Rico Dowdle Fantasy Football Week 2: Stats and Projections vs. Patriots

Rico Dowdle and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet the New England Patriots -- whose run defense was ranked sixth in the NFL last season (101.7 yards allowed per game) -- in Week 2, on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Daily fantasy players, is Dowdle worth considering for his upcoming matchup versus the Patriots? Keep reading, because we can help you make the right decision.

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Rico Dowdle Week 2 Fantasy Football Projection

• Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
• Game Date: September 20, 2026
• Game Time: 1 p.m.
• Projected Fantasy Points: 7.2
• PPR Projected Fantasy Points: 7.6
• Projected Rushing Yards: 50.02
• Projected Rushing TDs: 0.24
• Projected Receiving Yards: 6.02
• Projected Receiving TDs: 0.04

Projections provided by numberFire

Dowdle 2025 Fantasy Performance

• Dowdle picked up 177.3 fantasy points (10.4 per game), 16th at his position and 48th in the league.
• In his one game this year, Dowdle picked up 2.1 fantasy points. He rushed for 15 yards on eight carries, with zero touchdowns, and had six yards receiving on two catches (five targets).
• Dowdle accumulated 29.9 fantasy points -- 30 carries, 183 yards; 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD -- in his best game last year, in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys.
• Dowdle accumulated 29.4 fantasy points in Week 5 versus the Miami Dolphins (23 carries, 206 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 28 yards) in his second-best game last season.
• Dowdle picked up 1.0 fantasy points -- 7 carries, 10 yards -- in his worst game of the year, Week 18 versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Dowdle picked up 1.5 fantasy points -- 5 carries, 9 yards -- in Week 1 versus the Los Angeles Rams, his second-worst performance of the year.

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Patriots Defensive Performance

• Against New England last year, two players recorded more than 300 passing yards in a game.
• Last year, the Patriots allowed 15 QBs to throw at least one touchdown pass in a game.
• Against New England last season, seven players threw for two or more touchdowns in a game.
• Last year, the Patriots allowed just three players to throw for three or more TDs in a game.
• Through the air, New England gave up more than 100 receiving yards to five players last season.
• Against the Patriots last season, 21 players caught a TD pass.
• Looking at pass defense, New England allowed only three players to catch at least two touchdown passes against it last year.
• In the ground game, four players put up more than 100 rushing yards in a game against the Patriots last season.
• Against New England last season, nine players ran for at least one TD.
• In the running game, the Patriots allowed just 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.