Dallas Cowboys DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Carolina Panthers running back Raheem Blackshear earned lead running back duties in Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Chuba Hubbard (calf, knee) landing on the injured reserve. Blackshear finished with four carries for 47 yards in Sunday's 44-38 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers activated Miles Sanders (ankle) off the injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game, and Blackshear took a clear backseat to Sanders in this one. In this matchup, he was out-touched by Sanders 17 to four. Although he only had four carries, he turned that into 47 total yards to provide some value for fantasy managers. Blackshear finishes the 2024 season with 15 carries for 80 yards. He will not be a recommended fantasy option for managers in 2025.

Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (ankle) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the Atlanta Falcons. He had been listed as questionable but was widely expected to play after being activated from injured reserve on Saturday. The 27-year-old will lead Carolina's backfield with Chuba Hubbard (calf, knee) on injured reserve. Sanders, who totaled 237 yards and one touchdown through 10 games earlier this season, will take over the backfield from Raheem Blackshear. He ranks as a mid-to-low RB3 in fantasy football against the Falcons.

According to the team, the Carolina Panthers have activated running back Miles Sanders (ankle) off the injured reserve. While Sanders still carries a questionable tag, this transaction suggests he should be in line to return to action in the season finale. The 27-year-old has been sidelined since suffering a sprained ankle during their Week 10 contest against the New York Giants. If Sanders is able to return on Sunday afternoon, fantasy managers should expect him to take the lead role in the backfield. As a result, Rasheem Blackshear and Mike Boone will be used as change-of-pace options and may not be given enough opportunities to have productive fantasy outputs. As a result, fantasy managers should fade this backfield if possible as Sanders carries low-end flex upside in a crowded backfield.

Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams just isn't being involved enough to be an exciting fantasy option heading into the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday in Denver against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs. In a Broncos backfield that has become a committee approach that also involves Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime, Williams will almost certainly need to find the end zone against a Chiefs defense resting key starters for the playoffs in order to reward fantasy managers as a flex play. Williams didn't see a single rushing attempt for the first time all year in last week's overtime loss to the Bengals and caught only two passes. He hasn't had double-digit carries since way back in Week 9 and has averaged a mere 3.6 yards per carry and 30.3 rushing yards per game in 16 contests this year. In a committee backfield with limited opportunities, there's little upside from Williams.

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is coming off of a rough outing in which he made his lone extra point attempt but missed his lone field goal attempt in a blowout loss to Philadelphia. The 29-year-old kicker will look to bounce back in the season's finale against the Washington Commanders, although the Dallas offense looks inept with CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) on the shelf. Aubrey missed two field goals in the previous matchup against Washington and it appears that Dallas may be rotating quarterbacks this week, making it a questionable offensive situation. However, Aubrey is one of the most consistent kickers in the league. He can be started but beware that he has a wide range of outcomes in Week 18.