How Ezekiel Elliott’s Massive Contract Affects Fantasy Football

The Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott have finally reached the end of the contract negotiations. According to Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL Network, he has a six-year, $90 million deal and will be rejoining his team at Wednesday’s practice. Zeke is now a very wealthy man.

Ultimately, this means that he will be eligible for the opening game against the New York Giants, but that is less important for some portions of society. Right now, the bigger concern is his fantasy value. Is he still safe to select in upcoming drafts?

With mere days remaining before Thursday’s season-starting game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears, the majority of fantasy football drafts have concluded. However, there are some leagues that purposely wait until the day before the season to select their players in order to avoid any last-minute injuries. Elliott is set to rejoin his team on Wednesday, and he should be in full health after training in Cabo. Where should fantasy managers select him in the draft?

According to Field Yates and Matthew Berry of ESPN, there were some initial concerns about Elliott missing time, but their opinion has since switched. As Berry explained, what truly made this situation far more positive than those of Le’Veon Bell in 2018 and Melvin Gordon in 2019 was that the two sides were actually talking. Both Zeke’s camp and the Cowboys were actively working toward a deal at the time. This news made it far more likely that he would be suited up and active in Week 1.

Due to this bit of news, both Berry and Yates have Elliott ranked in the top four running backs on their boards. They both believe that the former Ohio State star should not and will not last beyond the first four picks. Saquon Barkley of the Giants is in the running to be the first player selected, and he should be followed by Alvin Kamara of the Saints and Christian McCaffrey of the Panthers. Elliott, as of right now, would slide in just behind that talented trio, but the ESPN analysts can make an argument for him leapfrogging one of the players and being selected third overall.

That being said, now that Elliott’s deal was completed on early Wednesday morning, He has now become the top running back in fantasy football. The Cowboys fanbase won’t want to select a member of the rival Giants, which automatically negates Barkley. Considering that Elliott has been consistent and healthy throughout his career while twice leading the league in rushing yards, he will instantly become their first option.