Miami's De'Von Achane. While it's unreasonable to expect a similar level of impact from Mitchell, Achane was one of the league's most explosive players in McDaniel's offense, and if the 24-year-old former undrafted free agent can see even a modest uptick in usage in that same system, he could see weekly fantasy viability as a flex-worthy starter. All indications are that Los Angeles' backfield will run through 2025 first-rounder Omarion Hampton, but Mitchell has both the ability and the environment to develop into one of the most efficient change-of-pace backs in the league, and at RotoBaller's dynasty RB80, he's a low-cost trade target who could see his value rise considerably in the coming years.
Rico Dowdle vs. Keaton Mitchell
Still trying to decide between Dowdle and Mitchell? 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 Keaton Mitchell is projected to score 0.0 points.
Latest Fantasy News
