The Dallas Cowboys may have missed the 2025 NFL playoffs, but they provided plenty of value to fantasy football managers this season. From QB Dak Prescott to WR George Pickens and, perhaps most notably, WR Javonte Williams, Dallas’ roster is filled with fantasy goodness, and its rotten defense makes it even better. In the latest episode of Yahoo Fantasy Predictions, analysts Matt Harmon and Justin Boone look back at the key lessons they learned from the Cowboys backfield this season.
Harmon begins the segment by recalling the ill-advised preseason drafting of Jaden Blue as a sleeper pick in the draft, a potential leading option in Dallas’ rookie backcourt. Blue was all but forgotten, with Williams doing most of the work, both on the ground and in the passing game. Harmon pointed to Williams’ involvement in the passing game as a big reason why he ranks among the top 12 running backs in fantasy in 2025.
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Williams, who was in his first season with the Cowboys, hasn’t been the same since suffering a serious knee injury in 2022 and has been overlooked in fantasy drafts. He went on to set career highs with 252 carries for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also had 35 catches for 137 yards and two scores.
Boone agreed that we were all wrong about Williams before the season. He had a stellar performance against the Eagles in Week 1, gaining 64 yards and two touchdowns on 17 touches. By Week 7, Williams was touching the ball at least 15 times a game.
Boone said the 25-year-old guard has been a workhorse in Denver’s backfield. This leads many of us to believe he won’t be able to handle the full workload in a starring role in Dallas. Williams proved us all wrong and showed us that taking a chance on the veteran late in the draft might not be such a bad idea after all.
Williams is a free agent and the Cowboys appear to be hoping to bring him back, which would be an ideal situation for the veteran RB to retain fantasy value in an elite offense in 2026.