Rico Dowdle Fantasy Football Week 1: Stats and Projections vs. Falcons

Rico Dowdle and the Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Atlanta Falcons -- whose rushing defense was ranked 24th in the league last season (126.2 yards allowed per game) -- in Week 1, on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Daily fantasy players, is Dowdle worth a look for his upcoming game against the Falcons? Keep reading, because we can help you make the correct decision.

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Rico Dowdle Week 1 Fantasy Football Projection

• Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons
• Game Date: September 13, 2026
• Game Time: 1 p.m.
• Projected Fantasy Points: 7.6
• PPR Projected Fantasy Points: 8.4
• Projected Rushing Yards: 44.55
• Projected Rushing TDs: 0.25
• Projected Receiving Yards: 11.66
• Projected Receiving TDs: 0.10

Projections provided by numberFire

Dowdle 2025 Fantasy Performance

• Ranked 48th overall and 16th at his position, Dowdle accumulated 177.3 fantasy points (10.4 per game) in 2025.
• In his best game last season -- Week 6 versus the Dallas Cowboys -- Dowdle accumulated 29.9 fantasy points. His stat line: 30 carries, 183 yards; 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD.
• In his second-best fantasy performance last year, Dowdle finished with 29.4 points (23 carries, 206 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 28 yards) in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins.
• In his worst game of the season, Dowdle ended up with 1.0 fantasy points -- 7 carries, 10 yards. That happened in Week 18 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Dowdle collected 1.5 fantasy points -- 5 carries, 9 yards -- in his second-worst game of the year. That was in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.

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Falcons Defensive Performance

• Last year, Atlanta allowed just one quarterback to put up more than 300 passing yards in a game.
• Last season, the Falcons allowed 13 QBs to throw at least one touchdown pass in a game.
• Against Atlanta last season, nine players threw for at least two touchdowns in a game.
• In the passing game, the Falcons gave up three or more passing touchdowns to four opposing quarterbacks last year.
• Atlanta let four players pile up more than 100 receiving yards in a game last year.
• Against the Falcons last season, 24 players caught a TD pass.
• Atlanta allowed at least two receiving touchdowns through the air to only three players last season.
• Looking at run D, the Falcons allowed more than 100 rushing yards to only two players last season.
• Against Atlanta last season, nine players rushed for at least one TD.
• In the ground game, the Falcons allowed only two players to score at least two rushing touchdowns against them last year.

Want more data and analysis on Rico Dowdle? Check out FanDuel Research for all the latest and in-depth fantasy and betting coverage.