Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb was back at practice on Wednesday. He missed about a week with a cut to his foot that required stitches. "Came out good," HC Mike McCarthy said after Wednesday's workout. Consider this a non-issue going forward.

Cowboys LT Tyron Smith tore his left hamstring in Wednesday's practice, ESPN reports. That is expected to cost Smith "multiple months," which sounds like it could even wind up a season-ender. Losing Smith will obviously hurt Dallas in both run-blocking and pass protection. The team did play without him for 6 games last year, however, and 14 games the year before. Smith actually enters this year having missed 3+ contests in 6 consecutive seasons. It's not a killer to the fantasy football draft values for Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and others. But's definitely an added hurdle.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Smith suffered an avulsion fracture of his left knee, which means "the hamstring tendon that sits at the back of the knee pulled off the bone." Smith will have surgery and won't play until at least December -- if at all this season.

How do the Cowboys feel about QB Dak Prescott's play this summer? “I thought he’s had his best camp that I’ve seen him have since he’s been a Cowboy,” VP Stephen Jones says, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “Velocity, his accuracy, the whole thing. Obviously, as the quarterbacks get older, they get better. The good ones do. They get better every year. There’s no question in my mind, I think he’s had his best training camp he’s ever had.” We're not altering our projections on praise from the team's front office, but it's certainly good to hear -- especially considering that Prescott has to deal with losing WR Amari Cooper and likely opening the year without WR Michael Gallup (ACL recovery). Prescott sits in low-QB1 territory in our fantasy football rankings and hasn't been a specific target of ours in drafting so far. But he has displayed the upside to outperform that level and is worth a look when he stays on the board into that range.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb was sidelined for Wednesday's joint practice with the Chargers. He told insider Clarence Hill that he suffered a cut to his foot that required stitches. Lamb wouldn't say how it happened. We'll see exactly how long he's out, but we're not expecting this to impact Lamb's availability for the start of the season.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave his thoughts on what the backfield should look like in a Saturday interview with NFL Network. "We gotta have Tony Pollard out there. No, seriously, Zeke's gotta be our feature, and he is our feature," Jones said. "We can feature him in a lot of different ways ... So it's critical that we make Zeke -- because he's capable of being that -- really the focus of what we're doing. Now then, Pollard, there's plenty of room for Pollard. There's plenty of room for Pollard when Zeke's in there. Pollard needs to get the ball." There's only 1 ball to go around for these 2 backs, so it'll be interesting to see exactly how touches are divvied this season. But it's clear that the Cowboys currently have no plans of significantly scaling back Elliott's volume.

Jon Machota of The Athletic writes that Dallas’ O-line “has more question marks than it ever has in [Dak] Prescott’s career.” Of note, LT Tyron Smith has made only 13 appearances over the past 2 seasons. Overall, the O-line will be an area we monitor closely as Dallas enters preseason action.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott admitted that he was a little nervous about the status of his right PCL injury early in the offseason. "But by the time OTAs hit, I was back to 100 [percent]," he said. Elliott suffered that injury in Week 4 last season, so it's fair to assume he was never at full strength the rest of the way. It's certainly possible he has a more efficient season in 2022.

If there was any remaining doubt as to who will be the 49ers' starting QB this season, HC Kyle Shanahan put that to rest on Tuesday. "We have moved on to Trey Lance," Shanahan said. "This is Trey's team." QB Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the roster as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but the 'Niners are hoping to trade Garoppolo "as soon as we can," Shanahan added. Lance remains mostly an unknown as a passer. But he's in a favorable scheme with strong weapons. Throw in his high-end rushing upside and he's an attractive target at his QB13 ADP.

According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Cowboys rookie WR Jalen Tolbert "is expected to start Week 1." Machota said right after the draft that the 3rd-round pick had a chance to compete for a significant role right away. Tolbert worked with the starters in spring workouts, helped by the absences of Michael Gallup and James Washington. Gallup isn't expected to be ready for the opener, coming off his end-of-season ACL tear. Washington has yet to deliver in the NFL and arrived on a small, 1-year contract in free agency. The uncertainty with Gallup and departure of Amari Cooper also leaves room for Tolbert to remain a factor even once Gallup returns. Tolbert presents intriguing upside -- especially in Dak Prescott best-ball lineups -- from a WR68 ADP in Underdog drafting.

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb missed this past week's minicamp with a hamstring injury. He said that he plans to work out with QB Dak Prescott prior to training camp next month, so it doesn't seem like a real concern. But we'll keep an eye on him over the next couple of months.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said the team will utilize QB Dak Prescott's legs more in 2022. The plan is for Dallas to “put in more quarterback runs and quarterback movement plays," per beat writer Clarence Hill. Prescott’s healthier and quicker now that he's further removed from a 2020 ankle fracture. Currently, Dak checks in as a fringe QB1 for 2022.

NFL Network's Peter Schrager is hearing from 49ers players that QB Trey Lance has been "awesome this offseason." Reports on Lance's progress were lukewarm at best early this offseason, but it sounds like he's building momentum. "Everything I'm hearing out of the Bay Area is that there has been major strides heading into year number two. Jimmy [Garoppolo]'s not there, and he's kind of been off the radar. Trey Lance is [there]. I'm getting more and more of a feeling this is Trey Lance's team, and he's ready to go." With elite rushing ability and a strong group of pass-catchers in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, Lance carries a lofty fantasy ceiling in 2022.

Niners TE George Kittle said this week that QB Trey Lance appears to be taking over the offense. “I definitely think he’s taken ownership, for sure,” Kittle said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “You can kind of tell that in meetings, he’ll talk. He’s assuming responsibility. … He’s letting his personality show a little bit. And he’s going to be out there slinging the rock around.” Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the San Francisco roster, but we'll be surprised if Lance isn't the Week 1 starter. The current uncertainty is keeping Lance outside the top 12 at QB in best-ball drafting.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy praised 2nd-round DE Sam Williams after the team's 1st rookie minicamp practice over the weekend. "I think we'd all agree that Sam Williams looks like a guy that was born to play professional football," McCarthy told the Dallas Morning News on Saturday. "He has the gifts. He has the physical traits." Williams set the Ole Miss single-season record with 12.5 sacks last season and then delivered a 99th-percentile speed score at 6'4, 261 pounds in pre-draft testing. Off-field concerns might have pushed him into Round 2. Williams landed in a defense that presents immediate opportunity if he proves ready to seize it. Keep an eye on Williams as a potential late-round sleeper in 2022 IDP drafts. And check out his spot in our dynasty rookie IDP rankings.

Matt Barrows of The Athletic describes the “blockers in front of [Trey] Lance” as “question marks.” The real issue is along the interior, where nobody’s locked into a starting spot. Of note: C Alex Mack, 36, is questionable to return for another season. And reliable RG Laken Tomlinson signed with the Jets in free agency. The 49ers used a mid-round pick on UTSA OT/OG Spencer Burford, but he’s unlikely to make a year 1 impact. Lance remains a fringe QB1 with a wide range of outcomes.

Jon Machota of The Athletic believes rookie WR Jalen Tolbert “should be able to immediately compete for a starting spot.” That, of course, would be the WR3 job behind CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, who’s recovering from a January ACL tear. Consider him questionable for Week 1 right now. As for Tolbert, the words of VP of Player Personnel Will McClay speak volumes about the team’s interest. "Tolbert can play multiple spots,” McClay said. “He’s got size, he’s extremely intelligent and the type of player you want to grow in that room. The upside is there because he’s an NFL style receiver, body style, size, ability to find space to be able to play inside and outside, so that versatility made him very attractive to us.” Tolbert’s main competition will come from former Steeler James Washington, who signed just a 1-year deal worth ~$1.2 million.

The Cowboys added Wisconsin TE Jake Ferguson in the 4th round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He opened his college career with a 36-456-4 line as a freshman but never progressed from there. Ferguson was primarily an in-line TE for the Badgers. He has reliable hands and is comfortable working in traffic at 6’5, 250 pounds. But he has 4.8 speed with a below-average vertical, leaving him as a low-upside fantasy prospect. Ferguson will compete for scraps behind TE Dalton Schultz in Dallas this year.

The Cowboys added South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Tolbert was just a 2-star recruit out of high school and didn’t win a starting job until his 3rd year at South Alabama. He led that 2019 squad with 6 receiving TDs and ranked 2nd with 521 receiving yards. 2020 brought a true breakout: 64 catches for 1,085 yards and 8 TDs. Tolbert accounted for 40% of South Alabama’s receiving yards and 44% of the TDs that year. He was even more productive as a redshirt senior this past season, posting an 82-1,474-8 line. Only 5 WRs in the country tallied more receiving yards. Tolbert ranked 18th among 251 qualifying WRs in Pro Football Focus’ 2021 receiving grades. The 6’1, 194-pounder is at his best working deep. He has good-not-great speed (4.49-second 40 time) and is an excellent ball tracker with sticky hands. Tolbert is already 23 years old and faced lower-level college competition, though, so the ceiling feels capped. He likely maxes out as a field-stretching #2 or #3 WR as a pro. He’ll compete for the #3 WR job with James Washington in Dallas.

The Cowboys selected DE Sam Williams in Round 2 of the NFL Draft. Williams sports plenty of on-field potential. After 2 solid years at Ole Miss, he delivered 57 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in his final campaign. Williams then delivered a 99th-percentile speed score at 6'4, 261 pounds. He may have fallen in the draft for off-field issues. Williams lands in a Dallas defense with immediate opportunity on the edge and looks like a high-upside pick for IDP dynasty rookie drafts.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has resumed throwing and is "fully recovered" from offseason surgery on his left shoulder, according to Rob Phillips of the team's official website. "Pumped up is the way I feel, the leg feels, arm feels, body feels. I'm excited," Prescott said. That non-throwing shoulder isn't a concern as we look ahead to the 2022 season. Dak is QB8 in early FFPC best-ball ADP.