Carolina Panthers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

The Athletic's Jon Machota thinks that Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle should be the favorite to lead the team in rushing attempts and rushing yards in 2024. The fifth-year back made the most of his opportunities in training camp and was the team's most explosive RB while showcasing an ability in the passing game to be a complete back. With Tony Pollard gone this year, Dowdle will be working alongside veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook. "The more you can do, the better," Dowdle said. "When you can catch out of the backfield, run routes and also run the ball well, it's hard to take you off the field. I want to be a three-down back." The 26-year-old probably has the most upside of the trio, but he's going to need to be extremely efficient out of the backfield to become anything more than a weekly RB4/flex option while sharing touches with Elliott and Cook in Dallas.

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) will miss at least the first four games of the regular season after he was placed on the PUP list amidst his torn ACL recovery. This will delay Brooks' NFL debut, and he'll face an uphill battle to emerge as the Panthers' No. 1 running back once he's healthy. While Brooks is undoubtedly the Panthers' franchise running back, it could be difficult for him to win the job over Chuba Hubbard in the middle of the season while recovering from a serious injury and still acclimating to the NFL caliber of play. In other words, a Week 5 return wouldn't necessarily mean he'd warrant a spot in your Week 5 starting lineup. At the very least, fantasy managers should tamper expectations when Brooks gets healthy and be prepared to exercise patience as he gets adjusted to the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle will play fewer special teams snaps as the team prepares to give him increased looks out of the backfield in 2024, head coach Mike McCarthy told the media. Dowdle is projected to operate alongside Ezekiel Elliott atop the Cowboys' running back room this season. While Elliott may technically open the year as the starter, Dallas feels very confident in Dowdle's ability to be a three-down back and plans to get him very involved this year. With an ADP of 127, he's currently being drafted 43rd among all running backs in fantasy football. He has legitimate FLEX value down the stretch and could sneak into the RB2 tier in the event that Elliott misses time.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Emani Bailey has been cut by the organization on Friday. The team has decided to move on from the 22-year-old to make room for quarterback Bailey Zappe on their practice squad. Bailey failed to impress during his time with the Chiefs during the preseason. He rushed 10 times for 29 yards and caught one pass in three games. The Chiefs decided to stick with Carson Steele as their No. 4 back instead of Bailey. The undrafted back will now look to catch on elsewhere before the season begins.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said that running back Rico Dowdle will get fewer special teams spans this year because he's expected to be a bigger part of the offense with an expanded workload. Dowdle is expected to open the 2024 season as the co-starter with veteran Ezekiel Elliott, but the recent signing of Dalvin Cook could put a damper on Dowdle's fantasy value this year. The 26-year-old former South Carolina product had just seven carries for Dallas in his first two years in the league, but his role expanded considerably in 2023, as he had 89 rushing attempts for 361 yards and two touchdowns and added 17 receptions for 144 yards and two more scores in 16 regular-season games. Dowdle almost certainly isn't going to take over this backfield single-handedly, which probably caps his fantasy value as a RB4/flex, at best.