PIT · RB

Rico Dowdle

Rico Dowdle is a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Injury status: Questionable. Depth chart: RB2.

Scouting report

Rico Dowdle: the full picture

Written automatically from Gridiron Value model data · updated September 24, 2026

Rico Dowdle at a glance

Rico Dowdle is a 28-year-old running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, listed at 5'11" and 218 pounds. Dowdle entered the league undrafted in 2020 out of South Carolina and is now in a 7th NFL season.

2026 projection

Our season projection has Dowdle at 156.6 PPR points for 2026, which ranks RB32 at the position and works out to 10.7 points per game over 17.0 projected games.

2026 season so far

Through 2 games of 2026, Dowdle has scored 10.5 PPR points, or 5.3 per game. That is 6.7% of the full-season projection; at the current rate Dowdle would finish with about 89 points, behind the 156.6 projected. It is a small sample, so expect that pace to settle. The best week so far is 6.4 points in Week 2 against NE, the RB39 finish that week. Dowdle has cleared the 12-point mark we count as a usable RB start in 0 of 2 games, a 0% consistency rate.

Percentile profile

Measured against the 59 qualified running backs of 2026, Dowdle ranks in the 58th percentile in receiving yards, the 53rd percentile in receptions and the 27th percentile in rush TDs. The softest mark is the 4th percentile in yards per carry.

Career track record

By season-long PPR scoring, Dowdle has finished as RB138 in 2020, RB153 in 2022, RB50 in 2023, RB23 in 2024 and RB18 in 2025. The high-water mark is 216.3 PPR points in 2025. Across 58 regular-season games on record, the totals read 2,577 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 99 receptions and 718 receiving yards.

Rico Dowdle by the numbers

Dowdle has been the highest-scoring running back of the week 1 time, finished in the weekly top five at the position 4 times and finished in the top twelve 7 times. The career high is 33.9 PPR points, set in Week 6 of 2025 against DAL. The game log also shows 2 games of 30 or more PPR points and 7 100-yard rushing games. In all, Dowdle has reached 20 points in 5 games, 9% of career appearances.

Contract

Dowdle is playing on a two-year, $12.3 million contract signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2026, an average of $6.1 million per year with $5 million guaranteed. The deal runs through the 2027 season.

2026 projected stat line

Projected PPR
156.6
PPR / game
10.7

Rico Dowdle fantasy outlook

Rico Dowdle enters the 2026 season with PIT and ranks RB32 and #111 overall in the current Gridiron Value projection. The model projects 156.6 PPR points across 14.7 games, or 10.6 points per game, placing the expected outcome in a lineup and depth tier. The preseason depth chart lists Rico Dowdle as RB2, so the opportunity forecast is tied to that current role rather than name value alone. In 2025, Rico Dowdle produced 216.3 PPR points in 17 games (12.7 per game), giving the projection a recent performance baseline. Projection confidence is 43%, with a 21% modeled chance of a Top-24 positional finish. Availability is the main uncertainty because the current injury designation is Questionable.

Week 1 projection

Rico Dowdle is projected for 13.3 PPR points at home against ATL in week 1, with a likely range of 0.0 to 28.0.

Trade value

Gridiron Value prices every player from 0 to 100 within each league format. Value is down 1.2 since the previous model run (stable).

Redraft
31.8
Dynasty
29.2
Superflex redraft
47.2
Superflex dynasty
42.4
TE premium dynasty
17.6

Compare Rico Dowdle on the trade value chart

Career stats

SeasonTeamGCarRush ydsRush TDTgtRecRec ydsRec TDPPR
2026PIT2153707428010.5
2025CAR172361,076650392971216.3
2024DAL162351,079249392493197.8
2023DAL168936122217144291.5
2022DAL200000000.0
2020DAL5724000002.4

Running backs ranked near Rico Dowdle

Pittsburgh Steelers fantasy players

Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart and projections

Projections are model estimates, not recorded results. Snapshot 2026-09-24.