Ezekiel Elliott DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott could see more opportunities later in the season, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Meirov reported that Dallas owner Jerry Jones expressed that the team is "saving him" on 105.3 The Fan when asked about his lack of opportunities. After seeing double-digit rushing attempts in the opening week of the season, Elliott has yet to hit that mark since and has averaged just 2.9 yards per carry in this span. Rico Dowdle has begun to emerge as the lead option in the backfield and has scored in each of the past two games and seen double-digit carries in each of them. Fantasy managers in deeper formats could consider stashing Elliott, but for now, Dowdle has the highest upside on the depth chart.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has seen his role diminish in the past few weeks. Elliott has taken a clear step back to Rico Dowdle, who had 22 touches compared to his six last week. This week, Dallas draws a tough running back matchup against Detroit. With Elliott's diminished workload along with a tough matchup, he should not be started anywhere this week. Elliott can be safely dropped in most formats, as he now serves as Dowdle's handcuff.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott continued to see his workload decline on Sunday night. The veteran rushed just six times for 17 yards as opposed to Rico Dowdle's 22 touches. Elliott has been phased out of the running game over the past two weeks and is now firmly off of the fantasy radar. The 29-year-old is valuable in pass protection, but cannot be counted on in fantasy due to his lack of volume. He does not need to be rostered in most formats, as he would only be startable should Dowdle miss time. Feel free to cut ties prior to a tough Week 6 matchup with the Detroit Lions.

Dallas Cowboys running backs Ezekiel Elliott (dehydration) and Rico Dowdle (wrist) both popped up on the injury report on Thursday. Elliott was limited due to dehydration, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect that to be an issue heading into Week 5 on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dowdle is dealing with a wrist issue but was a full participant during Thursday's practice. That being said, Dowdle should be fine heading into their matchup against the Steelers. The two backs have been splitting the backfield, but Dowdle has been pulling away with an increase in carries lately. Despite that, Dowdle remains a low-end flex play heading into a tough matchup against the Steelers defense.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott only touched the ball four times in last week's loss to Baltimore. Elliott's usage has not been consistent enough this season to consider him a weekly starter, but this week's matchup with the New York Giants offers more upside than last week's did. Elliott will likely need a touchdown to pay off for fantasy purposes, making him a tough start in most formats. He ranks as a low-end RB3, as he should once again split the already limited rushing work with Rico Dowdle.