Cowboys RB Malik Davis Hit With 'Pretty Serious' Hip Injury
Dallas loses its RB2 to a hip injury just as Malik Davis was trending up (+3.1 fantasy pts over his last five games in 2025).
Sole workhorse back in Dallas now — his floor just jumped.
- Davis carted off Friday practice with hip injury
- Williams: 243 PPR pts in 2025, our RB12
- Davis had 250 rush yds, 2 TD over 10 games in 2025
- Abanikanda likely called up for Sunday
- No other Cowboy carries an injury designation
The Cowboys' running back room took a hit before it ever got rolling. Malik Davis was carted off practice Friday with what executive VP Stephen Jones called a "pretty serious" hip injury, and Jones told 105.3 The Fan the team expects Davis to be sidelined for some stretch of time while they await final details.
That matters more than a typical RB2 headline. Davis had won the backup job behind Javonte Williams and was penciled in for real snaps in this offense. He logged 250 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns across 10 games last year (2025), good for 41 PPR points, and he was actually heating up — his last five games came in at +3.1 fantasy points above his season average. Now that momentum is on ice.
Jones leaned on the standard "next man up" line, but the depth chart tells you why Dallas may go shopping. The initial 53-man roster carried just Williams and Davis before the team claimed Emari Demercado off waivers. Israel Abanikanda sits on the practice squad and is the likely call-up for Sunday, and Jones acknowledged the Cowboys could still add another veteran.
What It Means Behind Williams
Neither of the backups moves the fantasy needle on their own. Demercado managed 58 PPR points over 13 games in 2025 and lands as our RB62 (No. 277 overall). Abanikanda hasn't produced since his 2023 rookie cameo — 18 PPR points in six games — and checks in at RB88 (No. 394). These are handcuff-with-an-asterisk names, worth a late deep-league stash only if you're already rostering Williams.
The Fantasy Fallout
The clear winner here is Javonte Williams. He finished 2025 with 1,201 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns and 243 PPR points as our RB12 (No. 35 overall), and with Davis out he's the unquestioned lead back with almost no competition for touches. Yes, his last five games dipped 2.3 points below his season average, but volume cures a lot — and his just got safer.
Bottom line: if you can pry Williams loose or he's dropped after that late-season lull, buy low now. Grab Demercado only as insurance if you own Williams, and leave Abanikanda for the waiver wire unless you're desperate in a 14-teamer. Davis himself is a drop in redraft until we get a real timeline.
