The 2026 free agent running back class is impressive, highlighted by Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall and Travis Etienne. We’ll see if any of those running backs change teams this offseason, but none of them will be headed to Dallas.
The Cowboys decided to sign Javonte Williams to a three-year contract extension for $24 million, including $16 million guaranteed. Williams, who turns 26 in April, can now build on his solid 2025 campaign when he was the No. 12 PPR running back at 15.2 points per game.
In his first season in Dallas, Williams had 252 carries for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns and 35 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 51 targets. He scored at least 17.9 PPR points in six of his first eight games and averaged 18.6 PPR points over that span.
He struggled in the second half of the season when he averaged just 11.8 PPR points over his final eight games (he missed Week 18 with a shoulder injury). But he impressed the Cowboys enough to give him a long-term extension.
Fantasy managers should consider Williams a solid No. 2 running back in all leagues, and I have him at No. 20 in my early running back rankings. I would consider drafting Williams as early as Round 5.
Williams should once again be looking at a hefty workload in 2026, and he was No. 10 in carries in 2025 and No. 13 in total touches. Barring a significant change, the Cowboys will go with Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue as their top backups, and neither pose a significant threat to Williams when healthy.
And, hopefully, we’ll get more work for Williams in the passing game in 2026. He started the 2025 campaign with 24 catches on 34 targets in his first eight games, but he only had 11 catches on 17 targets in his final eight outings, which led to his second-half decline.
Dallas has a lot of mouths to feed on offense, especially since it appears like George Pickens will return in 2026 on at least the franchise tag if a long-term deal isn’t reached. Along with CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson, Dak Prescott can spread the ball around to several stars without having to feature Williams.
That stated, Williams should get enough work in a top-tier offense — the Cowboys were No. 2 in total yards per game (391.9) and No. 7 in scoring (27.7 points) — and we like featured running backs in this scenario. Williams staying in Dallas is great news for his Fantasy value.
We’ll continue to monitor where Walker, Hall and Etienne, among others, end up this offseason. But Williams knows where he’s playing in 2026, and he has the chance to be a Fantasy star since he’ll remain with the star on his helmet for potentially the next three years.
