Cowboys star running back (and sophomore fantasy superstar) Ezekiel Elliott's name was tied to an alleged domestic violence issue last year. He was allegedly involved in an assault incident at a Dallas bar this past week. He even got a speeding ticket! The incidents have become and indictment on Elliott, Jerry Jones, the Cowboys organization and the NFL itself.

Elliott is dominating the news in July. And that's exactly why we shouldn't draft until August.

First things first: Nobody should dismiss or discount domestic violence. Elliott wasn't charged with anything, and we can believe in "innocent until proven guilty" while also being disturbed by the details of those incidents. Elliott denied any involvement, he was never charged and there have been no repercussions from the league. From a legal standpoint, that's where it stands.

From a fantasy standpoint (which is why we're here), Elliott owners certainly didn't suffer during his rookie fantasy season. But after a bar incident and (gasp) a speeding ticket, fantasy players are talking about possible suspensions, when to grab Darren McFadden and what it ultimately means for Elliot's draft position.

The answer to the latter is: Not much.

It's great that sports media personalities have something to discuss, and they get to mull over the Cowboys a little more. This is the biggest football story, after all. But it's still July, so what's the competition for top news story? O.J. Simpson's parole? Michael Vick talking about Colin Kaepernick's hair? Terrell Owens wanting to play in Ice Cube's Big3 basketball league? Something involving LaVar Ball, who has nothing to do with football but can make news out of almost anything?

The truth is that there isn't much else to discuss, so any actual news gets put under a microscope. And that focus makes it a bigger deal in our minds. The issue isn't so much that we're worrying about it now, since your draft or auction should still be weeks away. It's that there will be residual importance imprinted in your brain, since it was a "big deal" for a few days. And maybe that becomes a subconscious tie-breaker, and causes you to make a different decision.

To be fair, the league could hand down a suspension of some kind. It could turn into something. And if you're deciding between David Johnson and Elliott, that could be the difference. But how many owners will actually have to make that specific decision? And how far would Elliott actually fall if he was suspended for a game or two? You think he'd be there at the end of the first round? Come on.

It could also cause you (or a rival owner) to reach for McFadden much earlier than you would under normal circumstances. And while there's obvious value there regardless of any suspension, there's also an opportunity cost. Does taking McFadden a couple rounds early mean missing out on a potential starter, or usable depth? Is that risk worth paying too much attention to these stories?

While worrying about a story in July isn't good, I guess it could be worse. You can't really do anything about it now, so all you can do is read, discuss and wonder. By the time it matters, it might not matter. The police have already suspended their bar incident investigation due to a lack of witnesses, and a speeding ticket is a speeding ticket. But if all this happened two days before your draft, it might really mess things up.

Still, the media's focus on the story is both understandable and symbolic. Networks, websites and news outlets need something to report. They need topics for their paid personalities to discuss. They need content to create and sell. That's how the business works, and while the NFL normally provides plenty of those topics, this is a slower time of the year. But salaries still need to be paid and ads still need to be aired, so Elliott took over the news for a while.

The point is, the media's problems aren't your problem. You don't have to buy what they're selling. Don't overreact to stories. In fact, try not to react at all until they're developed fully. Keep things in perspective, and it will pay off for you in September.

Anybody in your league reacting (or overreacting) to the Elliott news? If you're an owner, what's your game plan? Share your thoughts below.