Rico Dowdle

Rico Dowdle

26-Year-Old Running BackRB
Dallas Cowboys
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Dowdle is an interesting fringe prospect and a fine part of the Dallas roster, but he's probably not the type of backup who can truly take over for a starter if an emergency arises. He looks the part of a powerful runner at 5-11, 215, but he struggled with injuries at South Carolina and never lived up to the promise of his 2016 freshman season. That initial campaign produced his collegiate highs for touches (148), total yards (819) and touchdowns (seven), with Dowdle limited by injuries, fumbles and/or timeshares thereafter. He then hung around the back end of the Cowboys' roster and practice squad for three years after going undrafted in 2020, finally getting his big break in 2023 as the No. 2 back behind Tony Pollard (who didn't miss any games). There's another opportunity on hand with Pollard gone and replaced by 29-year-old Ezekiel Elliott, but Dowdle's mediocre work last season (4.1 YPC last season) leaves his depth chart standing in question, with anywhere from first to fourth looking possible as camp approaches. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#139.87
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $1.26 million contract with the Cowboys in March of 2024.
Career-best 149 yards
RBDallas Cowboys
December 15, 2024
Dowdle rushed the ball 25 times for 149 yards in Sunday's 30-14 win over the Panthers. He was not targeted.
ANALYSIS
Dowdle was coming off a career-best 131 rushing-yard performance, but he outpaced that mark in Sunday's blowout win. He had a solid first half but was relied upon to burn clock in the final two quarters, when he tallied 14 attempts for 91 yards. The only downside to Dowdle's performance was that he couldn't find the end zone, but he's suddenly one of the league's most productive backs, having topped 100 yards on the ground in three straight contests.
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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Rico Dowdle's 2024 advanced stats compare to other running backs?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
  • Broken Tackle %
    The number of broken tackles divided by rush attempts.
  • Positive Run %
    The percentage of run plays where he was able to gain positive yardage.
  • % Yds After Contact
    The percentage of his rushing yards that came after contact.
  • Avg Yds After Contact
    The average rushing yards he gains after contact.
  • Rushing TD %
    Rushing touchdowns divided by rushing attempts. In other words, how often is he scoring when running the ball.
  • Touches Per Game
    The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) he is averaging per game
  • % Snaps w/Touch
    The number of touches (rushing attempts + receptions) divided by offensive snaps played.
  • Air Yards Per Game
    The number of air yards he is averaging per game. Air yards measure how far the ball was thrown downfield for both complete and incomplete passes. Air yards are recorded as a negative value when the pass is targeted behind the line of scrimmage. All air yards data is from Sports Info Solutions and does not include throwaways as targeted passes.
  • Air Yards Per Snap
    The number of air yards he is averaging per offensive snap.
  • % Team Air Yards
    The percentage of the team's total air yards he accounts for.
  • % Team Targets
    The percentage of the team's total targets he accounts for.
  • Avg Depth of Target
    Also known as aDOT, this stat measures the average distance down field he is being targeted at.
  • Catch Rate
    The number of catches made divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Drop Rate
    The number of passes he dropped divided by the number of times he was targeted by the quarterback.
  • Avg Yds After Catch
    The number of yards he gains after the catch on his receptions.
  • % Targeted On Route
    Targets divided by total routes run. Also known as TPRR.
  • Avg Yds Per Route Run
    Receiving yards divided by total routes run. Also known as YPRR.
Broken Tackle %
18.1%
 
Positive Run %
88.1%
 
% Yds After Contact
59.9%
 
Avg Yds After Contact
3.0
 
Rushing TD %
0.6%
 
Touches Per Game
16.2
 
% Snaps w/Touch
44.4%
 
Air Yards Per Game
0.1
 
Air Yards Per Snap
0.00
 
% Team Air Yards
0.0%
 
% Team Targets
8.0%
 
Avg Depth of Target
0.0 Yds
 
Catch Rate
78.6%
 
Drop Rate
2.4%
 
Avg Yds After Catch
6.5
 
% Targeted On Route
18.6%
 
Avg Yds Per Route Run
0.91
 
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2024
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Dallas CowboysCowboys 2024 RB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

47351%
18371%
23125%
4116%
344%
00%
233%
00%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Rico Dowdle lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Buccaneers pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
TB
vs Buccaneers
Sunday, Dec 22nd at 8:20PM
Overall QB Rating Against
85.5
 
Cornerbacks
86.9
 
Safeties
74.0
 
Linebackers
97.3
 
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2024 Rico Dowdle Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Rico Dowdle's measurables compare to other running backs?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 0"
 
Weight
215 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.54 sec
 
Vertical Jump
38.0 in
 
Broad Jump
127 in
 
Bench Press
0 reps
 
Hand Length
9.50 in
 
Arm Length
31.38 in
 
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6 days ago
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NFL Picks: Week 15 Underdog Pick 'Em selections
6 days ago
Dan Marcus offers his Week 15 underdog picks, featuring Jaylen Waddle and the expectation that he'll go higher than 55.5 receiving yards.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2021
2020
The 25-year-old has just seven NFL carries since being signed as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2020, as injuries have disrupted his career so far, but Dowdle drew high marks in training camp for his football IQ and blocking ability. His value as a special-teams player could secure him a spot on the 53-man roster regardless of how much usage he sees on offense.
A 2020 undrafted free agent, Dowdle earned a spot on special teams and saw brief action on offense in a couple games but didn't impress with his seven carries. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are locked into the top two spots on the depth chart, so Dowdle may not see a big increase in snaps in his second NFL campaign, but the Cowboys seem comfortable with him in the No. 3 role.
Dowdle never matched the 764 rushing yards and 5.7 YPC he posted as a freshman in 2016, and as a result he went undrafted out of South Carolina. He does possess adequate athleticism and a versatile skill set and could carve out a depth role in the NFL, but gameday snaps on offense will be hard to find in Dallas behind Ezekiel Elliott.
More Fantasy News
Stars in MNF loss
RBDallas Cowboys
December 9, 2024
Dowdle rushed 18 times for 131 yards and brought in one of two targets for 10 yards in the Cowboys' 27-20 loss to the Bengals on Monday night.
ANALYSIS
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Tops 100 yards on ground
RBDallas Cowboys
November 28, 2024
Dowdle rushed the ball 22 times for 112 yards and a touchdown in Thursday's 27-20 win over the Giants. He added three receptions on three targets for 11 yards.
ANALYSIS
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Garners 98 total yards in win
RBDallas Cowboys
November 24, 2024
Dowdle rushed 19 times for 86 yards and brought in all three targets for 12 yards in the Cowboys' 34-26 win over the Commanders on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.
ANALYSIS
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Struggles with 12 touches Monday
RBDallas Cowboys
November 18, 2024
Dowdle rushed 10 times for 28 yards while catching two of five targets for six yards in Monday's 34-10 win over Houston.
ANALYSIS
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Lead back moving forward
RBDallas Cowboys
November 14, 2024
Coach Mike McCarthy called Dowdle the Cowboys' "lead back" Thursday, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Gets backfield competition
RBDallas Cowboys
August 28, 2024
Dowdle could face additional competition for playing time, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports that the Cowboys signed Dalvin Cook to their practice squad Wednesday,
ANALYSIS
Dowdle was one of three running backs named to Dallas' 53-man roster Tuesday, along with Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn. While Dowdle will likely get a chance to earn a prominent role early, the Cowboys now have the option of signing Cook to their active roster if the team isn't impressed with the early returns from Dowdle, who has logged just 96 rushing attempts since entering the professional ranks in 2020.
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