The pendulum has swung back the other way and Ezekiel Elliott is suspended again, after the Second Circuit court in New York denied Elliott's request for an emergency injunction pending his appeal.
Elliott is now suspended for the next six games, beginning immediately in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Cowboys running back will miss the next six games, but it is possible that he could be back on the field sooner, pending his appeal before the Second Circuit.
On Nov. 3, Elliott was granted a temporary stay of the suspension leading up to Thursday's hearing on whether or not Elliott would receive an injunction. That was today's hearing, and Zeke was denied the injunction, which means the stay was lifted.
In layman's terms: he is now suspended again.
Let's look at some important factors heading forward both on and off the field.
What's next from a legal standpoint?
The court also ordered that Elliott would be granted an expedited appeal and that the Clerk of Court would set the expedited appeal as soon as available. The Clerk scheduled that hearing for Dec. 1.
So Elliott could potentially be back on the field if he wins that appeal, but given that the panel of judges quickly struck down his request for an injunction -- and I mean quickly, it happened less than an hour after the hearing -- it does not look good for Elliott. Best case scenario he could be back in Week 14 against the Giants.
As far as playing on Sunday, there are two very, very, very-very-very longshots. Elliott could try and hear an en banc hearing (which would be the full panel of Second Circuit judges), but it is unlikely he could have that granted before Sunday. Additionally, he could appeal to the Supreme Court, but, again, it is highly unlikely that he could receive some kind of emergency stay from the Supreme Court.
It is worth noting that Elliott wants to clear his name in this situation. That has been his primary goal throughout all of this. Do not expect Elliott to simply lay down here. He may serve the suspension but he will also exhaust his legal remedies.
Barring either one of those emergency options or Elliott winning the expedited appeal within the next six weeks, Elliott will next be eligible to play for the Cowboys on Dec. 24 when they play the Seahawks in Week 16.
Who wins and loses from a football standpoint?
The big winners here are the Eagles and Redskins. Philadelphia was slated to play the Cowboys twice late in the season and therefore did not appear to get a week without Elliott. Now they do. The Redskins are in a slightly dire situation, sitting at 4-4. They need all the help they can get in terms of trying to make the playoffs. Getting to play the Cowboys late in the year without Elliott is a big bonus.
This is also, obviously, huge news for the Atlanta Falcons, who are three-point favorites against the Cowboys at home on Sunday. (It makes you wonder just how much Vegas knows by the way, that they were favored over a better Cowboys team before the Elliott hearing.)
What should I do from a Fantasy football standpoint?
First things first, you go read our Fantasy breakdown from Chris Towers.
According to Jane Slater of NFL Media, Alfred Morris "will get the ball first" for the Cowboys, but expect to see Darren McFadden in the mix, along with Rod Smith.
The Cowboys have a very nice schedule for running backs moving forward when you look at both the yards per game allowed and rush defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders:
Opponent | Rush Yards Allowed/Game (Rank) | Rush Defense DVOA Rank |
Week 10 - Falcons | 114.5 (18th) | 29th |
Week 11 - Eagles | 66.4 (1st) | 8th |
Week 12 - Chargers | 135.1 (31st) | 26th |
Week 13 - Redskins | 110.5 (16th) | 13th |
Week 14 - Giants | 125.9 (28th) | 25th |
Week 15 - Raiders | 116.6 (21st) | 24th |
The question is going to be how effective each runner is. It's a complicated situation for fantasy, so try and get whoever you can on your roster if they are still available.
