Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Kyren Williams
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.7 | 48.6 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 14.5 | 0.1 |
Rico Dowdle News
Wednesday, July 15, 10:20 AM
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle is entering his first season in Pittsburgh after signing a two-year contract worth over $12 million in free agency. With the Steelers, Dowdle appears likely to operate as part of a split backfield with incumbent running back Jaylen Warren. While Warren logged 1,291 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns for the Steelers last year, Pittsburgh has a new coaching staff in place for the 2026 season. Dowdle has proven himself to be a capable three-down back in recent years, recording 1,328 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 and 1,373 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers in 2025. While Warren may handle most of the receiving work for Pittsburgh, Dowdle profiles as the better rusher between the tackles and at the goal line. Even while splitting touches with Panthers back Chuba Hubbard in 2025, Dowdle finished as the RB23 in per-game PPR scoring. At his current redraft ADP of RB32, Dowdle profiles as a value selection for fantasy managers.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.8 | 64.4 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 13.5 | 0.1 |
Kyren Williams News
Monday, July 13, 11:58 AM
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams had an excellent season in 2025, recording 1,533 scrimmage yards and 13 touchdowns on 295 touches across 17 games. The 25-year-old has now logged three consecutive seasons with at least 1,350 scrimmage yards and 13 scores, and he hasn't finished lower than RB11 by per-game PPR scoring since 2022. However, Williams saw a workload decrease in 2025, averaging 17.4 touches per game last season after averaging 21.8 touches per game across 2023 and 2024. The smaller role was due to the emergence of fellow Rams running back Blake Corum, who could steal even more playing time away from Williams in 2026. Given how productive Williams has been in recent seasons, it seems unlikely that Los Angeles would move him into a secondary role. Still, the Super Bowl-hopeful Rams could choose to operate a true 50/50 split between their two talented backs, keeping them both fresh throughout the year. As the RB14 by current average draft position in redraft leagues, Williams may be slightly overvalued.
Rico Dowdle vs. Kyren Williams
Still trying to decide between Dowdle and Williams? 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 10.7 points this week while Kyren Williams is projected to score 13.8 points.
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