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RB Ezekiel Elliott, LAC (3 Viewers)

Nice to see Zeke overcome his foolish coach who calls plays like he plays poker, all cards faced up on the table.  

 
Hey, looked good today. Looked like he was hitting the hole fast. Still not much breakaway speed -- he got angled and caught on one, but I'll take it.

 
Weebs210 said:
The Pollard truthers in here sound hilarious now.
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Are "Pollard truthers" anyone who thought he was doing more with his touches over the first few games? If so, I am one. Zeke has looked great the last two games but the two observations regarding Pollard and Zeke are not mutually exclusive.

 
habsfan said:
Are "Pollard truthers" anyone who thought he was doing more with his touches over the first few games? If so, I am one. Zeke has looked great the last two games but the two observations regarding Pollard and Zeke are not mutually exclusive.
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They're 1-2 in Football Outsiders' rankings of guys getting over a certain amount of touches.

 
Ezekiel Elliott rushed 20 times for 143 yards and one score in Dallas' Week 4 win over the Panthers.

The Panthers hadn't allowed 25 rushing yards to any single player coming into Week 4 — hence what playing the Jets, Saints, and Texans will do for your team statistically. It obviously didn't matter for Elliott, who scored the team's first touchdown to lend Dallas a 7-0 lead and, later on, exploded for a 47-yard run, the third-longest of his NFL career, to setup Dalton Schultz's (6/58/1) six-yard score. Elliott also out-touched Tony Pollard 20-10 and saw the Cowboys' lone backfield target. A workhorse in one of the league's most potent and explosive offenses, Elliott will again be ranked as a top-five option against the Giants in Week 4.
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As a Zeke owner I loved seeing Dallas put Zeke in at the goal line and on those 3rd down plays where Zeke needed to protect Dak. Great to see that Dallas trusts Zeke the most in those big situations. I dont know the exact breakdown of Zeke v Pollard in those circumstances, but just from watching the game, it seemed like Zeke was always in there in those spots. 

 
Timmay said:
As a Zeke owner I loved seeing Dallas put Zeke in at the goal line and on those 3rd down plays where Zeke needed to protect Dak. Great to see that Dallas trusts Zeke the most in those big situations. I dont know the exact breakdown of Zeke v Pollard in those circumstances, but just from watching the game, it seemed like Zeke was always in there in those spots. 
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More of a casual observer as I don't get to see Dallas that much but it is clear he's the trusted back on third downs as he's a good blocker, still a great goalline option and has plenty of juice left. 3 good weeks from 4 is fine by me. Pollard is also running well and getting a few extra touches which hopefully more than anything, will keep Elliott fresh for later in the season.

Also a casual observation on Chubb as he's a player many have compared favorably to Elliott in terms of situation, seems to me that Hunt is taking quite a bit more away from Chubb than Pollard is taking from Elliott.

If drafting today and every player was healthy, I think Zeke is still at the top of the tier below CMAC, Cook and Henry.

 
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Ezekiel Elliott (knee) did not practice Wednesday.

It's being labeled as "knee discomfort," and Elliott intends to practice in some fashion Thursday with the aim of playing through the issue Week 5 against the Giants. Fantasy's overall RB4, Elliott has been on fire since a down Week 1 against the Bucs. If for some reason he has to miss Sunday's game, Tony Pollard would be a plug-and-play RB1 as a home favorite.

RELATED: 

Tony Pollard

SOURCE: Michael Gehlken on Twitter

Oct 6, 2021, 2:51 PM ET
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Ezekiel Elliott (knee) returned to practice Thursday.

He also said he's "not concerned" about his status for Week 5 since "a lot of the stiffness is gone" after having a few days to heal. Elliott has out-touched Tony Pollard 71-45 through four games and will again rank as a top-10 running back in Dallas' juicy matchup against the Giants Sunday.

SOURCE: Michael Gehlken on Twitter

Oct 7, 2021, 12:20 PM ET
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rockaction said:
Hey, looked good today. Looked like he was hitting the hole fast. Still not much breakaway speed -- he got angled and caught on one, but I'll take it.
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Good read to kill some time mid work week. He looked it up for zeke here is his quote "So I checked @NextGenStats. He's been a top-20 "fastest ball carrier" in 2 of the first 4 weeks so far. ... He didn't make that list in a single week last year.”"

I'd say that's pretty solid. He has burst and breakaway speed I just don't think he has endurance which is why they have Pollard to give him breaks.

 
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Ezekiel Elliott (knee) is questionable for Week 5 against the Giants.

Elliott has already said he's "not concerned" about his status for Week 5 and felt as if "a lot of the stiffness was gone" after sitting out Wednesday for rest. He's fully expected to start as the team's workhorse RB1 against New York, continuing his usage rout with 71 touches to Tony Pollard's 45 through four games.

Oct 8, 2021, 3:35 PM ET
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Ezekiel Elliott rushed 10 times for 51 yards and caught all three of his targets for 25 yards in the Cowboys' Week 9 loss to the Broncos.

Elliott out-carried backfield mate Tony Pollard 10-4, but neither runner was able to accrue any volume with the Cowboys getting blown out 30-0 by the fourth quarter. Elliott also had to leave the game a couple times with a knee contusion that had him limping around on the sideline. The good news is Elliott was in there late in the blowout, suggesting he's not dealing with a serious issue. He'll be in a prime bounce-back spot at home against the Falcons next week.

- NBC SportsEDGE
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Speaking Tuesday, Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott said that he can play through his knee injury.

Elliott first appeared on the injury report with a knee injury prior to Week 10, but he hasn't held a designation going into a game yet and hasn't missed a start. When asked about the knee injury on Tuesday, Elliott said, "I'm tough. I can play through it." He got in a full practice on Tuesday and should be considered a full go for Thursday's game against the Raiders. Consider him a mid-RB1.

SOURCE: ProFootballTalk

Nov 23, 2021, 9:29 PM ET
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Very concerning.

2nd half:

Zeke in for a few plays. No touches, 1 target that wasn’t even close.

Pollard 3 touches.

What is happening?

 
Elliott needs to be on the  field more, period. And since Pollard is good, how hard is it to design plays and schemes that put them both on the field at the same time? It's not like the WR's out there tonight were better football players than Elliott and Pollard.

 
ESPN's Ed Werder reports that the Cowboys are considering giving Ezekiel Elliott "time off to heal."

The Cowboys are not believed to be considering injured reserve, which would cause Elliott to miss a minimum of three games, but it's possible that they hold him out of next Thursday night's game against the Saints. Elliott has been noticeably struggling through a knee injury, looking like a shell of his former self and bringing up the rear in Pro Football Focus' elusive rating with an RB51 ranking. The team is understandably exploring its options, with Tony Pollard jumping off the screen and near the lead in a variety of advanced metrics. Pollard will be an RB1 even in a tough matchup with the Saints if he has the Cowboys backfield to himself.

RELATED: 

Tony Pollard

Nov 26, 2021, 5:46 PM ET
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What's the realistic scenario here?
 

Sit one week? Two?
Then go easy for a week? 

Or is Pollard now the lead horse for the fantasy season? 

 
[icon] said:
What's the realistic scenario here?
 

Sit one week? Two?
Then go easy for a week? 

Or is Pollard now the lead horse for the fantasy season? 
Click to expand...
At most a week. My best guess is he won’t sit, that the 10 days rest and lighter workload will be the plan. That’s a guess, again could see sitting one game but that’s max.

Most likely scenario to me is Elliots role will be heavy on passing downs and short yardage situations. 

Pollard will take on heavier workload on other downs.

Probably what they should have been doing earlier but needed an injury to Elliot to force their hand.

 
menobrown said:
At most a week. My best guess is he won’t sit, that the 10 days rest and lighter workload will be the plan. That’s a guess, again could see sitting one game but that’s max.

Most likely scenario to me is Elliots role will be heavy on passing downs and short yardage situations. 

Pollard will take on heavier workload on other downs.

Probably what they should have been doing earlier but needed an injury to Elliot to force their hand.
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They don't get 10 days rest. They play next Thursday. 

I'm betting its 50-50 Zeke plays next week, but I am in agreement that Pollard isn't suddenly going to take the job...even if he probably should.

 
Ezekiel Elliott (knee) was a full participant in Monday's practice.

Zeke has struggled to play through the knee injury, averaging fewer than 40 rushing yards per game at 3.4 yards per carry over his previous four contests. After a sluggish Thanksgiving game, it was even reported that the Cowboys were considering giving him time off to heal. The full participation in practice suggests that isn't the case and he will play on Thursday versus the Saints. Expect a larger share of the running back touches for Tony Pollard, who has looked more elusive and explosive than Zeke all season. 

Nov 29, 2021, 4:28 PM ET
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I just put him in the trade bait section of our dynasty league with this selling point, all lowercase for maximum lulz: 

"wow lolz is ezekiel elliott ever available" 

 
I think the window has closed on dealing Elliott for anything meaningful.  If he was healthy, maybe you could get a nice return from a win-now team (and maybe this type of opportunity could present itself next season), but I think he has entered the "ride'em until the wheels fall off" phase of dynasty ownership. With luck you'll get two more solid seasons from him.

 
Mister CIA said:
I think the window has closed on dealing Elliott for anything meaningful.  If he was healthy, maybe you could get a nice return from a win-now team (and maybe this type of opportunity could present itself next season), but I think he has entered the "ride'em until the wheels fall off" phase of dynasty ownership. With luck you'll get two more solid seasons from him.
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I said as much in the Cowboys thread, but didn’t mention the win now teams.  That ship is about to leave the harbor.

 
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Ezekiel Elliott (knee) will have a "serious load" on Thursday night against New Orleans. 

Elliott's most ardent backer, Jones dismissed questions about easing Zeke's workload while he's hampered by bone bruise on his knee. ESPN's Ed Werder reported last week that the team had considered giving Elliott "time off to heal" and get ready for a postseason run, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said the Cowboys could "alter" Zeke's usage. Not so, says Jerry. An ineffective and slow Elliott rushed for 25 yards and a short touchdown on nine carries in Dallas' Thanksgiving loss to Vegas. Tony Pollard, meanwhile, continues to rip off explosive plays and appears to be the Cowboys' best running back option. Unfortunately for Pollard drafters, that doesn't matter. Pollard won't be much more than a flex option in 12-team leagues as long as the Cowboys are committed to Elliott as the rapidly declining centerpiece of their offense. 

RELATED: 

Tony Pollard

SOURCE: Clarence Hill on Twitter 

Nov 30, 2021, 9:50 AM ET
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I highly doubt that a team of wild horses could get "Feed Me" Elliott to sit out at this point and let the team/fans/world see what Tony Pollard could do with 25 touches.  Pollard looks electric out there. Elliott looks like Legarret Blount to me when compared to Pollard. Just big and plodding. And Dallas is on the hook for $15 million per year so they're not going to make the call and have the organization look bad. Expect to see the 50/50 split unless Zeke is in a walking boot.

 
Quakertown Tom said:
I highly doubt that a team of wild horses could get "Feed Me" Elliott to sit out at this point and let the team/fans/world see what Tony Pollard could do with 25 touches.  Pollard looks electric out there. Elliott looks like Legarret Blount to me when compared to Pollard. Just big and plodding. And Dallas is on the hook for $15 million per year so they're not going to make the call and have the organization look bad. Expect to see the 50/50 split unless Zeke is in a walking boot.
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Teams should never commit a large amount of money to RBs.  Also, if you have a kid playing football I would steer him away from that position.

 
Quakertown Tom said:
Agreed.  Going to be interesting to see how the Giants handle Barkley as his rookie contract is running out. 
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Not a fan of NYG, but it looks to me like another rebuild coming. And if they make Barkley a signing priority... there will be ANOTHER rebuild coming just around the corner.

 
Dizzy said:
Not a fan of NYG, but it looks to me like another rebuild coming. And if they make Barkley a signing priority... there will be ANOTHER rebuild coming just around the corner.
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They're kind of in the same boat as Dallas is on Zeke, but for different reasons.  In Dallas, Zeke is playing on a horrible contract for the Cowboys. I think he's finally a free agent after the 2022 season, but Dallas is stuck with him until then. He's still a good back. Maybe top 15 in the league. But declining every year. And no longer the best on the Cowboys. But to sit him is admitting a huge mistake.  Just as not resigning Barkley is admitting a huge mistake the Giants made in drafting him so high. Plus, before his injuries, Barkley actually looked as good as advertised. Resigning is a risk, especially considering Barkley is going to be expensive. But letting him go is a PR nightmare, considering they drafted him in 2018 when they could have drafted players like Josh Allen, Quenton Nelson, Minkah Fitzpatrick, or Lamar Jackson. And to make matters worse, when the Giants picked at #34 in the second round, Nick Chubb was still on the board.  So they could have had their QB in Allen and still drafted a pro bowl-caliber back. 

 
Zeke may be a decoy for the Saints to prepare for. He'll probably get some high leverage touches, but I imagine that with the team eyeing a deep post-season run, he may cede to Pollard even more than usual.

 
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