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Phil Mafah on the RB Bubble in Dallas Heading into Training Camp
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Nick Harris lists Dallas Cowboys running backs Phil Mafah, Jaydon Blue, and Malik Davis as on the bubble heading into training camp this summer. Behind workhorse Javonte Williams, the Cowboys don't have a clear-cut favorite for the RB2 role, "which will create a fascinating battle in training camp and the preseason." The 23-year-old Mafah, who was a seventh-rounder last year out of Clemson, played in only one game and had five rushing attempts for 18 yards and a touchdown. He also caught both of his targets for 11 yards. He's fully healthy and looking to keep the momentum going after a strong offseason "in the eyes of his coaches." Harris writes that Blue has more natural ability than Mafah and Davis due to his explosive speed and receiving abilities, but he will have to win over the coaches after he showed immaturity as a rookie in 2025. Going into training camp, Mafah is only a hold in deep dynasty/keeper leagues as he battles for a depth role in Big D.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Nick Harris
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Nick Harris
Javonte Williams has Cemented Himself as Long-Term Starting RB in Dallas
After a strong first year with the Dallas Cowboys, running back Javonte Williams has "cemented himself as the long-term starter," according to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The 26-year-old was rewarded with a three-year, $24 million contract in February of this year after he had a career-high 252 rushing attempts for a career-high 1,201 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 starts, adding 35 receptions for 137 yards and two scores as a pass-catcher. At the very least, Williams will be the team's early-down back again in 2026, or a bell-cow back once again "at the worst." There aren't any real threats to his heavy volume going into his second year in Dallas, with Malik Davis, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah, among others, behind him on the RB depth chart. Williams loses some luster in PPR leagues, but at the very least, he should be treated as a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 in upcoming fantasy football drafts as Dallas' unquestioned RB1. RotoBaller currently has Williams ranked as the No. 15 fantasy RB for 2026, just behind the Los Angeles Rams' Kyren Williams.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Nick Harris
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Nick Harris
Is Javonte Williams Undervalued by Current Redraft ADP?
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams had a resurgent season in 2025, recording 1,338 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns on 287 touches across 16 games. The Cowboys rewarded him with a new three-year contract in free agency, and Williams enters 2026 as the clear RB1 in Dallas. Williams' 2025 production came as a bit of a surprise after he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry on 356 attempts as a member of the Denver Broncos from 2023 through 2024. As such, Williams could be a regression candidate in 2026. Still, Williams is only entering his age-26 season, and 2025 may have been the first year where he was fully recovered from the devastating knee injury he suffered in 2023. Dallas projects to have one of the better offensive lines in the NFL this upcoming season, and Williams should play a three-down workhorse role for a second consecutive campaign. As the 15th running back off the board by current average draft position in redraft leagues, Williams may be slightly undervalued by fantasy managers entering 2026.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Cowboys Seeing "Night and Day" Difference With Jaydon Blue
Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue was a non-factor in his first year in the NFL in 2025 after the Cowboys took him in the fifth round out of the University of Texas, only carrying the ball 38 times for 129 yards and one touchdown while catching one pass for a gain of five yards in five games. Malik Davis became the primary backup to workhorse Javonte Williams, and he finished as the team's second-leading rusher (250 yards). Blue was never the lead RB in college with the Longhorns, but he was a key member of their backfield. It was a disappointing first year in the NFL for the 22-year-old, but head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the difference in Blue during the offseason program has been "night and day." Williams is the Cowboys' unquestioned lead back after inking a new three-year, $24 million deal after posting a career-high 1,201 rushing yards in 2025. Blue will have a chance to compete with Davis and Phil Mafah for an increased role in his sophomore season in 2026. There's some sleeper potential here for the second-year RB, with RotoBaller ranking him as the No. 75 fantasy RB.
Source: ESPN Dallas - Todd Archer
Source: ESPN Dallas - Todd Archer
Javonte Williams is a Pricey Dynasty Trade Target
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams is coming off a career year this past season. He was an inconsistent option during his first four seasons in Denver, but he took a huge leap forward last season. Williams rushed for 1,201 yards on 252 carries with 11 touchdowns across 16 games with the Cowboys. Williams finished as the RB11, but slots in as the RB21 in the Rotoballer rankings. Williams should once again be the workhorse back in Dallas, but past injuries make it tough to trust him as a long-term option. This past season was the first time that Williams has started 16 games in a single season. He's locked into a long-term deal in Dallas and is expected to remain the lead back going forward. There's RB1 upside here, but can Williams replicate his 1,200-yard campaign, or is it only downhill from here? Dynasty managers could be on the hook for paying top dollar for a running back who only has one year of elite production.
Source: Pro Football Reference
Source: Pro Football Reference
Zamir White Works Out for the Cowboys
Free-agent running back Zamir White worked out for the Dallas Cowboys in recent days, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The Cowboys are exploring help at the position in June. Fowler also reported that White recently worked out for the Miami Dolphins. The former fourth-rounder in 2022 out of the University of Georgia by the Las Vegas Raiders spent the first four years of his NFL career in Sin City, handling 198 carries for 736 yards (3.7 yards per tote) and two touchdowns in 45 games (nine starts). He added 25 catches on 33 targets for 152 receiving yards. The 26-year-old is expected to work out for more teams as training camp approaches this summer. In Dallas, Javonte Williams is the Cowboys' clear lead back after breaking out in 2025 in his first year with the club. Behind him, the team currently has very little experience with Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Malik Davis, and Israel Ibanikanda.
Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
Source: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
Javonte Williams a Mispriced Dynasty Trade Target
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams was the fantasy RB11 in 2025, with his 54 missed tackles forced ranking seventh in the league and reminding dynasty managers of the elite tackle-breaking ability he demonstrated throughout his collegiate career and as a second-round rookie in 2021. Now more than three seasons removed from the devastating knee injury that ended his sophomore campaign, Williams seems to have regained the balance and burst that had him ranked as highly as the RB2 in consensus dynasty rankings, and entering his second season in what looks to be another high-powered Dallas offense, he boasts legitimate league-winning potential. With the arduous injury recovery clouding so much of his fantasy profile over the past few seasons, Williams has become one of the more undervalued backs in dynasty, slotting in at RB21 in RotoBaller's latest rankings, but still only 26 years old and under contract through the 2028 season, he could realistically provide several more years of RB1 upside.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jaydon Blue a Dynasty Buy-Low Candidate After Underwhelming Rookie Year?
A fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue spent most of his rookie season as a healthy scratch on game days. The 22-year-old appeared in just five games and finished the year with 134 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 34 touches, about half of which came in a meaningless Week 18 game. Veteran back Javonte Williams dominated backfield work for Dallas in 2025, and he's back in place as the team's RB1 heading into 2026. However, the team did not make any notable additions to its backfield in either free agency or the NFL Draft. As a result, Blue looks to be competing with Malik Davis, Phil Mafah, and Israel Abanikanda for the Cowboys RB2 role. While Blue did little to inspire confidence in fantasy managers as a rookie, he may still be worth buying low on in dynasty formats ahead of a potential year two breakout.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Malik Davis Appears to be the Front-Runner for RB2 Job in Dallas
Tommy Yarrish of the Dallas Cowboys' official website writes that running back Malik Davis "appears to be the front-runner" for the RB2 job again for the time being. As the RB2 in 2025 in his third year in the NFL, Davis saw a career-high 52 carries for 250 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns, adding only two catches for 16 yards in 10 games (zero starts). The Cowboys signed RB1 Javonte Williams to a three-year, $24 million contract extension in late February, so Davis is stuck behind him for the foreseeable future in Dallas. Williams led the Cowboys with 252 carries and 1,201 rushing yards last year. In addition to Davis, the Cowboys have Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah in their RB room that could compete for RB2 duties this summer. Blue needs to show more consistency, and Mafah was on Injured Reserve for most of his rookie campaign. At best, Davis will enter the 2026 season as a deep-league handcuff for those who have Williams rostered. He's outside of RotoBaller's top-100 RB rankings currently.
Source: DallasCowboys.com - Tommy Yarrish
Source: DallasCowboys.com - Tommy Yarrish
Javonte Williams' Unusual Career Path Has Left Him Undervalued in Dynasty Leagues
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams was once pegged as the next great dynasty back, rising all the way to RB2 in consensus rankings following a 2021 rookie season in Denver in which he forced the second-most missed tackles in the league on barely over 200 carries. Unfortunately, a devastating knee injury and a painstaking recovery led to several underwhelming fantasy seasons, and it was not until his first year in Dallas that he truly returned to form. Williams again forced more than 50 missed tackles in 2025, with his 896 yards after contact good enough for the sixth-highest total in the league. Because the failed breakout call and the ensuing lean years weigh heavily on the minds of dynasty managers, there is a perception that Williams is older than he actually is. However, having entered the league as one of the youngest players in his class, the sixth-year veteran only recently turned 26, and with 865 career carries (only 60 more than Bijan Robinson), he still has plenty of good football ahead of him. Even with the Cowboys committing $16 million in guaranteed money in the three-year extension he agreed to this offseason, Williams remains an overlooked and underrated asset at RotoBaller's dynasty RB22. With Dallas still brandishing one of the league's highest-powered offenses, and improvements to the defense potentially allowing them to close out more games on the ground, Williams will have every chance to top his RB11 finish from 2025, making him a player worth pursuing by all contending managers.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jaydon Blue a Low-Value Dynasty Stash Until Depth Charts are Settled
Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue did very little in his first professional season after the team selected him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. A healthy scratch in 12 games, he totaled only 129 rushing yards as a rookie on a 3.4-yard per carry average, and yet he remains a dynasty hold in all but the shallowest of leagues. With the Cowboys largely focused on defense in what was a weak 2026 NFL Draft for running backs, Blue finds himself in competition with only Malik Davis and 2025 seventh-round pick Phil Mafah for the primary backup spot behind Javonte Williams. With the team committing $16 million in guaranteed money to Williams as part of the three-year extension he signed this offseason, it's evident that he is viewed as a true bellcow, but his injury history brings added value to whoever can earn the backup job. On talent alone, Blue should have an advantage, but Davis looked serviceable in his limited opportunities in 2025, averaging almost five yards per carry and topping 100 yards when given the bulk of the work in a Week 17 win over the Commanders. At RotoBaller's dynasty RB68, Blue is unlikely to make a meaningful fantasy impact, but at only 22 years old and offering an element of speed not possessed by any other back on the roster, he's at least worth holding through training camp in hopes that a pecking order becomes more clearly defined.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
