Cowboys add Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
The Dallas Cowboys have not won a Super Bowl in nearly 30 years, despite having some serious star power like Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Tony Romo, DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, DeMarcus Ware, Terrell Owens, and so many more. Known also for having legendary running backs like Elliott, Emmitt Smith, Herschel Walker, and Tony Dorsett, Dallas has simply struggled to find a true bellcow over the past couple of seasons as well, instead patching things together and hoping for the best.
Going into last season, they passed on running backs like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley in free agency, only to see them have franchise-altering seasons in Philadelphia and Baltimore, respectfully. They were rumored to be interested in some of the big names in the NFL Draft this year like Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton. However, they made a couple of moves this week that may throw some cold water on that notion and lead us to believe another patch job is in the works. Or have they? After letting Rico Dowdle leave and sign with the Panthers in free agency, they signed both former Bronco Javonte Williams and former Panther Miles Sanders, putting this backfield in complete chaos. Let’s re-evaluate some current values and see if we can make some sense of it from a dynasty perspective.
Javonte Williams, RB DAL
When the Broncos selected Williams in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he was expected to be the next big thing in the Mile High City. He was decent enough in his first year, posting 903 rushing yards, 43 catches, 316 receiving yards and scoring seven touchdowns. In fact, he was hovering around RB1 value in dynasty leagues. Unfortunately, a major ACL tear happened in 2022 that derailed his Sophomore season and really his career to this point. While he was able to return and play in 33-of-34 games the past two seasons, Williams has only been able to record a total of just under 1,300 rushing yards, 99 catches, 574 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns in the last two seasons combined. Even worse, his yards per carry over the past two years hovers right around 3.6 and that’s just not going to cut it for an NFL running back. In short, he just hasn’t been the same and it’s a major concern.
The Broncos decided to let him walk this off-season and it’s telling that Williams was only able to land a one-year deal for $3 million, with just $1 million of that being guaranteed. While some may be excited about the opportunity in Dallas, that kind of financial commitment won’t even guarantee him a roster spot. In the end, Williams is going to enter camp and compete for touches. The best-case scenario for him is for Dallas not to draft a rookie and let him battle out Sanders, Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis for touches. However, if Dallas drafts a running back next month, Williams’ dynasty future is going to be very much in the air. His ADP is going to be in a serious holding pattern at the moment and while he’s clearly roster worthy, that value is destined to either go way up or tank hard in the next six weeks.
Miles Sanders, RB DAL
Sanders was a consistent force for the Eagles early in his career, but much like Williams with Denver, the Eagles didn’t feel the need to re-sign him after his rookie contract expired. His best season with Philadelphia was his last one where he posted 1,269 rushing yards on just under five yards per tote. Unfortunately, Sanders proved to be a major free agent bust in Carolina as he posted just over 600 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 27 games over two years with the Panthers. Chuba Hubbard took his job and simply performed better. Now 27, Sanders is going to need to prove his performance in Carolina was just a blip on the radar.
It’s quite possible the Cowboys are simply shopping the sale rack here and hoping either Williams or Sanders can emerge as their best option. However, it’s anyone’s guess as to how this may work as neither has been impressive that last couple of seasons. Much like Williams, Sanders can stay on dynasty rosters as this thing shakes out. However, his dynasty value hinges clearly on what Dallas does in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Deuce Vaughn, RB DAL
When Vaughn was taken in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, there was some quiet hope he could emerge as a legitimate option in the backfield. Instead, he’s posted just 11o total rushing yards, ten catches, 58 receiving yards, and zero touchdowns throughout his first two seasons. While there could be some hope there’s some untapped potential here, he just hasn’t shown much thus far, posting fewer than three yards per carry, making Javonte Williams look downright explosive. Should the Cowboys continue addressing the position, it’s time to give up any hope for Vaughn ever emerging. If they don’t, he remains a back-end roster stash in a very deep league.
Malik Davis, RB DAL
Davis is currently under contract for the 2025 season, but it’s hard to see him making much of an impact, honestly. He’s shown flashes before, but adding two different veterans ahead of him isn’t going to do much to inspire confidence. Should Dallas draft a rookie, his time with the Cowboys could honestly be over.
Rico Dowdle, RB CAR
It was a but of a surprise to see Dowdle sign with Carolina and accept what looks to be a clear backup job. After all, he had at least 100 yards rushing in four of his last six games last season and ran for a total of 1,079 yards on just 235 carries for Dallas, good for an average of more than 4.6 yards per carry. Still, Dallas clearly decided he was expendable and let him walk. While this is good news for players like Williams and Sanders, it’s bad for Dowdle, who is going to be the clear RB2 behind Chuba Hubbard. For dynasty managers hoping to see him land a starting job and become a lineup staple, this off-season has quickly become a disasters. His ADP is going to plummet now.
NFL Draft Running Backs
The big news here is simple – people shouldn’t overreact. There’s a clear possibility the Cowboys go into the season with Williams and Sanders sharing carries. However, the chance of them taking someone like Jeanty or Hampton hasn’t really been affected much. Regardless, the decision they make at running back in the 2025 NFL Draft (to draft or not to draft) is going to have a major impact in dynasty leagues. Stay tuned.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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