The Dallas Cowboys have completely remade their running backs room this offseason.

With the signings of veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders and the selections of Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah (since placed on IR with a designation to return) in the draft, the front office clearly saw the position as a weakness. 

While a makeover such as this is exciting for Cowboys fans, it can create quite the headache for fantasy football owners.

These types of committee approaches often lead to guessing early on until one of the players takes the reins. So, which of the aforementioned healthy running backs should fantasy owners look to invest in?

Miles Sanders: Proceed With Caution

With the lengthiest track record in the position group, it’s natural to assume that Miles Sanders would be the lead back going into the season. However, there are two things to consider. 

First, he fell out of favor quickly for a bad Carolina team last season, giving way to Chubba Hubbard. He likely would have been behind rookie Jonathon Brooks as well if Brooks hadn’t suffered two devastating injuries in less than a year. 

Second, Dallas only invested a one-year, $1.37 million contract in Sanders, with only $167,000 of that guaranteed.

Far from a ringing endorsement, that’s the type of contract that shows that the team views Sanders as a potentially superfluous piece of the offense.

Could Javonte Williams See More Consistency?

Looking at Javonte Williams, there seems to be more hope for a consistent role.

Bursting on to the scene with over 1200 scrimmage yards as a rookie with Denver in 2021, he suffered a devastating knee injury in 2022 that he says he never fully recovered from until now. 

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer seems to agree, as he gave Williams the vast majority of first team reps all camp.

Of note as well, Williams was the only Dallas running back to not play during the preseason, perhaps signaling that the coaching staff has seen all they need to see from the veteran.

In addition to these factors, Williams was given a much larger deal by the team this offseason, signing a one-year, $3 million contract with $1 million of that guaranteed. 

The Investment in Jaydon Blue

Finally, there’s Jaydon Blue. Drafted 149th overall from the University of Texas back in April, the rookie started camp so well that he seemed to be vying with Sanders for the second spot on the depth chart.

However, a heel/ankle injury kept him out of the first two preseason games before returning for the third.

He’s absent from the team’s initial injury report before the season opener on September 4th though, indicating he’s been cleared to go for kickoff.

Additionally, there’s the investment made in Blue by the team. A top 150 pick in the draft is not an insignificant expenditure.

Combined with the reps he received in camp, it seems clear that the coaching staff is intrigued by his long term potential. 

So, what should be made of this position group? None of these options are particularly exciting for fantasy purposes.

However, when looking at the combination of camp reps, draft and financial investments, and overall health, it seems clear that Javonte Williams will get the first shot at taking control of the position.

While one would advise against reaching for any of these players, with the subpar state of the running back position in fantasy football this season, owners could do worse than taking a late round flyer on the likely lead back of a playoff hopeful.