Phil Mafah Fantasy Stats

Free agent running back Phil Mafah tried out for the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday, per Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com. A seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Mafah played in just one game as a rookie and was waived by the Cowboys in late August. While it's not yet clear if he will find his next NFL home in Green Bay, the Packers enter 2026 with significant questions in their backfield. Star Packers back Josh Jacobs is currently on the NFL's Commissioner's Exempt List due to an offseason arrest, and it's unclear when or if he will be cleared to play. As a result, the team's running back room currently consists of the unproven trio of MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Kaleb Johnson. The team is reportedly planning to take a committee approach to the backfield early in the year, and the fact that the Packers hosted Mafah on Tuesday could indicate that they do not have great confidence in any of their current options.

The Dallas Cowboys are waiving running back Phil Mafah, according to Jeremy Fowler. Dallas selected Mafah 239th overall in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but injuries limited his rookie season to one game. He carried five times for 18 yards and a touchdown in that appearance while adding two catches for 11 yards. Mafah returned healthy this summer and got one final extended audition Friday against New Orleans, starting and rushing 12 times for 46 yards. The bigger clue came from who didn't play. Dallas held Javonte Williams, Malik Davis and Jaydon Blue out of the preseason finale while Mafah handled the bulk of the work. The 6-foot-1, 232-pound back was fighting for one of the final spots in a crowded room, and Sunday's move confirms he remained on the outside. Mafah will now hit waivers after spending one season with Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah could be on the outside looking in to make the Cowboys' final 53-man roster. The Cowboys drafted him in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Clemson. Teams around the league will have to shrink their roster from 90 players to 53 players on Sunday in order to be ready for Week 1. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted Mafah got the majority of the running back work during the preseason finale Friday night. This signaled Mafah had one last shot to prove to the coaching staff that he should win a spot on the Cowboys' final roster. Mafah has been battling Jaydon Blue and Malik Davis all summer for the backup running back role behind starter Javonte Williams. After stiff competition, Mafah could be the odd man out of the running back room.

Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah was busy in the team's preseason finale on Friday night versus the visiting New Orleans Saints, which typically means a player is on the roster bubble. That is exactly the case with Mafah, who saw a team-high 12 carries for 46 yards (3.8 yards per carry) in the 27-24 loss, with Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, and Malik Davis all watching on the sidelines in street clothes. He was not targeted as a receiver. While the 23-year-old has not had a bad training camp, he looks to be the RB4 and on the outside looking in for a spot on the 53-man roster spot heading into Week 1 against the division-rival New York Giants on Sunday Night Football on Sept. 13. The former seventh-rounder in last year's draft from Clemson only appeared in one game for Dallas, carrying the ball five times for 18 yards and a touchdown and catching both of his targets for 11 yards in the passing game. Mafah is probably going to need an injury to one of the RBs above him on the depth chart to get a shot on game days in 2026.

Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah is not expected to make the 53-man roster for Week 1, according to roster projections from Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News. Watkins did have a 15-yard touchdown run during Dallas' last preseason game, but that was the only time he touched the ball during the entire contest. Volume has been hard to come by, and it seems like he'll be the odd man out. "Mafah has done nothing wrong here," Watkins wrote. "[Malik] Davis and [Jaydon] Blue just played better in the preseason." As things stand, it looks like Davis and Blue will round out the backfield behind starter Javonte Williams, with Davis also playing a key role on special teams. Mafah, meanwhile, might need to look for a new team after just one season with the Cowboys. As a rookie last year, he tallied 29 scrimmage yards on seven touches.

Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah (chest) exited Saturday night's preseason opener against the Seahawks with a chest injury and did not return. A seventh-round pick in 2025, Mafah earned only seven total opportunities as a rookie, but with the team's primary backup job up for grabs behind locked-in starter Javonte Williams, he has been part of a training camp battle that includes fellow second-year player Jaydon Blue and veteran Malik Davis. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer indicated after the game that the injury did not appear to be overly serious. Still, Mafah's status bears watching in the lead-up to the regular season. While the second running back spot in Dallas holds almost no standalone value, whoever earns the role will become an important handcuff to Williams.

Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah had another good run in training camp practice on Thursday, according to The Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins, and he appears to be gaining some steam in the backfield this summer for a depth role behind starter Javonte Williams. The 23-year-old entered camp this summer competing with second-year RB Jaydon Blue and Malik Davis for the No. 2 role in the Cowboys' backfield after he saw only five rushing attempts for 18 yards and a touchdown while catching both of his targets for 11 yards in one game as a rookie in 2025 after Dallas took him in the seventh round (239th overall) out of Clemson. Although Mafah has reportedly looked good so far in camp, so has Blue, a fifth-rounder out of the University of Texas last year. Blue is also the much more complete back with more explosiveness, so he figures to be given the first shot at RB2 duties over Mafah in 2026, at least early on. At best, Mafah will most likely serve as a short-yardage weapon for Dallas because of his battering-ram style out of the backfield. Until further notice, he can be ignored in redraft fantasy leagues.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Nick Harris lists Dallas Cowboys running backs Phil Mafah, Jaydon Blue, and Malik Davis as on the bubble heading into training camp this summer. Behind workhorse Javonte Williams, the Cowboys don't have a clear-cut favorite for the RB2 role, "which will create a fascinating battle in training camp and the preseason." The 23-year-old Mafah, who was a seventh-rounder last year out of Clemson, played in only one game and had five rushing attempts for 18 yards and a touchdown. He also caught both of his targets for 11 yards. He's fully healthy and looking to keep the momentum going after a strong offseason "in the eyes of his coaches." Harris writes that Blue has more natural ability than Mafah and Davis due to his explosive speed and receiving abilities, but he will have to win over the coaches after he showed immaturity as a rookie in 2025. Going into training camp, Mafah is only a hold in deep dynasty/keeper leagues as he battles for a depth role in Big D.

Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah got his first taste of NFL action in Week 18 against the New York Giants and finished the game with 29 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on seven touches. A seventh-round pick out of Clemson in the 2025 NFL draft, Mafah spent most of his rookie season on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury. He got his chance to make an impression in Week 18 due to injuries to Cowboys running backs Javonte Williams (shoulder, neck) and Malik Davis (calf, eye). Heading into 2026, the Cowboys' running back room is in flux. Williams was the team's clear RB1 throughout the 2025 season, but he will hit free agency and is uncertain to be retained. Davis is also a free agent, though Dallas holds his restricted free agent rights. Depending on how the Cowboys choose to address the running back position this offseason, Mafah could find himself battling with 2025 fifth-rounder Jaydon Blue for a role in the Dallas backfield.

Dallas Cowboys running back Phil Mafah (shoulder) is officially active for Sunday's Week 18 contest against the New York Giants. He had been listed as questionable but was widely expected to play after being activated from injured reserve on Saturday. The 23-year-old will make his NFL debut at the perfect time, as Dallas will be without running backs Javonte Williams (shoulder, neck) and Malik Davis (calf, eye). Jaydon Blue is projected to operate as the Cowboys' No. 1 running back on Sunday, but he has just 23 touches in his rookie season, so we wouldn't be surprised to see Mafah get involved, too. Mafah is also a rookie and should play a key role against a Giants defense that has allowed the second-most rushing yards and fifth-most fantasy points to running backs in 2025.