Injury alert
Out — toe injury
Updated Thu 6:51 PM ET · Est. return Oct 11 · Source: ESPN injury report
Is Rico Dowdle playing this week?
OutRico Dowdle is listed as Out for the week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts (toe injury). Out means not expected to play.
Estimated return: Oct 11.
Kickoff: Sun, Oct 11 · 1:00 PM ET.
Checked Oct 3, 7:52 PM ET against the ESPN injury report and the NFL's official weekly report (via nflverse). Injury news can change up to kickoff, so confirm with the team close to game time.
Ask StatGrades about Rico Dowdle
Ask your own questionOur numbers plus what they can't show: injuries around him, role changes, weather, rest and travel, line moves and the latest reporting, all linked.
Fantasy football · Week 4
Our own start/sit calls for every player, with a projected score, the range of likely outcomes and the reasons spelled out. Built from usage, matchup, Vegas lines and injuries. How we rank
Ruled out — find a replacement.
Why we say out
- Out — toe injury.
- Averaging 7.5 carries and 3.5 targets a game.
- Played 26% of the offense's snaps last game.
- No. 2 RB on the depth chart.
Recent form
Dashed line: the usual 10.4 a game
This week's matchup
- Expected team score
- ~21 pts
- Vegas line
- PIT favored by 2.5
- Game total
- 38.5
- CLE vs RBs
- 5% fewer points
- Last game snaps
- 26%
All week 4 running back rankings →Start or sit tool →How our past calls did →
Age
28
Height
5'11"
Weight
215 lb
College
South Carolina
Experience
6 seasons
Draft
2020 · Undrafted
Status
INA
Grade Breakdown
What do these mean?Why 0.1?
Dowdle's grade is last among 51 running backs because his touches cost the offense expected points and few carries kept drives on schedule. It's a small sample of 22 touches over 2 games, so a couple of plays can swing it a lot.
Holding it back
- Expected points per touch was -0.369, 49th of 51, which pulled the grade down a lot.
- Only 13% of his carries were successful (kept the offense on schedule), 51st of 51.
- Week 1 vs ATL, 3rd and 9: a pass to him fell incomplete, costing 1.4 expected points, and a 2nd and 7 run went for no gain (-1.2).
Written by StatGrades AI from this season's play-by-play through week 3. It explains what happened; a grade isn't a forecast (what grades do and don't predict).
EPA / play
-0.377
Success rate
13%
WPA (sum)
-0.18
Opponent adj.
-0.005
Plays graded
22
Advanced stats
2026 season · tracking data from NFL Next Gen StatsWhat do these mean?
- Rush yds over expected:
- Rushing yards above what the blocking and defenders in each carry would be expected to produce.
- Yds over exp / att:
- Rush yards over expected per carry.
- Carries over expected:
- Share of carries that gained more than expected.
- Expected rush yds:
- Yards the carries would be expected to gain on average, based on tracking data.
- Efficiency:
- Distance traveled per yard gained. Lower means a more direct, north-south runner.
- Vs 8+ in the box:
- Share of carries against eight or more defenders near the line.
- Time to line:
- Average seconds from the handoff to reaching the line of scrimmage.
Next Gen Stats data via nflverse (CC BY 4.0). Updated after games are final, not live, and covers QB, RB, WR and TE.