Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Tyler Allgeier

Sunday, January 5, 9:23 PM

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle rushed 22 times for 72 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders. He also caught two of his three targets for an additional 12 yards through the air. Dowdle was quite impressive throughout the 2024 season, supplanting Ezekiel Elliott as the Cowboys' undisputed No. 1 running back. He finished the campaign with 1,079 rushing yards, 249 receiving yards, and five total touchdowns through 16 games, ranking as a low-end RB2 in fantasy football. There has been plenty of speculation that the Cowboys could take an aggressive approach with their pursuit of a running back this offseason, such as drafting Ashton Jeanty. However, there's also a real possibility they feel confident in Dowdle and don't take as big of a swing for a backfield addition within the upcoming months. The 26-year-old currently still has appeal as a mid-range RB3 option heading into the 2025 campaign, and until Dallas brings in competition, this backfield belongs to Dowdle.

Saturday, January 4, 2:42 PM

Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier should be viewed as a risky RB3 heading into a Week 18 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Last weekend Allgeier saw just three attempts during their overtime loss to the Washington Commanders. However, during Weeks 13 through 16, Allgeier ran the ball an average of ten times per game. While Allgeier may see a similar workload as he did during that stretch this Sunday, he only averaged 6.0 PPR points per game over this previous span which suggests he has a limited ceiling playing behind Bijan Robinson. Despite facing a weak Carolina Panthers defense that has allowed the most PPR points to opposing running backs, the BYU product projects to be a risky RB3 given his minimal role in the Atlanta offense as the clear No.2 option in the backfield.