Week 1 at Minnesota Vikings
An afterthought for much of the offseason, Alfred Morris was signed during the preseason as a temporary stand-in for an ailing backfield. He impressed, however, and when Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL last week, Morris returned to fantasy relevance. He should split work with Matt Breida this season, giving him value in standard league formats, but this may not be the best week to start him. The Vikings were the best defense in the league last year against the running back position and they look to be dominant again this season. Morris has low-end value in standard leagues, but fantasy owners should look elsewhere if possible.
Week 15 at Oakland Raiders
Alfred Morris now has 49 touches in the last two games and has produced 212 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. No doubt Morris is the first option to run the football, but backup Rod Smith is seeing plenty of snaps as well.
Morris will face the Raiders this week, who are ranked 26th in aFPA to running backs. The Smith factor is huge because it is taking Morris off the field. Even with Morris' recent success and a very good matchup, we see him as a high-end FLEX or RB3 for Week 15.
Week 14 at New York Giants
Alfred Morris had a monster day rushing for 127 yards and a touchdown against his former team. The 27 carries was even a bigger number as Cowboys coaches showed they are confident to give Morris the touches.
The Cowboys face the Giants this week, who are ranked 29th in aFPA to running backs. But even with a good matchup, there are still questions about the entire Dallas offense. It has been inconsistent since the Ezekiel Elliott suspension started. Morris should be in your lineup, but only as a low-end RB2 for Week 14.
Week 13 vs. Washington Redskins
Alfred Morris was not on the field as much as teammate Rod Smith but he basically had equal touches. The two backs are splitting time with Ezekiel Elliot suspended. Morris ended up with 49 yards from scrimmage last week but zero touchdowns.
The Cowboys face the Redskins who are 14th in aFPA to running backs. Morris carried the three times for 3 yards in the first meeting as Elliot's backup. Morris has some value for Week 13 but only as a RB3 or flex.
Week 12 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Alfred Morris had a decent fantasy day despite the Cowboys offense struggling. He rushed 17 times for 91 yards, but didn't get into the end zone. The touches are key as we weren't sure how Dallas would use him. One negative is he had zero receptions and will not be involved in the passing game.
The Chargers are very good against the pass, but have not been good at stopping the running game. They rank 30th in aFPA to running backs.
There are concerns about the entire Dallas offense which will impact Morris and the Cowboys skill players, but he should still get enough carries to rate as a solid RB2 for Week 12.
Week 11 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Surprisingly, it was Rod Smith who played the majority of the snaps last week instead of Alfred Morris or Darren McFadden. However, Morris still had the most carries (11) of any Cowboy running back. So, even though the trend might be for Smith to be on the field more, Dallas seems to consider Morris the primary back.
The Cowboys face a tough defense this week as the Eagles are ranked fourth in aFPA to running backs. The snap count does hurt Morris' fantasy standings, even though the touches still might be there. Morris rates as a high-end RB3 or FLEX play on Sunday night against a good Philly run defense.
Week 10 at Atlanta Falcons
Alfred Morris will FINALLY get the start after a court re-instated Ezekiel Elliott's suspension (again). We know Morris has had success at the NFL level so it's not like he's an unknown player being thrown into the mix.
Morris is facing the Falcons, who are ranked 24th in aFPA to running backs so this is a good matchup for Cowboys backs. Morris definitely is a good waiver wire pickup and should help your fantasy team over the next month. Start him as a solid RB2 for Week 10.
Fantasy Upside
Alfred Morris moves from Washington to Dallas where he hopes he will get an opportunity to revive his career. Morris did not miss a start in his four-year career with Dallas and rushed for over 1,000 yards the first three years.
Fantasy Downside
However, the last two years his numbers starting spiraling downward and last year's were the worst of his career. Morris will probably only get that chance if Elliot bombs or gets hurt which would move him up the depth chart.
2016 Bottom Line
It's going to take lot for Morris to get on the field with a stud rookie and a reliable veteran in front of him. He is late-round depth at best, but probably should not be on your draft radar.
Week 18 vs Green Bay
Alfred Morris carried 19 times for 100 yards last week. He's now carried the ball 14, 17 and 19 times over the final three games of the year with Matt Jones banged up with a hip injury. The 100 yards was his most since collecting 125 in Week 1.
This week, Morris is fourth on our list of RBs for Wild Card weekend. It's tough to trust Morris and the Redskins running game, but with Jones out, he should be the main ball carrier against the Packers with Pierre Thomas and Chris Thompson perhaps also getting work. It's not a great matchup, however, as the Pack are eighth in allowing fantasy points to the position. Still, if you look at our list, there are not a lot of great matchups for RBs this week.
Week 17 at Dallas
Alfred Morris had 17 carries for 49 yards last week. Matt Jones was inactive so Morris had a real chance to post fantasy numbers. However as some of the beat writers would note this week, the team seemed to trust newly-signed Pierre Thomas toward the end of the game rather than giving it to Morris.
Morris is a risky play in Week 17 against the Cowboys who are only 25th in allowing fantasy points to RBs. Even if Jones is out, Thomas and Chris Thompson figure to be involved in the running game. As for next year, it's hard to imagine Morris being back in Washington. Jones and Thompson seem like the future at this point.
