Rico Dowdle
Pittsburgh SteelersRico Dowdle has 46 carries for 174 yards, 1 rushing touchdown and 13 catches for 82 yards in 5 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season through Week 8, 8.9 PPR points a game (updated November 4, 2026).
Model Score by season
Down 6.9 from last season.
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
A journeyman back whose case lives on workload.
The case for
- Three straight years of rank improvement (#37 → #24 → #17), the kind of steady positive arc rare for an undrafted RB.
- 95 career receptions for 690 yards adds a pass-game floor; the role transferred through three teams.
The worry
- 4.5 career YPC on 2,540 yards is mid-pack; the case lives on workload, not efficiency.
- Recent game log peaks at 15 PPR with multiple sub-5 PPR weeks; the floor games come often.
What to watch: Whether Pittsburgh's depth chart gives him true RB1 carries or splits with their other backs.
Full take and bio
Dowdle's 2025 line at STTM #17 tier 5 (up from #24 tier 6 in 2024) is the climb of a journeyman finally getting starter touches. The career arc reads tier 8, tier 6, tier 5: slow positive trajectory built almost entirely on workload rather than efficiency. The Carolina year-one move worked; the Pittsburgh move re-tests it.
Dowdle was born in Gaffney, South Carolina, played four injury-shortened years at South Carolina (finishing 15th on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,167 yards), and went undrafted in 2020. He spent five years with the Cowboys, signed with Carolina in 2025, and was traded to Pittsburgh for 2026.
Comps
The players whose size, testing and production looked most like his at the same point in their careers. The percent is how close.
Rex Burkhead ’1870%
Devontae Booker ’2169%
Miles Sanders ’2468%Plays like: Rex Burkhead, Marshawn Lynch, Thomas Jones. Built like: Jay Ajayi, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Brandon Bolden. Coming out: Miles Sanders, Jamie Harper, BenJarvus Green-Ellis.
Of his 20 closest coming out: 0 stars, 1 starter, 12 backups, 7 didn't stick.
Rico Dowdle Props This Weekvs CLE
| Market | Line | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing yards | 32.5 | -110 Bovada | -120 Bovada |
| Receptions | 2.5 | -110 Bovada | -120 Bovada |
| Receiving yards | 15.5 | -115 Bovada | -115 Bovada |
Best price across 9 books as of Mon Nov 2. Lines move; check the book before you bet. This week's board · Line Room
Play Rico's numbers on Underdog · partner link
Rico Dowdle Injury StatusNot listed
Rico Dowdle is not on the injury report as of Nov 4. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
This season · 5 games
8.9 fantasy points a game, 45 PPR on the season. Every game on the Game Log, every season on Career. Advanced numbers are EPA and Next Gen Stats.
Contract2026 cap
Every year of the deal, the dead money and what a cut or trade saves on the Contract tab.
Fantasy outlookWeek 9
Our rest-of-season board has Rico Dowdle at RB43 (the public consensus says RB46); the model has 80 PPR points left for him this season; this week he hosts CLE.
Price a trade for him on the fantasy trade calculator, or see the whole board on the Fantasy hub.
Draft & College
Undrafted in 2020, out of South Carolina (SEC).
In college, 2016-2019, 39 games: 2,176 rush yds, 19 TD, 5.1 yds/carry, 62 rec.
Recruited
Class of 2016 · Running back · High school: A.C. Reynolds, Asheville, NC
South CarolinaHis full list of offers is not on our record yet; offers for the 2016 class are still being added.