Dallas Cowboys fans and fantasy football owners can exhale a sigh of relief. That relatively inexperienced back-up who was handpicked to replace the NFL's leading rusher last year, the same guy you spent a mid-round pick on in your fantasy drafts, finally arrived this weekend.
Through two game, Cowboys running back Joseph Randle failed see the endzone or average more than 3.4 yards-per-carry. However, Randle erupted Sunday against the soft Atlanta Falcons defense and made fantasy owners (and fans, despite the loss) very happy.
"The Cowboys running back scored more fantasy points in the first quarter against the Falcons (22) than he had in the first two games combined (16)," ESPN's Scott T. Miller wrote. "Randle took advantage of a dominant performance from Dallas' offensive line (particularly in the first half), as he finished with 105 total yards, two touchdowns and 27 fantasy points - by far the highest total of his young career (12 was his previous best).
To that point, Randle had been receiving the majority of the work between he, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar. But Sunday's game saw him out-touch everyone with 14 carries (for 87 yards and three touchdowns) as well as two receptions (for eight yards). McFadden did receive a goal line carry as well, but Randle continues to be the lead back.
Next week, the Cowboys take on the New Orleans Saints, who may still be without Drew Brees thanks to a shoulder injury. Through three games, the Saints are allowing 126.0 yards per game on the ground, 26th worst mark in the league, and have surrendered three rushing touchdowns. Expect that trend to continue as Dallas' dominant offense line comes to down and the Cowboys continue to compensate for the loss of Tony Romo with a renewed focus on the ground game.
