Malik Davis ruled out of Cowboys opener after practice hip injury

Malik Davis has been ruled out of the Cowboys’ season opener against the Giants after injuring his hip at Friday’s practice, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported. Davis was taken from the field on a cart for further testing, and executive vice president Stephen Jones told Dallas radio station The Fan that the injury could keep Davis out for an extended period, according to ESPN.

The information available does not establish a return date. For Sunday, though, the immediate change is clear: the Cowboys will be without the running back who had won the backup job behind Javonte Williams.

ESPN identified Emari Demercado and fullback Hunter Luepke as the remaining options behind Williams, with Israel Abanikanda on the practice squad. That is the group to watch for additional work. No carry split has been announced in the report, and the injury alone does not establish how Dallas will distribute passing-down snaps.

Davis’ official Cowboys profile records 52 carries for 250 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. Those totals show the scale of the rushing role Dallas is replacing: useful work behind the starter, rather than the production of a lead back.

For fantasy managers, Davis should come out of plans for the opener. A replacement decision depends on the depth of the league and the price of the available alternatives. Demercado is worth checking as a potential beneficiary, but a new depth-chart opportunity is not a promise of enough touches to start him immediately.

Managers already holding Williams should watch whether Dallas keeps the same rotation or asks him to handle more of the offense. The first game can answer that more directly than a projected workload built solely around Friday’s injury.

The next medical update will determine whether this is a one-game roster adjustment or a longer-term depth problem. Until then, reserve eligibility should be checked in the fantasy platform itself; an NFL game-day absence does not automatically establish eligibility for a fantasy injured-reserve slot.