Luepke played 15 of the Cowboys' 66 snaps on offense and hauled in his lone target for a 10-yard reception in Sunday's 34-26 win over the Commanders.
After sitting out the Cowboys' Week 11 loss to the Texans due to a calf injury, Luepke was cleared to return to action Week 12. The fullback continued to handle a limited role on offense, but he still came away with his 10th reception of the season. Luepke has yet to find the end zone across his 16 touches through the Cowboys' first 11 games of the campaign.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Returns to practice Thursday
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Luepke (calf) was listed as a limited practice participant on Thursday's injury report, Joe Hoyt of AllDLLS.com reports.
Thursday was the first time Luepke had practiced or played since Dallas' Week 10 loss to Philadelphia. It's a sign that the second-year fullback is progressing through his calf injury, and if he's able to practice Friday, he would have a good shot at playing in Sunday's NFC East clash against Washington. Luepke's return would give the Cowboys' running game a boost and open up space for Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Sits out first Week 12 pratice
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Luepke (calf) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated injury report.
The calf injury prevented Luepke from practicing all of last week before he was inactive for Monday's loss to the Texans. The fullback will have to return to practice Thursday or Friday to give himself a chance to play against the Commanders on Sunday.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Inactive for MNF
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Luepke (calf) is inactive for Monday's Week 11 game against Houston, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
This was expected, as Luepke didn't practice at all this week and was deemed doubtful after the Cowboys' final practice. While the second-year fullback hasn't gotten more than four touches in any of his nine games so far this season, he's a key part of the team's running game as a blocker. Those duties could fall upon backup tight ends Luke Schoonmaker and/or Brevyn Spann-Ford with Luepke unable to suit up against the Texans.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Dealing with calf injury
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Luepke (calf) did not practice Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Luepke played 23 snaps (14 on offense, nine on special teams) during the Cowboys' Week 10 loss to the Eagles, but it appears he may have picked up a calf injury in the process. The 24-year-old fullback will have two more chances to return to practice ahead of Monday night's game against the Texans. Luepke has logged six carries for 19 yards and nine catches (on 11 targets) for 95 yards through the first nine games of the regular season.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: No touches in blowout loss
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Luepke didn't carry the ball or draw a target while playing 22 of 69 snaps on offense in Sunday's 47-9 loss to the Lions.
The second-year fullback had received three touches in both of the previous two contests, but the Cowboys didn't look to get him involved even while the contest was mostly noncompetitive by the second half. Luepke has carried four times for 14 yards and has caught seven passes for 91 yards on eight targets through six games, but he'll continue to be deployed mainly as a blocker when he's on the field.
Luepke secured two of his three targets for 41 yards in Sunday's 28-25 loss to the Ravens.
With quarterback Dak Prescott dropping back to pass 54 times while the Cowboys faced double-digit deficits for much of the game, Luepke was one of several Dallas pass catchers who saw more involvement than usual. The fullback still has yet to log a carry this season and brings most of his value as a blocker and contributor on special teams, but he's made the most of his five targets through three games, turning them into four receptions for 59 yards.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Two grabs in Sunday's win
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Luepke caught both his targets for 18 yards in Sunday's win over the Browns.
The Cowboys list Luepke as a running back on their depth chart, but the second-year North Dakota State product usually lines up as a fullback. However, when Jake Ferguson (knee) left Sunday's game early, Luepke was deployed as an H-back and caught multiple passes for the first time in his career. While he's a long way from being the next Kyle Juszczyk, Luepke could continue to see a bigger role as a receiver while Ferguson is sidelined, putting him on the deep-league radar heading into a Week 2 clash with the Saints.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Cleared to play Saturday
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Luepke (thigh) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game versus Detroit, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Luepke began Week 17 prep labeled as limited in Dallas' walkthrough due to a thigh injury, but he's been able to practice in full each of the two subsequent days. As such, he should be able to suit up Saturday against the Lions. Cowboys backup running back Rico Dowdle (ankle) has been ruled out for that contest, leaving Luepke and Deuce Vaughn as the remaining healthy ball carriers behind starter Tony Pollard. Practice-squad member Malik Davis is also an option, though he'd need to be signed to the active roster to suit up since he's already been elevated three times this season. Whether or not that happens, there appears to be a path for Luepke to see more than his usual allotment of work on offense versus Detroit.
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Cowboys' Hunter Luepke: Heavy workload in preseason finale
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Luepke rushed the ball 15 times for 58 yards in Saturday's 31-16 preseason win over the Raiders. He added five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Luepke joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. With much of the team's backfield resting in the preseason finale, he got the opportunity to shoulder a heavy workload and was the first back to record a carry. Luepke averaged only 3.9 yards per carry, though his work as a pass catcher may convince the Cowboys to consider him for a spot on the practice squad.
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Hunter Luepke: Heading to Dallas
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Luepke is expected to sign with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
In his last season at North Dakota State, Luepke rushed for 621 yards and nine touchdowns on just 98 carries, adding 14 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Operating as the starter in a running back committee, Luepke made First Team All-American and First Team All-MVFC three times and had an impressive career yards per carry (6.1) and yards per reception (17.6) during his college career. His natural ability as a pass-catcher could give him spot opportunities on an NFL offense, and he could also see time on the field on special teams coverage.
