Can Ezekiel Elliott have an Edgerrin James-like fantasy impact as a rookie?

Looking for an Ezekiel Elliott comp heading into your fantasy drafts? Look no further than the Edge.

In 1999, Edgerrin James had one of the best fantasy seasons from a running back in NFL history, let alone for a rookie. He carried the ball 369 times for 1,553 yards (an average of 4.2) and scored 13 touchdowns. Playing for the sophomore Peyton Manning-led Colts, James also tallied 62 receptions on 82 targets for 586 yards and four scores.

For those who can't do math at a Rain Man-like rate, this added up to 431 touches for 2,139 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns. In standard league scoring, James accounted for 316 fantasy points, or 19.75 per game. In comparison, Devonta Freeman led all RBs with 243.4 fantasy points last season, and Antonio Brown led all WRs with 246.2.

Obviously the NFL was a much different league in 1999. The running game was much more prominent and if you took anything other than a RB in the first round of your fantasy draft, you were looked at as crazy.

What gave James that extra bump in his fantasy value was his ability to stay on the field in passing down situations. Based on the previous numbers, he was a legitimate threat catching the ball out of the backfield.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Elliott is whether or not he, too, can be a threat out of the backfield. If not, his fantasy ceiling will be capped.

This question often comes up because Elliott caught 27 passes as a junior in 2015 and 28 as a sophomore. This may not seem like a whole lot, but keep in mind that Ohio State, Elliott's alma mater, doesn't run a spread offense like many schools do now a days.

While there wasn't a large sample size of his pass-catching ability, Elliott caught 92.9 percent of passes thrown his away and is athletic enough to make a smooth transition to the NFL in that regard.

Perhaps more importantly than his receiving skills, Elliott graded as the top pass-protecting running back in the entire nation, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed just one sack on his own in 108 pass-blocking snaps.

This exceptional pass-blocking ability will keep him on the field in passing down situations and lead to more receiving yards, as NFL teams involve their running backs in the passing game far more than college offenses do - especially Ohio State's.

For those still concerned about the lack of opportunities in the receiving game Elliott had in college, consider James. In his junior year in 1998, James caught just 17 passes for the University of Miami; he had only 19 as a sophomore.

Obviously it was a bonus for James to have Manning as his QB, but keep in mind that second-year Manning wasn't the all-pro QB he became later in his career. In 1999, Manning collected 4,135 yards with 26 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, a 62.1 completion percentage and a 90.7 QB rating.

It's hard comparing eras, and I'm not trying to compare Manning and Tony Romo by any stretch. But in 2014, when the Cowboys had a legitimate rush attack, Romo threw for 3,705 yards with 34 TDs, nine interceptions, an NFL-best 69.9 completion percentage and 113.2 QB rating. It's fair to expect that Romo can return to that form if Elliott is for real.

If that is the case, Dallas will often be leading in its games and will rely on Elliott to close out games, much like it did in 2014 with DeMarco Murray. That season, Murray led the NFL with 392 rushing attempts, 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also caught 57 passes for 416 yards.

A big part of why Murray, Romo and the entire Cowboys offense was able to have so much success was because of the best offensive line in the business leading the way. Even last year without Murray - and Romo for much of the season - the O line was the strength of the offense.

LT Tyron Smith, C Travis Frederick and RG Zack Martin all ranked in the top 5 in Pro Football Focus' list of top offensive lineman from 2015. All three of them were first-round picks, meaning that the front office is fully invested in establishing an elite ground attack.

Another big question mark surrounding Elliott is whether or not he will get a James- or Murray-type workload of 400-plus touches. By now, everyone in the NFL knows the longevity of a running back's career, so the Cowboys, who are clearly in win-now mode, knew that when they made him the fourth overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft.

My belief is that they wouldn't have taken a running back so high if they didn't plan on giving him the ball as much as it takes to reach the Super Bowl. After all, they came one controversial call away from reaching the NFC championship game in 2014. Romo himself is 36, so his window is closing. We all know Jerry Jones, Dallas' owner and GM, isn't getting any younger.

Then there's the wide receiver position. The '99 Colts had a 27-year-old future Hall-of-Famer in Marvin Harrison, who caught 115 passes that season for 1,663 yards and 12 touchdowns. Dez Bryant is no Harrison, but he will garner the same sort of double-coverage attention that won't allow teams to stack the box against Elliott.

In 2014, Dallas averaged 9.7 yards per play on play-action passes, which was the third-highest in the NFL that season, per Football Outsiders. They will certainly want to utilize play-action deep passes to Bryant once again this season, and that all begins with the running game.

You could argue that despite the lack of future HOF talent surrounding him, Elliott is heading into a better situation in his rookie year than James was. Both were fourth overall picks with high expectations. James (4.38) ran a slightly faster 40 time than Elliott (4.47), but the latter weighs 10 pounds more than the former was. They both stand at 6-feet tall.

Ironically enough, one NFL scout listed James as Elliott's player comparison. Another considered him the best RB prospect since Adrian Peterson. In my opinion, only Le'Veon Bell has a higher ceiling among running backs than Elliott. Don't shy way from him because of his rookie status, as Elliott is more than capable of James-like rookie numbers.