SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The Dallas Cowboys will be without leading rusher Rico Dowdle for Sunday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers because of an illness.
Upon the Cowboys' arrival at Levi's Stadium at roughly 1:45 p.m. PT, the team said Dowdle became ill, and he did not go through early warmups.
His absence leaves Dallas with Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook, who was elevated from the practice squad Saturday, as its lead backs against the 49ers. The Cowboys will also have fullback Hunter Luepke available as well as Deuce Vaughn, who has been inactive the past two games.
Including Dowdle, the Cowboys are without four starters. Micah Parsons will miss his third straight game with a high left ankle sprain, while defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) and wide receiver Brandin Cooks (knee) are on injured reserve. All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland will miss his seventh straight game after undergoing foot surgery in August.
The Cowboys have the NFL's worst-ranked run offense, averaging just 77.2 yards per game. Dowdle has 246 yards on 58 carries, while Elliott has 115 yards on 38 carries with one touchdown. Cook has yet to play in a game this season.
Elliott started the opener against the Cleveland Browns and led the Cowboys with 40 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. Since then, he has not had more than eight carries or 19 yards in a game.
Cook posted four 1,000-yard seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2019-22), earning a Pro Bowl spot each time. Last year, he signed late with the New York Jets and had just 214 yards on 67 carries in 15 games. He then played one game for the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs and had eight carries for 23 yards.