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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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 1 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like MarShawn Lloyd, Jadarian Price, Parker Washington, Quentin Johnston, Bhayshul Tuten, Tony Pollard, Dezhaun Stribling, Mike Evans, DJ Moore, Jaylen Warren, Christian Watson, Marvin Harrison Jr., David Montgomery, Rico Dowdle, Rhamondre Stevenson, Josh Downs, Carnell Tate, and Jameson Williams. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 1. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.

Week 1 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - MarShawn Lloyd. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 1.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.

Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.

Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.

Popular Week 1 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 1 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Week 1 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons

Below are some popular Week 1 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Marshawn Lloyd, Jadarian Price, Parker Washington, Quentin Johnston, Bhayshul Tuten, Tony Pollard, Dezhaun Stribling, Mike Evans, DJ Moore, Jaylen Warren, Christian Watson, Marvin Harrison Jr., David Montgomery, Rico Dowdle, Rhamondre Stevenson, Josh Downs, Carnell Tate, Jameson Williams compared to others: