Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott: Will see more targets as receiver

Elliott has been lining up in the slot and out wide in the early part of training camp as the Cowboys focus on ways to get him more involved in the passing game, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. "Zeke can get more catches this year without him playing more plays," quarterback Dak Prescott said Monday. "I think just his ability with the ball in his hands is valuable to this offense. So in the passing game [if] the defense is giving us soft coverage, get it to him and let him do what's best. As you see, we've kind of given it to him a bunch out here already. And it's just the fact of that's just how the offense is going, that's what the defense is giving us. It's not that we're calling plays extra to give Zeke the ball."

As a rookie, Elliott caught 32 passes on 40 targets in 15 games, but running backs in offensive coordinator Scott Linehan's scheme have often hauled in 50 or more passes in a season, including DeMarco Murray's 57 in his final year with Dallas -- which leaves significant potential for growth in Elliott's receiving numbers in his second NFL campaign. Even if he has to serve a brief suspension to begin the season, the league's defending rushing champ could still find a way to improve on his fantasy value in 2017.