The Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott are looking to bounce back in a big way in 2021. Last year, the team’s playoff hopes were derailed once injuries began taking over the roster. A lot of Fantasy Football teams were derailed as well.
The offense lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending ankle injury, which hurt. Without Prescott, the offense was never going to be as dynamic despite an experienced backup in Andy Dalton taking over the job. What really put an end to the Cowboys was the injuries to their offensive line.
Tyron Smith, La’El Collins, and Zack Martin all missed significant time during 2021. Martin made the most appearances out of the three, playing in 10 games. Smith played in two, while Collins missed the entire season.
That all culminated in a difficult season for running back, Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott had the worst rushing season of his career, running for 979 yards on 244 carries with six touchdowns. It was the lowest total of rushing yards in a season despite playing in 15 games; in 2017 he ran for 983 yards in only 10 games.
While he wasn’t able to get anything going on the ground, Elliott showed his production in the passing game is sustainable. He caught 52 passes for 338 yards and two more scores.
What can we expect from Elliott in 2021? Let’s take a look.
What to Expect From Ezekiel Elliott In 2021
Expect a big bounceback from the former Ohio State product. Dallas has the look of one of the best offenses in the NFL and with everyone back healthy, they should produce like it.
With Prescott back under center, rushing lanes should open up as teams will no longer be daring the Cowboys to consistently throw the ball. They will be placing a lot of focus on slowing down Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
Most importantly, the offensive line is healthy heading into 2021. Should injuries occur again, the Cowboys are at least turning to players with experience in their system now.
This will all result in Elliott getting back on track in 2021. But, with Tony Pollard showing that he can help the offense as well, Elliott will have his touches scaled back slightly from what we have seen in the past.
Expect Ezekiel Elliott to receive 275 carries and rush for at least 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns. His presence in the passing game will continue despite there being so many options at wide receiver. Elliott will catch 65 balls for 500 yards and another three scores through the air.
That will cement himself once again as one of the best running backs in the NFL in one of the most high-octane offense the league will see this season. His Fantasy Football numbers will look very good as well.
