Is Malik Davis The Cowboys RB2 Behind Tony Pollard With Ronald Jones Suspended? Fantasy Football Outlook

Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis was an undrafted free agent from the 2022 NFL Draft class. Davis had a solid college career, totaling 284 rushing attempts for 1,470 yards and eight touchdowns at Florida. He also had 70 receptions for 726 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The former Gator had a limited role on offense as a rookie. Davis had only 38 rushing attempts for 161 yards and one touchdown last season. Furthermore, he totaled only six receptions on seven targets for 63 receiving yards. Yet, that’s not surprising, as Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott accounted for 91.6% of the backfield touches last year.

However, could the former Gator earn more touches on offense in 2023?

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Is Malik Davis The Cowboys RB2?

After seven years with the franchise, the Cowboys released Elliott earlier this offseason. While Dallas used the franchise tag on Pollard, the depth at running back has drastically changed. The Cowboys added Ronald Jones in free agency and spent a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Deuce Vaughn.

Unfortunately, the team’s backfield took a hit yesterday as the NFL announced that Jones has been suspended for the first two games of the 2023 season. The veteran running back got suspended for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Many believe Jones would be the No. 2 running back behind Pollard this year before the suspension. However, that isn’t the case. Davis was always the favorite to earn the backup role and could have fantasy value this season.

Should I Draft Malik Davis?

With Elliott no longer with the team, Pollard has overall RB1 upside this year. However, don’t discount Davis with one of your final draft picks. The second-year running back has performed well during training camp.

More importantly, the No. 2 running back has averaged 141.3 rushing attempts per season, seeing at least 101 every year since Mike McCarthy got hired in 2020. Meanwhile, Davis showed potential last season, averaging 4.2 yards per rushing attempt and 2.1 yards after contact per attempt. Furthermore, over 10% of the former Gator’s rushing attempts went for more than 10 yards.

Unless the Cowboys re-sign Elliott before Week 1, Davis will be the No. 2 running back in Dallas and have some standalone fantasy value this season.

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