Rookie Jaydon Blue Will Outperform Two Veterans in the Cowboys Backfield

Break down the Dallas Cowboys’ crowded backfield and discover why rookie Jaydon Blue—not Javonte Williams or Miles Sanders—is the smart fantasy football draft pick in 2025.

Former Texas running back Jaydon Blue (RB03) talks to the press during the 2025 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. | Stephanie Amador Blondet-Imagn Images

One of the most important things you can do during the NFL Preseason to help you win your fantasy football championship is to identify and correctly evaluate ambiguous backfields. There are always a handful of teams that are unsettled at the running back position heading into the season. What we have to do is figure out which backs in those backfields are going to give us fantasy value. What makes these backs so valuable is that the uncertainty surrounding them leaves them discounted in fantasy drafts. That gives these players the potential of being league winners. 

One of those backfields this year is the Dallas Cowboys. Currently, they are viewed as a three-man committee, with the backfield divided among Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, and rookie Jaydon Blue. Fantasy owners are pulling out their hair trying to figure out who is the back to own in this backfield.

Dallas Cowboys Running Backs

Javonte Williams

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

ADP: RB34 | OVR: 106.5

We have seen enough of Williams at this point. Whether it's because of the knee injury or he simply was never that guy, he doesn't bring anything to the table that we are interested in. He just isn't very good this year. Fantasy owners are drafting him as the top back in this backfield because he's the safest option in the Cowboys' backfield and he's a name they know. Williams was a big-time prospect entering the league, and it's hard for people to let that go. Nevertheless, Williams is just the Kyle Pitts of running backs. Sure, he was great in college, but that magical season isn't coming. You have to let it go. 

Miles Sanders

Former Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders (6) before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

ADP: RB66 | OVR: 227.8

Drafters got this one right. Sanders is washed, and picking him is essentially throwing your pick in the trash. We usually don't flat-out tell you to not draft a player, but don't draft him. It's over for Sanders as a fantasy-relevant player.  The former Carolina Panthers running back should be the RB3 in Dallas by the end of the season.

Jaydon Blue

Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue (34) carries the ball at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

ADP: RB44 | OVR: 141.3

Are we high on Blue as a prospect? Not particularly. Nevertheless, he's the only running back with any upside. If Williams does end up winning this job and you pick him, you're essentially getting a low-floor, low-ceiling mediocre flex option that you don't want to start.

While Blue could be a complete bust, he also has the potential to be a breakout star. We know that's not the case with Williams and Sanders. So, there is no reason to draft Williams more than three rounds earlier. We would still take Blue at equal cost, but you don't have to.

Choosing Blue in this backfield is a no-brainer.

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Although Williams is currently ranked ahead of Blue in our 2025 Fantasy Football PPR Rankings, Blue is closing the gap quite quickly and by the start of the season, could be the top running back in Dallas.