The 2024 Dallas Cowboys sucked. Please don’t take my word for it, Dak Prescott said it himself, but with a bit more colorful language thrown in there. Things got messier for the Cowboys, as they lost Demarcus Lawrence, Brandin Cooks, Jourdan Lewis, Rico Dowdle, and others this offseason. While Lawrence and Lewis are defensive losses, Cooks and Dowdle meant a rejiggering of the offense. In stepped a trade for nutcase/big catch machine George Pickens, a signing of Javonte Williams from Denver, Miles Sanders from Carolina, and adding rookie running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah in the draft. So, they didn’t add any high-impact players, with the possible exception of George Pickens. After all, why would they spend money? They simply print it, and let Jerry Jones spend his waning years yelling at DJs for asking why he is bad at his job, and proving them right by giving Ezekiel Elliott another contract.
The Cowboys offense has a lot up in the air, but we can still get some value there. Let’s take a look at the overdrafted, underdrafted, and sleeper designees as we sort out the 2025 Dallas Cowboys’ running back room!
Overdrafted:
Javonte Williams, Running Back (RB37, Pick 105 Overall)
My Ranking: RB40
At this point, I am not exceptionally excited about Javonte Williams as a football player. I previously thought that he could thrive as the strong side of a platoon, but I no longer see that as one of his potential outcomes. His 2022 knee injury sapped whatever juice he had in the run game, as evidenced by his PlayerProfiler.com advanced stats: 29th in yards created, 37th in explosive rating, 40th in breakaway runs, and 53rd in juke rate. He simply no longer has the juice, and his primary usefulness for fantasy football comes through the air. He was fifth in targets last season, catching the sixth-most footballs… and finishing under 10 PPR points per game. The receptions are supposed to be the easy part; the cheat code. However, his 30 rushing yards per game did not provide a solid foundation for his 3 catches and 20 yards to build upon.
Moving to Dallas puts Javonte into an even more crowded situation, as he will contend with Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah and Miles Sanders for touches.
Underdrafted: Miles Sanders, Running Back (RB74, Pick 139 Overall)
My Ranking: RB53
Speaking of Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams. There is zero reason why they should be going so far apart. At this point in their careers, their under-the-hood numbers are very similar. They have identically lackluster numbers in true yards per carry (3.6), yards per touch (4.5), and yards per target (4.9). Sanders sits just 0.26 yards created per touch below Javonte Williams.
I want to be clear about one thing: I am not advocating for either player to be a key part of your fantasy football roster in 2025. What I am saying, however, is that if you want to draft Javonte Williams, then consider taking Miles Sanders three rounds later instead. They’re remarkably similar players, and neither has a whole lot of upside, given their pedestrian under-the-hood numbers. I prefer a different running back in this room.
Sleeper:
Jaydon Blue, Running Back (RB47, Pick 138 Overall)
My Ranking: RB29
In steps rookie Jaydon Blue. He’s on the smaller side (6’0”), but he reminds me a lot of Aaron Jones with a skosh of Jerick McKinnon thrown in there. The Cowboys took him later than you would expect for a guy who might contribute immediately (pick 149, 5th round), but they let the draft come to them, and Blue could reward them handsomely in a deep class. He boasts an all-around skill set, as he is a very athletic runner and an adept pass catcher. His primary concern is his pass protection, which could hinder his growth in his rookie year. That said, he is an ideal sleeper as a juiced-up athletic jitterbug who could be a second-half league winner for your fantasy football teams.
