Even though a good quarterback makes everyone better, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will see his fantasy value increase due to the injury to Tony Romo.
Last season the entire Dallas Cowboys football team looked lost without quarterback Tony Romo. They struggled to get the ball in the end zone, and closing out games was a huge issue. They were 3-1 with Romo and 1-11 without him.
That doesn’t mean that no one on the team was valuable in fantasy football. The most valuable being running back Darren McFadden who took over in Week 7 and had double digit fantasy points in seven-of-11 contests from then on.
In ESPN leagues McFadden had outings of 22 points in Week 7, 14 in Week 11 and 12 in Week 17. Those are all respectable numbers for a guy who didn’t fit well with the scheme and wasn’t originally a starter. Also, he had just three touchdowns all season long, and still managed to be a consistent running back start in most leagues.
With that in mind it’s easy to see that rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott won’t see his fantasy stock plummet with Romo out. Instead, look for Elliott to have a shot at being the best fantasy running back thanks in part to the injury to Romo.
Several things make Elliott such a safe pick this season. Behind the ‘Boys massive and talented offensive line, the 21-year old will have plenty of room to run and is not afraid to finish plays off.
He of course will be leaned on more heavily now as the team eases in rookie quarterback Dak Prescott. His tough running will extend drives and keep pressure off Dak. He will also benefit from a high volume of check down passes as the rookie adjusts to NFL blitzing.
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The defense is another reason to expect more from Zeke. In 2014 Dallas struggled to field a decent group of pass rushers, so they relied heavily upon DeMarco Murray, who led the NFL in rushing during his final season in Dallas. Look for a similar strategy (even when/if Romo returns) to mitigate the amount of time the defense spends on the field.
Lastly, the biggest reason Zeke will be a huge fantasy weapon is because he will do what McFadden couldn’t last season, get in the end zone. The former Raiders runner totaled 239 carries for 1,089 yards is impressive. Three touchdowns is not.
Elliott is a much tougher runner and with his strength he will get the ball across the goal line at a much higher rate than Run DMC. Look for Elliott to average roughly 20 carries a game, and don’t be surprised when he surpasses the double-digit touchdown mark.
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Just for fun, my bold prediction for Elliott is 1,500 yards rushing, 300 yards receiving and 14 total touchdowns. Feel free to call me out if I got that wrong, and let us know your predictions in the comment section below.