Dallas Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott Brings Top Fantasy Value

The Dallas Cowboys have a offensive line built to be the best run blocking team in all of the NFL, we all know that, but with the addition of Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott his fantasy football value, in dynasty and re-draft leagues for the upcoming season.

Ezekiel Elliott is most likely 99 out of 100 times going to be the 1.01 pick of any rookie dynasty draft this offseason, and for the most part in annual re-draft leagues, with his potential to a fantasy team, I can see him easily being a Top 10 pick in those drafts, even as a rookie.

The newest first-round pick of the Cowboys, Elliott, has great expectations from his new team and the fan base, because an instant impact is expected not just because he told Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones he wanted to win a Super Bowl, but because he was such a high draft selection, playing behind one of, if not the best (they are the best, in my opinion) run blocking offensive lines in the entire league.

At Ohio State, Elliott had many opportunities to run the football when 289 carries his junior season and 273 his sophomore season, the year the Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff National Championship. In ’15, Elliott and his 289 carries turned into 1,821 yards, for a 6.3 yards per carry average. His longest run was 80 yards, and he totaled a career-high 23 touchdowns.

Rewind back to his sophomore season, where on 273 carries Elliott rushed for 1,878 yards, for a 6.9 yards per carry average, with his longest run that season going for 85 yards. Also that championship season, Elliott rushed for 18 touchdowns behind a very good Ohio State offensive line.

With numbers like that and a skill set that transitions well to the NFL game, Elliott is a no-doubter 1.01 selection any dynasty rookie draft, and he’s a day one starter on your fantasy roster as well, because hopefully he can take some of the grind off Tony Romo and play a better version of the role DeMarco Murray played in 2014 with the Cowboys where he totaled 1,845 yards on 392 carries, an average of 4.7 yards per carry. That season, Murray also had 13 touchdowns.

Last year with Darren McFadden as the top running back, the Cowboys gained 1,089 yards of rushing (239 rushes, 4.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns from the veteran. As a team the Cowboys rushed for 1,890 yards on 408 running plays, an average of 4.6 yards per carry.

Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) carries the ball during the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Taking a closer look at the 2015 stats of Elliott, against teams ranked by the Associated Press, he had 69 carries for 396 yards but averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns, including one run of 66 yards. Against the Big Ten (which included AP ranked teams) with 185 carries, Elliott totaled 1,217 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry, with 14 touchdowns and a long run of 75 yards.

Elliott also had 104 carries against non-conference teams (also including AP ranked schools), where in 104 carries he totaled 604 yards, a 5.8 yards per carry average, with the longest run of 80 yards. He also had nine touchdowns in those games.

Most of Elliott’s yards this past collegiate season came in the third quarter, as his 94 carries in that part of the game turned into 703 yards, a 7.5 yards per carry average and five touchdowns. His best run in any third quarter went for 65 yards.

Elliot was also more of a second-half runner with the Buckeyes, carrying the football 160 times for 1,142 yards in the third and fourth quarters combined, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. In the first half of games, he totaled 129 carries for 679 yards, for a 5.3 yards per carry average. In the first half of games, Elliott scored 12 touchdowns, and in the second half, he totaled 11 touchdowns.