Dalvin Cook is on the Cowboys' Active Roster: Fantasy Implications for Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott
Potential implications of Cook debuting with Dallas on Sunday night and how he might make an impact.
Dalvin Cook signed with the Dallas Cowboys on August 28. He is making his debut with the team in Week 8 against the 49ers.
It’s intriguing because Dallas might have the worst running game in the league. Bringing back an aged Ezekiel Elliott was the only move they made at the position in the offseason, otherwise sticking with 2023 backups Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.
As bad as they’ve been, it seems like anyone could be an upgrade. There are several guys on other teams who could be traded, including the recently returned Nick Chubb, but Dallas has a chance to see what they have with a former top-10 back who is coming in fresh two months into the season.
Dalvin Cook
Let’s start with the man himself: Cook had over 1,100 rushing yards in four straight seasons from 2019-2022. He peaked with 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2020. Cook was often drafted as a top-five fantasy RB during that stretch.
Minnesota cut him for salary cap purposes after the 2022 season, and he signed with the Jets with the hope he could join Aaron Rodgers in lifting them to new heights. We all know how that went.
Cook is now a 29-year-old running back coming off by far the worst season of his career, and he hasn’t played a snap as he worked into shape/learned the system/got comfortable. That doesn’t mean he can’t make an impact, though.
Cowboys’ Running Game
The Cowboys have the least rushing yards in the league, over 100 less than the 31st-place Jets. Part of that is because they’ve had their bye, but Dallas also averages the least rush yards per game and the fewest yards per carry. It’s been a total disaster on the ground.
According to ESPN’s measure, the Cowboys’ offensive line has been average: They rank 19th in pass block win rate and 18th in run block win rate. Judging just by those metrics, Dallas should be in the middle in rushing production. That suggests the running backs might be more to blame.
Will Cook Help?
The Dallas RBs are anything but exciting:
- Rico Dowdle: 59 carries, 246 yards (4.2 per carry), no touchdowns
- Ezekiel Elliott: 38 carries, 115 yards (3.0 per carry), one touchdown
Dowdle has at least pushed toward middling, but no other back for the Cowboys has done anything resembling acceptable work. Dowdle has also produced a little in the passing game, with 16 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
He fits better as a backup. If Elliott were producing like his prime self, this pairing would be great. In 2024, though, they need help to get to even an average level.
Cook could possibly help given the sorry state of things through seven weeks. I’m not counting on him being an above-average back, but there’s intrigue that he could take over as the top guy and get volume, if nothing else.
Cook has averaged around 2.7 receptions and 21.3 receiving yards per game in his career, so he shouldn’t be expected to make a huge impact in that department. Taking the bulk of the carries and getting the short yardage work is where Cook could really become an impactful fantasy player.
Fantasy Implications
I’m intrigued by the idea of grabbing Cook Sunday morning before games start just in case he does something. He will become a hot waiver wire name if he puts together any sort of performance, so anyone with a flexible roster spot could do a lot worse than adding Cook to their bench before the waiver period starts.
That doesn’t mean I’m expecting big things, but it’s an upside play. This is a team we expect to be successful on offense, leaving plenty of scoring opportunities if things go right. Worst case, Cook makes no impact, and you drop him before next week’s games.
Dowdle will probably work on third downs in any case, and it’s likely he will still lead the backfield in Week 8. There’s nothing for the team to lose by including Cook and seeing if they have something, though; it can’t get much worse.
Conclusion
Cook probably won’t be a major fantasy player. He could ascend to the top role in Dallas given how bad they’ve been running the ball, but Cook doesn’t seem like a guy who is going to step in and turn things around.
He’ll likely be a flex-level player at best and shouldn’t be in any lineups in Week 8, though stashing him on your bench is a reasonable move.
#2024-fantasy-football #start-sit-decision
