RADIO
When is Rico Dowdle coming back? Will Rico Dowdle play again this season? Read about Rico Dowdle's return date and injury updates for 2026.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (toe) was on top of the world in Week 5 and Week 6 of the 2025 NFL season. He had one of the best two-game stretches of any running back in recent history during those games, when he scored over 30 PPR fantasy points in each.
Dowdle rushed for 203 and 186 yards and scored two total touchdowns in the insane stretch he had. But life comes at you fast in the NFL, and Dowdle was sent to Pittsburgh for the next season, where he currently backs up RB Jaylen Warren.
It was reasonable to think that he would be a lead back somewhere else, but that wasn't the case. And now he's dealing with an injury that could jeopardize his availability this season for his new team. So, what's the latest on his ailment, and what's his outlook for fantasy football in 2026?
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!- PPR rankings
- Half-PPR rankings
- Non-PPR (Standard) rankings
- Rookie rankings
- Superflex rankings
- Best Ball rankings
- Underdog rankings
- Dynasty rankings
- IDP rankings
Rico Dowdle Injury Update for Fantasy Football
He's dealing with a toe injury at the moment. He picked it up in Week 2 and didn't play at all in Week 3, and he's now been declared OUT for Week 4. It's unclear yet when he'll return, though not being on injured reserve is definitely a good thing.
Joey Porter Jr.’s back injury seemingly flared up again. He is OUT.
Jalen Ramsey (wrist) is questionable. Rico Dowdle is OUT. pic.twitter.com/0nOohHsEg2
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 30, 2026
These types of injuries aren't season-ending and may not even be long-term for Dowdle here. He's likely to return within the next two weeks (after Week 4, of course), according to my analysis.
Rico Dowdle Fantasy Football Outlook
The backup running back who doesn't get much pass-catching work on an unproductive offense is typically not a viable fantasy football option. Unfortunately, Dowdle is averaging under 2.5 yards per carry this season and averages under 10 touches per game, since he's only caught four passes so far.
He also hasn't reached the end zone yet, though it's good that he hasn't fumbled the ball at least. But the upside Dowdle had in early 2025 has essentially evaporated. The Linsanity-esque run he had was the result of a massive role in the offense against two of the worst defenses in the NFL that season.
We have three man pass concept off PA and the only player open is Rico Dowdle, who Aaron Rodgers can’t get to because the EDGE is chasing him. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/IYWWWUjkLl
— Rob Gregson (@NFL_Rob) September 23, 2026
But the biggest culprit of the offense in general being sluggish is the offensive line. It has performed like one of the worst units in the NFL, and help is unfortunately not on the way. Without a lot of pass-catching upside to account for poor OL play and efficiency, Dowdle's fantasy value is probably dead in the water.
In Dowdle's absence, RB Jaylen Warren scored 20.6 PPR fantasy points in Week 3 by rushing 17 times for 127 yards and catching three of his four targets for 49 yards. He's the clear lead back and has been much more efficient than Dowdle this year. He's the Steelers RB to have in fantasy football, while Dowdle isn't worth rostering in redraft leagues.
Who Should I Start Tool
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Jaylen Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., DK Metcalf. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, player news, and enhanced search results with data to compare, all in 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 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 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (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 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 4 for Jaylen Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., DK Metcalf:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
