Fantasy Football: Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott a go for opener

U.S. District Court judge Amos Mazzant III granted a request by the NFL Players Association for a temporary restraining order on Friday to prevent the implementation of the six-game suspension for Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Elliott's suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy was set to begin Monday, one day after he was eligible to compete in the Cowboys' season-opening game against the NFC East rival New York Giants.

With the injunction, Elliott likely will be able to continue playing as the legal process plays out. There is a chance the 22-year-old will be allowed to play the entire 2017 season as the case makes its way through the court, according to multiple reports.

"We are very pleased that Mr. Elliott will finally be given the opportunity to have an impartial decision-maker carefully examine the NFL's misconduct," Elliott's attorneys said in a statement Friday night. "This is just the beginning of the unveiling of the NFL's mishandling as it relates to Mr. Elliott's suspension."

The Cowboys did not comment on the court's decision, although Elliott posted a video on Instagram with the caption: "Momma told me if ya fall never stay down."

There's no timeline for Mazzant to make a decision on whether to allow the petition to move forward to trial, according to Gabe Feldman, director of the Tulane Sports Law Program.

"The question before the court is merely whether Elliott received a fundamentally fair hearing before the arbitrator," Mazzant wrote in his ruling. "The answer is he did not. The court finds, based upon the injunction standard, that Elliott was denied a fundamentally fair hearing by (arbitrator Harold) Henderson's refusal to allow (former girlfriend Tiffany) Thompson and (NFL Commissioner Roger) Goodell to testify at the arbitration hearing. Their absence ... effectively deprived Elliott of any chance to have a fundamentally fair hearing. The court grants the request for preliminary injunction."

On Tuesday, appeals officer Henderson upheld the suspension handed down from Goodell.

"We strongly believe that the investigation and evidence supported the Commissioner's decision and that the process was meticulous and fair throughout," the NFL said in a statement. "We will review the decision in greater detail and discuss next steps with counsel, both in the district court and federal court of appeals."

Elliott, who was not arrested nor charged in the case, maintains his innocence after being accused of assaulting Thompson. The original punishment was issued by Goodell on Aug. 11 after a 13-month investigation.

"Commissioner discipline will continue to be a distraction from our game for one reason: because NFL owners have refused to collectively bargain a fair and transparent process that exists in other sports," the NFLPA said in a statement on Friday. "This 'imposed' system remains problematic for players and the game, but as the honest and honorable testimony of a few NFL employees recently revealed, it also demonstrates the continued lack of integrity within their own League office."

Elliott, the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft, led the NFL in rushing with 1,631 yards during his rookie season.