2025 Rush/Rec Stats
ATT
52
YDS
250
TD
2
YDS
16
TD
0
2026 Projections
2026 Fantasy Outlook
Originally an undrafted free agent out of Florida, Davis has hung around in the Cowboys' organization since 2022 and finally got rewarded with a significant role in the final weeks of 2025, rushing for 103 yards on 20 carries in Week 17 against Washington. Davis doesn't offer much as a pass-catcher and lacks a plus trait as a runner, breaking zero tackles on his 52 carries last season and averaging a very average 1.9 yards per carry after contact. He's reliable when called upon though and offers some special-teams utility, which has allowed him to hang onto a roster spot. Dallas didn't make any additions to the backfield depth chart in the offseason, so Davis' only real competition for the No. 2 spot behind Javonte Williams will come from 2025 late-round picks Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, neither of whom showed much as rookies. Considering Williams' injury history in Denver, that's a job that could offer more touch upside than expected in 2026. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Signed a contract with the Cowboys in November of 2025.
Appears to be in lead for RB2 job
At this stage, Davis appears to be the frontrunner for the Cowboys' No. 2 running back job, Tommy Yarrish of the team's official site reports.
ANALYSIS
Calf and eye issues resulted in Davis being placed on IR ahead of Week 18 action last season. However, the ensuing offseason afforded the 27-year-old time to recover, and the Florida product will now look to secure backfield slotting behind top option Javonte Williams, who recorded a career-high 252 carries during the 2025 regular season. While working behind Williams in that span, Davis recorded 52 carries for 250 yards and two touchdowns, as well as two catches (on five targets) for 16 yards in 10 contests. Should Davis maintain his standing as Williams' top backup, he'd carry fantasy value as an insurance policy, but Yarrish points out that Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah could compete for the job ahead of the 2026 campaign, making this a situation to monitor in the coming months.
Calf and eye issues resulted in Davis being placed on IR ahead of Week 18 action last season. However, the ensuing offseason afforded the 27-year-old time to recover, and the Florida product will now look to secure backfield slotting behind top option Javonte Williams, who recorded a career-high 252 carries during the 2025 regular season. While working behind Williams in that span, Davis recorded 52 carries for 250 yards and two touchdowns, as well as two catches (on five targets) for 16 yards in 10 contests. Should Davis maintain his standing as Williams' top backup, he'd carry fantasy value as an insurance policy, but Yarrish points out that Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah could compete for the job ahead of the 2026 campaign, making this a situation to monitor in the coming months.
NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.
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Advanced NFL Stats
How do Malik Davis' 2025 advanced stats compare to other running backs?
This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.
Broken Tackle %
7.7%Positive Run %
94.2%% Yds After Contact
54.0%Avg Yds After Contact
2.6Rushing TD %
3.8%Touches Per Game
5.4% Snaps w/Touch
34.8%Air Yards Per Game
1.8Air Yards Per Snap
0.12% Team Air Yards
0.4%% Team Targets
0.8%Avg Depth of Target
3.6 YdsCatch Rate
40.0%Drop Rate
20.0%Avg Yds After Catch
3.0% Targeted On Route
9.3%Avg Yds Per Route Run
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2025 NFL Game Log
2025
2023
2022
2025 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Cowboys 2025 RB Snap DistributionLoading Weekly Snap Counts...
Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Malik Davis lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
Detailed
Grouped
Side
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2025 Malik Davis Split Stats
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
The Cowboys' decision to let Tony Pollard leave and replace him with just retread Ezekiel Elliott points to a backfield committee in 2024, which could provide opportunities for depth players to make surprising contributions. Davis has plenty of experience in committees dating days to his college days at Florida, but he didn't see a single snap on offense last season, spending most of the year on the practice squad. He doesn't have any standout traits, and while he can handle duties on all three downs, he's limited to gaining the yards his blocking creates for him.
More Fantasy News
Lands on IR
The Cowboys placed Davis (eye/calf) on injured reserve Saturday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Out for Week 18
Davis (eye/calf) and Javonte Williams (neck/shoulder) have been ruled out for Sunday's game at the Giants, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Misses practice again Thursday
Davis (calf/eye) did not participate in Thursday's practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Held out of practice
Davis (calf/eye) didn't practice Wednesday, while fellow Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (shoulder) isn't listed on the Week 18 injury report.
ANALYSIS
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Will be limited Wednesday
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Davis (eye) will be limited in practice Wednesday, Joe Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Competing with pair of 2025 picks
Davis is competing for the second spot on Dallas' running back depth chart against second-year pros Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
ANALYSIS
Davis finished the 2025 season as the top backup to Javonte Williams, and the Cowboys didn't shake up their backfield in the offseason, which bodes well for Davis' chance of contributing to the team again in 2026. The 27-year-old Davis worked ahead of 2025 Day 3 draft picks Blue and Mafah in 2025, but Blue and Mafah could have a better chance of surpassing Davis on the depth chart now that they have a year of NFL experience under their belts.
Davis finished the 2025 season as the top backup to Javonte Williams, and the Cowboys didn't shake up their backfield in the offseason, which bodes well for Davis' chance of contributing to the team again in 2026. The 27-year-old Davis worked ahead of 2025 Day 3 draft picks Blue and Mafah in 2025, but Blue and Mafah could have a better chance of surpassing Davis on the depth chart now that they have a year of NFL experience under their belts.