Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Ray Davis

Saturday, December 21, 12:03 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle will be facing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense on Sunday Night Football in Week 16 that has allowed the fewest half-PPR points to opposing RBs in the last five weeks, which includes just one rushing touchdown given up. However, because of the high volume that Dowdle has been seeing of late as Dallas' clear-cut No. 1 RB, he'll carry high-end RB2 value for fantasy managers still alive in the playoffs. The 26-year-old is coming off a a career-best 149 rushing yards on 25 carries in last week's win over the Carolina Panthers after setting a previous career-best with 131 rushing yards the week prior. In the last four games, Dowdle has really been eating, seeing at least 18 carries per game and averaging 5.69 yards per attempt with a touchdown. Fantasy managers may not want to expect another career performance on Sunday night, but Dowdle is certainly trending up.

Sunday, December 22, 8:52 AM

Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis has consistently occupied a depth role behind James Cook this season, but that hasn't stopped him from earning touches, especially when the Bills need a change of pace or have mounted a large lead. Davis could see a significant share of garbage-time opportunities this week against the New England Patriots, who have allowed an average of 24.1 points per game to opposing offenses amidst their 3-11 start. The Patriots have struggled against NFL backfields, allowing the fourth-most rushing yards and fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2024. This all bodes well for Cook more than Davis, but if Buffalo jumps out to an early lead as expected, we could see the rookie carve out a significant workload, too. He's worth considering as a low-end RB3/FLEX option in leagues with at least 14 teams.