Rico Dowdle - Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Picks for Week 1 (2026)

September 5, 2026

Rico Dowdle start 'em, sit 'em fantasy football picks for Week 1 of 2026. Should you start or sit Rico Dowdle for fantasy football lineups in Week 1?

BALLER MOVE: Start as a FLEX in 12-team leagues

POSITIONAL VALUE: High-end RB3

ANALYSIS: The Pittsburgh Steelers reinforced their backfield this offseason by adding Rico Dowdle on a two-year, $12.25 million contract. Dowdle is coming off back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards and has a history with the new Steelers head coach, Mike McCarthy. Dowdle will begin the year in a timeshare with Jaylen Warren, but recent reports have the backfield timeshare tipping in this direction coming into Pittsburgh's Week 1 contest at home against the Falcons.

Dowdle is starting with a new team for a second straight season after signing a one-year deal in Carolina before last season. He had his breakout in the previous season, racking up 1,079 rushing yards in 2024, when he took over mid-season as the Cowboys' top running back when McCarthy was the team's head coach.

Last year in Carolina, he again started in a backup role before stepping up and taking the starting job when he got a chance. Chuba Hubbard went down with an injury, and Dowdle stepped up in a huge way with back-to-back monster games, producing 389 rushing yards at an average of 7.3 yards per carry and adding 84 receiving yards on seven catches and scoring a pair of touchdowns.

Those two games came against the Dolphins and Cowboys, who had shaky run defenses, but they show Dowdle's high ceiling when he gets a big enough workload. He finished the year in Carolina with 1,076 yards on 236 attempts, staying involved as a solid FLEX option most weeks even after Hubbard's return.

The question coming into the season is how the Steelers' backfield timeshare will shake out. Jaylen Warren was a solid producer for the Steelers last season, sharing time with Kenny Gainwell. Warren and Dowdle both have upside to be regular starting options in most fantasy leagues if they get enough of the work.

With a new offense in place under McCarthy, the Steelers are getting ready for what is expected to be the last season for QB Aaron Rodgers. If the team leans on the running back duo of Dowdle and Warren to take pressure off Rodgers, they could rely heavily on the ground game and defense in the always-gritty AFC North.

Dowdle has a very high ceiling, but his uncertain role keeps him from being a lock as an RB2 coming into the year. However, he appears to be the early favorite for early-down work in Pittsburgh, which could lead to his establishing himself as the better option, with Warren mixing in on third down and in passing situations.

Rico Dowdle More Likely for Early-Down Work in Pittsburgh https://t.co/3lDW7QdNUd

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) September 3, 2026

Dowdle has the upside to be a top-20 running back if he secures that role, and he's definitely a top-30 option coming into Week 1. In RotoBaller's rankings, he sits as the No. 27 RB for Week 1, meaning he is a strong flex play or RB3 in most standard-sized leagues for his Week 1 game against the Falcons, which will be his Steelers' debut.

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