Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Tank Bigsby

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.

Saturday, August 2, 1:05 PM

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby was in on the team's entire first drive of their scrimmage on Friday at training camp, and Travis Etienne Jr. and rookie Bhayshul Tuten weren't seen at all. It's just a scrimmage early in camp, but it's worth noting as Bigsby looks to take control of a bigger part of Jacksonville's backfield under new head coach Liam Coen in 2025. During practices, both Bigsby and Etienne have been rotating work with the first-team offense, so the Jags could use a straight committee approach to their running game. RotoBaller has Etienne ranked as the RB33 this year, with Bigby checking in at No. 50. Bigsby was impressive last year, though, rushing for 766 yards and seven touchdowns on 168 carries (4.6 yards per tote). He could command a larger share of touches in 2025, but his lack of passing-game prowess hurts his overall fantasy upside.