Why Waiver Wire Hero Rico Dowdle Was A Week 5 League Winner & Will Dominate In Week 6

Rico Dowdle shocked the fantasy football world with a monster Week 5 performance, and with another favorable matchup ahead, he could easily deliver back-to-back league-winning weeks.

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) carries the ball during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

With injuries and bye weeks now becoming an issue for fantasy owners, we are getting more surprise league winners each week because fantasy owners are having to dig deeper into their benches and are no longer just starting stars. There was a surprise league winner this week, who might just have a chance to repeat next week with another big performance. 

RB Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers

Dowdle dominated in Week 5 and absolutely torched the Miami Dolphins' defense. He carried the ball 23 times and rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown at 9.0 yards per carry. He also caught three of four targets for 28 yards. It was an unexpected monster game from Dowdle, who ended up being one of the best fantasy options in Week 5. 

RICO DOWDLE WAIVER WIRE HERO

🏆 234 Total Yards
🏆 1 Touchdown
🏆 32.4 PPR Points pic.twitter.com/Ivhk4RN9OI

— PFF Fantasy (@PFF_Fantasy) October 5, 2025

He got an opportunity to start when starting running back Chuba Hubbard was ruled out with a calf injury. When a calf injury holds a player out, it is rarely a one-week issue. Especially now that the Panthers know they don't have to rush Hubbard back. There is no reason to risk the health of your star running back when he's dealing with a soft-tissue injury, which is often a precursor to a ruptured Achilles tendon. It would be a surprise to see Hubbard playing next week, which means we are projecting Dowdle to get another start. 

While we are under no illusions that Dowdle suddenly became some incredible running back, he did take full advantage of a Dolphins' defense that is one of the worst in the league. No rush defense has been worse than Miami's this season, and they are the fourth-worst overall defense in the league. So it makes sense that Dowdle could take advantage of the matchup. 

Rico Dowdle Week 6 Fantasy Football Outlook

With that said, next week, the Carolina Panthers will go up against the Dallas Cowboys. While Miami may have the fourth-worst defense in the league, the Cowboys are dead last in the NFL. While their rush defense has been a little bit better than Miami's, they are still bottom 10 in the league, and Dallas has allowed more yards and points per game than the Dolphins.

Dowdle's opportunity may have come at the perfect time for fantasy owners who needed a spot starter. For a player who most hoped just wouldn't ruin their week, he could end up being a multi-week league winner.