Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Will Shipley

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.

Wednesday, September 17, 3:29 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley (oblique) remains out of practice on Wednesday as the team begins preparations for Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, according to Zach Berman of The Athletic. Shipley suffered an oblique injury in the season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys and was inactive for the Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl rematch. Since the 23-year-old's injury in Week 1, the Eagles went out and acquired Tank Bigsby in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for additional backfield depth behind starter Saquon Barkley. In addition to Bigsby, Philly also has AJ Dillon as an option at the position, so when Shipley is healthy enough to return to the field, he figures to take on a smaller role as a change-of-pace option behind Barkley.