JavonteWilliams

News: 2 days agoWilliams appears to be locked in atop the backfield depth chart after the Cowboys waived several running backs over the weekend, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Spin: Dallas cut all three of Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda as the roster was trimmed to 53 players over the weekend. Additionally, Williams didn't see any preseason action, suggesting the Cowboys are more than comfortable with his standing as the team's clear RB1. With Blue, Mafah and Abanikanda off the roster, the Cowboys are set to head into the regular season with Malik Davis and waiver pickup Emari Demercado as Williams' backups. Williams isn't a sexy pick in the third round of fantasy drafts, but he should be able to return that price with ease if he's seeing 18-22 opportunities per game like he did last season.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Williams re-signed with the Cowboys following a successful first year with the team. After failing to produce a top-25 fantasy campaign during his final three seasons in Denver, Williams finished 12th in 2025, setting career-best marks in carries, rushing yards, touches (287), scrimmage yards (1,338) and yards per carry (4.77). He also scored a career-high 13 touchdowns after totaling 16 during his first four campaigns, and his 16 carries inside the 5-yard line were fifth most among backs. That helped offset his receiving struggles, as his 2.7 yards per target was last among qualified RBs. With minimal competition for touches in a high-scoring Dallas offense, the 26-year-old is a solid RB2 target.