Ezekiel Elliott

Fantasy News

• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Does little with increased volume

  Rotowire Dec 16, 2024

  Elliot gained 30 rushing yards on nine carries and caught his only target for 11 yards in Sunday's win over the Panthers. The veteran running back saw double-digit touches for the first time since Week 8, while his 41 yards from scrimmage were his highest total since Week 1. Elliott still took a clear back seat to Rico Dowdle, who ran for a career-high 149 yards on 25 totes. Even with the Cowboys' running game finding another gear in recent weeks due to improved play from the offensive line, Elliott doesn't seem likely to take advantage.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Remains afterthought in offense

  Rotowire Dec 2, 2024

  Elliott gained four yards on his lone carry in a 27-20 win over the Giants on Thanksgiving. The veteran back saw only nine snaps, his lowest workload of the season, and over the last three games Elliott has managed only 34 scrimmage yards on eight total touches. With Rico Dowdle cementing himself at the top of the backfield depth chart, there isn't much of a path for Elliott to have significant fantasy value.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Four touches in loss

  Rotowire Nov 20, 2024

  Elliott rushed once for eight yards and caught all three of his targets for 16 yards in Monday's 34-10 loss to the Texans. Elliott played 26 of the Cowboys' 83 offensive snaps Monday, with his 31 percent share being an increase from the 21 percent he handled in the Week 10 loss to the Eagles. Despite the bump in playing time, the veteran running back was unable to produce much in the way of relevant statistics. With teammate Rico Dowdle operating as the clear-cut No. 1 running back in Dallas, Elliott's fantasy utility has all but disappeared.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Coughs up fumble in blowout loss

  Rotowire Nov 11, 2024

  Elliott (suspension) rushed six times for 22 yards while losing a fumble in Sunday's 34-6 loss to Philadelphia. Elliott returned from a team-mandated one-game suspension to resume his backup role for the Cowboys. The veteran tailback didn't make a case to earn more carries upon his return, losing one of four Dallas fumbles Sunday. With Rico Dowdle handling the lead-back role, it is safe to leave Elliott on waivers ahead of next Monday's tilt against Houston.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Available in Week 10

  Rotowire Nov 4, 2024

  Head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that Elliott will be available for Dallas' Week 10 matchup against the Eagles after he didn't travel with the team to Atlanta last week for disciplinary reasons, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports. Elliott was a healthy inactive for the Week 9 loss to the Falcons, but McCarthy's comments Monday suggest that the running back won't face any further discipline from the team. The 2016 first-round pick has missed several team meetings throughout the season and has expressed frustration with his role, playing behind Rico Dowdle, fullback Hunter Luepke and recently Dalvin Cook. Though he'll be back in the fold for Sunday's game, look for Elliott to serve as little more than a depth piece who likely won't take on a much volume as a ball carrier or pass catcher.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Healthy scratch as expected

  Rotowire Nov 3, 2024

  Elliott (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Falcons, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Elliott will be a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. He has reportedly missed several team meetings throughout the season, with the most recent being Friday afternoon, per Jane Slater of NFL Network. As a result, Elliott and the team came to a mutual decision for him to not travel for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons. Rico Dowdle should see a heavy workload in Elliott's absence, while Dalvin Cook should also see some touches.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: In line to be inactive Sunday

  Rotowire Nov 2, 2024

  Elliott is expected to be a healthy scratch for Sunday's game in Atlanta, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Archer cited disciplinary reasons as the reason for Elliott not making the trip from Dallas to Atlanta this weekend. As a result, Rico Dowdle is set to lead the Cowboys backfield Week 9, while practice-squad elevation Dalvin Cook and, to a lesser extent, Hunter Luepke will be the options behind Dowdle.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Scores TD in Dowdle's absence

  Rotowire Oct 28, 2024

  Elliott rushed 10 times for 34 yards and a touchdown while catching his only target for four yards in Sunday's 30-24 loss to the 49ers. Elliott took advantage of Rico Dowdle (illness) being a late scratch, as the former led the Cowboys in carries and rushing yards while Dalvin Cook mustered just 12 rushing yards on six attempts. Elliott powered in a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give the Cowboys a 7-3 lead, but Dallas fell behind in the third quarter and had to abandon the run. Dowdle's likely to recover in time to face the Falcons in Week 9, which would likely revert Dallas' backfield to a timeshare, with the possibility of Elliott being bumped back down to a backup role.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Another poor showing

  Rotowire Oct 14, 2024

  Elliott carried the ball eight times for 17 yards in Sunday's loss to the Lions. His longest gain went for only six yards as Elliott once again failed to make any kind of impact. The veteran back is averaging a career-low 3.0 yards per carry and has shown nothing that would suggest he's a threat to Rico Dowdle as Dallas' No. 1 RB. With the Cowboys on bye Week 7, they could use the break to evaluate their backfield and decide whether or not Dalvin Cook, who currently is stashed on the practice squad, deserves a look in Elliott's place Week 8 against the 49ers.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Firmly in No. 2 role

  Rotowire Oct 7, 2024

  Elliott carried the ball six times for 17 yards and failed to catch his only target in Sunday's win over the Steelers. The veteran RB took a back seat to Rice Dowdle, who amassed 114 yards from scrimmage and a receiving TD on 22 touches. Elliott has shown very little this season in his return to Dallas, managing just 3.3 yards per carry, and he hasn't seen double-digit touches since Week 1. While he still has some utility for the Cowboys due to his pass protection skills, there's little reason for fantasy GMs to give Elliott a roster spot, even in the deepest formats.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Dehydration cited for LP

  Rotowire Oct 3, 2024

  Elliott was limited at Thursday's practice due to dehydration, Joe Hoyt of AllDLLS.com reports. Elliott was one of two Cowboys (also, WR Ryan Flournoy) tacked on to the injury report Thursday for such a reason. Typically, dehydration is a short-term concern, but his listing on Friday's report bears watching to see if he may go into the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh. In his return to Dallas this season, Elliott has found the going tough, averaging 7.5 touches for 29.3 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring one TD on the ground through four contests.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Six total touches in win

  Rotowire Sep 27, 2024

  Elliott rushed five times for 19 yards and secured his only target for five yards in the Cowboys' 20-15 win over the Giants on Thursday night. Elliott saw markedly less opportunity on the ground than backfield mate Rico Dowdle, who logged 11 carries. Eight of Elliott's rushing yards also came on one tote, underscoring how tough the sledding was on the ground for the veteran back. Elliott has now seen fewer carries than Dowdle in three consecutive contests, dimming the former's already suspect fantasy outlook considerably heading into a Week 5 road matchup against the Steelers on Sunday, Oct. 6.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Limited to three carries

  Rotowire Sep 23, 2024

  Elliott had three carries for six yards in Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Ravens. He added one reception on two targets for six yards. The Cowboys didn't utilize their ground game much as they faced a significant deficit, but Elliott saw only four touches to Rico Dowdle's 11. Elliott has seen his opportunity drop in each week of the season, and he's picked up only 62 yards on the ground on 19 carries on the campaign. His workload could rebound in a positive game script, but it seems unlikely that he'll deliver much at this point in his career.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: RBs to Sit

  Rotowire Sep 18, 2024

  Elliott played fewer snaps than Rico Dowdle in Week 2 against New Orleans (30-28), and hopefully that's a sign of things to come. Dowdle has more upside than Elliott, who struggled against the Saints with six carries for 16 yards and two catches for 16 yards on three targets. Elliot did score 12.9 PPR points in Week 1 at Cleveland since he found the end zone, but the Ravens should be able to contain Elliott and Dowdle in this matchup. Baltimore allowed Isiah Pacheco to score a touchdown in Week 1, but he was held to 78 total yards. And last week, the Ravens held the Raiders backfield to 41 total yards and no touchdowns.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Poor showing in loss

  Rotowire Sep 17, 2024

  Elliott carried the ball six times for 16 yards and caught two of three targets for 16 yards in Sunday's loss to the Saints. Rico Dowdle got the start in the backfield for the Cowboys, and while Elliott eventually saw a comparable workload (eight touches to Dowdle's 11), the veteran was less effective. So far, Elliott's return to Dallas hasn't gone well. He's averaged just 3.5 yards per carry through two games, and only a three-yard TD plunge in the opener has salvaged his fantasy production. A breakout seems unlikely Week 3 against a stingy Ravens run defense that's allowed the fewest rushing yards per game in the league through two weeks.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: RBs to Sit

  Rotowire Sep 11, 2024

  Elliott had a solid performance in Week 1 in his return to the Cowboys with 10 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown at Cleveland, and he added two catches for 9 yards on two targets. He alternated drives with Rico Dowdle for the majority of the game, and that seems like a pattern that will continue in Week 2 against New Orleans. Elliott will likely have to score to boost his Fantasy value, and we'll see if the New Orleans run defense is for real based on what happened in Week 1 against Carolina. The Saints held Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Mike Boone to a combined 15 carries for 43 yards and no catches on two targets. I would only use Elliott as a flex at best in Week 2.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Alternates possessions in Week 1

  Rotowire Sep 9, 2024

  Elliott rushed the ball 10 times for 40 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 33-17 win over the Browns. He added two receptions for nine yards. Elliott was on the field for Dallas' first possession, but he alternated drives with Rico Dowdle for the entirety of the game. Elliott was the more efficient of the duo by averaging 4.0 yards per carry, and he also plowed into the end zone from three yards away late in the second quarter. A continued even split between Elliott and Dowdle would be bad from a fantasy perspective for each rusher, though Dallas will presumably be willing to turn to one more consistently if either Elliott of Dowdle can prove effective with his opportunity.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Likely to split work Week 1

  Rotowire Sep 8, 2024

  Elliott is expected to have a "pretty even split" of the reps out of the backfield with Rico Dowdle in Sunday's season opener in Cleveland, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Though the Cowboys could end up riding the hotter hand of the two backs as the game goes along, both Elliott and Dowdle look set to be part of the team's game plan to begin the contest. Pelissero adds that practice-squad member Dalvin Cook could factor into Dallas' backfield mix as soon as Week 2 against the Saints, but the Cowboys chose not to elevate Cook for Week 1, leaving Deuce Vaughn as the No. 3 option behind Elliott and Dowdle. With the threat of a timeshare with Dowdle on the table for at least Week 1, Elliott might not make for an especially enticing option in fantasy lineups outside of deeper leagues.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Splitting first-team reps

  Rotowire Aug 9, 2024

  Elliott continued to splits first-team reps with Rico Dowdle during the Cowboys' joint practice with the Rams on Thursday, Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com reports. After spending a season in New England and producing a career-low 3.5 yards per carry, Elliott returned to Dallas this offseason on a cheap, one-year contract, but the 29-year-old still appears headed for a significant workload. The Cowboys don't have a clear No. 1 option in the backfield following the departure of Tony Pollard, so Elliott and Dowdle seem primed to handle the majority of the carries, with Royce Freeman (groin) and 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn (hamstring) also potentially in the mix. Elliott scored 24 total touchdowns with 2,257 scrimmage yards in 32 regular-season games over his last two seasons with the Cowboys, but it's highly unlikely he'll approach that level of production in 2024.

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• Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Gets $1.75 million guaranteed

  Rotowire May 1, 2024

  Elliott's one-year, $2 million contract with the Cowboys includes $1.75 million guaranteed, and he can earn up to $1 million more via incentives, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. All of the incentives require Dallas making the playoffs, with the other parts entailing Elliott playing more than half the team's snaps ($500,000), scoring 10 touchdowns ($250,000) or reaching 1,100 yards from scrimmage ($250,000). He did all three of those things in 2021, and two of the three in his most recent season with the Cowboys (2022). A one-year sojourn to New England proved less productive, though Elliott handled some huge workloads late in the season after Rhamondre Stevenson suffered a high-ankle injury, averaging 14.8 carries and 5.2 catches over the Patriots' final six games. The Cowboys probably won't call on him that often, even with their other backfield options -- Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman, Malik Davis and Snoop Conner -- being less than stellar. The Cowboys didn't draft a running back in April, and none of their veterans besides Elliott has ever run for more than 521 yards in a season.

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