2014 PERFORMANCE

Attempts: 508 carries (3rd in football)
Total Yards Rushing: 2,354 yards (2nd in football)
Yards Attempt: 4.6 (3rd in football)
Rushing Touchdowns: 16 (tied for 5th in football)

COACHING

Jason Garrett has been the Cowboys head coach for five years now. He’s been part of the braintrust that has put together the best offensive line in football. The addition of OC Scott Linehan took the rushing attach to new levels last season. All offseason the team has continued to maintain that they want to control the football, like they did last season, and that they will continue to run the ball down the opponents throat over and over against. Here is what Linehan had to say. “ …that’s not going to change. And that was by design – we talked about it extensively, Jason [Garrett] and I did…wanted to get back to a little bit of the ‘old’ Cowboys…Again, DeMarco had a lot to do with that. Obviously, we have a tremendous offensive line, tight end group, and the support group around him, but it will be a really fun challenge for us to duplicate that.”

LOSSES

DeMarco Murray: 1,845 yards & 13 touchdowns as a runner, 57 receptions for 416 yards as a receiver

GAINS

Darren McFadden (w/OAK): 155 carries, 3.4 YPC, two scores, 36 receptions for 212 yards

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OUTLOOK

The Cowboys don’t have a DeMarco Murray on the roster this season, but as noted above, they are going to run the ball nonetheless. Here are the three top men in the mix for backfield touches: Lance Dunbar, Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle. There was a report recently from ESPN Dallas that suggested the club will go with a committee approach this season with, ideally, 15 touches for Randle, 10 for DMC and five for Dunbar. That seems viable, and in an ideal world that would account for 30 carries a game (they carried the ball 31.8 times a game last season, third most in football). Let’s break down the skills of all three.

Randle has the look of the lead back here, that is if he can avoid trouble (he’s dealt with off the field issues like stealing underwear, stealing cologne and has had domestic situations crop up as well). Randle has carried the ball 105 times for 507 yards through two seasons with three scores. He’s also caught 12 passes. Randle has decent straight-line speed though he lacks anything resembling elite wheels meaning once he bursts into the open field he’s not likely to outrun a defense to the house. He’s pretty much a one cut type of runner. He can run upright at times as well, and though the team is saying good things, he’s never profiled as a great blitz pickup kinda fella.

McFadden is the most talented of these three backs. Zero doubt. Standing 6’1” and weighing in at 220 lbs, he can run around you or lower his shoulder when needed. He’s a pretty complete back actually. Of course he’s always hurt. Despite appearing in 16 games last season for the first time, DMC had never recorded more than 13 games in any of his previous six seasons, and he cannot be trusted to stay on the field for a second straight season. Repeat… he can’t be trusted to stay on the field and is already missing time with a hamstring issue. “But I’m not worried,” owner Jerry Jones said. “Because it has happened, I’m thankful it’s happening right now.” Yes, now is a better time for an injury than in a month. No, Jones is lying if he says he isn’t worried.

Dunbar is a third down back type. He stands 5’8” and weighs in at 195 lbs. Through three seasons he’s been given chances here and there, but for the most part it’s been injury and minor workloads on a weekly basis. Dunbar certainly has some skills, and they can be seen in the work of Bob Sturm. He’s a support player, not a guy who an offense will be funneled through.

CONCLUSION

The Cowboys want to run the ball as much as last season.

The Cowboys have an elite offensive line.

They aren’t likely to have anyone carry the ball 300 times. OK, they aren’t likely to have anyone carry the ball 250 times if everyone stays healthy.

The split mentioned above – 15 carries for Randle, 10 for DMC and five for Dunbar – sounds fair.

As of now the back to own in fantasy is Randle. DMC would be the second option, Dunbar third.

Keep an eye on the health of McFadden as it might be the key to the whole situation. If he’s healthy he could eat into the workload of Randle. If he’s hurt, as he often is, Randle will see his role grow to the level of knocking on the RB1 door while Dunbar could see his value rise to the level of being a weekly flex play in PPR setups. 

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday at 8 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).