Sell Rico Dowdle?
By: Jake Rajala
Rico Dowdle, who plays running back for the Carolina Panthers, has been the biggest surprise player over the past couple of weeks. In dynasty, he’s unleashed 32.4 points in Week 5 and then 33.9 points in Week 6. He ran for 206 yards in Week 5 and then 183 yards in Week 6.
Before Week 5, he accumulated 21.3 points in five games. He has only dominated in two games this season. This is far from sexy. So, should we still trust him? Well, he ran for 1k yards for Dallas in 2024. I know it’s poetic that he ran wild against his former team (Cowboys). We still can’t drink the kool-aid from that showdown. We need to see more consistency. I believe it’s wise to put him in the flex spot. Of course, If he pretends to play the Cowboys each week, then he could be RB1 and MVP of the league.
PFF has given Rico a grade of 63.2. Many would find this puzzling. I believe it’s blatantly clear we can’t ignore the fact that he was below average for the vast majority of the season. It’s also partially true that PFF can’t always be trusted to judge a player.
With that said, what is the situation in fantasy revolving around Rico?
I would hold him right now, barring any trade offer from a team. If he can score double digit points in two straight weeks, then I will get over my trust issues with him.
He reminds me of Cowboys RB Javonte Williams. Both RBs have burst onto the scene and unleashed havoc. They are surprise playmakers, to say the least.
I do believe there could be a fascinating scenario. Perhaps a team offers an early draft pick with a RB for Rico. I may be tempted to accept it. It may be wise to wait after waiting a few weeks to see if he will get at least 20 points in a game. If he can play like a Top-5 RB over that span, it may be possible to trade him with an early pick for potentially any RB in the league.
I don’t believe it’s a fluke that Rico has played like an elite RB as of late. His ability didn’t change. It’s clear that the Panthers have given him the ball (23 attempts in Week 5 and 30 carries in Week 6). Before Week 5, his season-high number of carries in a game was 10 carries. Dowdle also gets better as time goes on, so he demands a lot of carries.
Dowdle isn’t going to suffer from the Madden curse like Saquon Barkley, or suffer fumble issues like Derrick Henry. Dowdle is also just entering his prime at 27 years old. He’s two years younger than CMAC and four years younger than King Henry.
The 24 year old Bryce Young has also played his best two game stretch of the season. He threw 3 TDs in Week 6 and a couple of TDs in Week 5. It’s important CAR doesn’t disrupt Young’s growth and change their pivotal rushing attack.
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