Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson snagged a pair of scoring passes in Sunday's win over the Commanders. He caught four balls for 43 yards in all, ranking fourth on the team in catches and second in yards while tying for fourth in targets (4). But that production masked a playing-time issue that figures to challenge his fantasy outlook if it continues.
Where'd Those Routes Go?
Ferguson finished Week 1 near the team's top three receivers in routes.
| Player | Routes | Share |
| George Pickens | 32 | 88.9% |
| CeeDee Lamb | 29 | 80.6% |
| Ferguson | 27 | 75.0% |
| Ryan Flournoy | 26 | 72.2% |
But that shifted in Week 2.
| Player | Routes | Share |
| Flournoy | 30 | 83.3% |
| Pickens | 29 | 80.6% |
| Lamb | 28 | 77.8% |
| Ferguson | 23 | 63.9% |
Moreover, Dallas' second and third TEs crept closer in usage. Brevyn Spann-Ford and Luke Schoonmaker didn't gain ground in the route totals, going from 12 combined in the opener to 13 against Washington. But each saw a bump in playing time.
Schoonmaker went from a 22.4% Week 1 snap share to 29.1 in Week 2; Spann-Ford from 22.4% to 38.2%.
According to PFF, Ferguson played just four of the team's 11 snaps in "12" personnel (one RB, two TEs) against the Commanders, meaning the other two TEs replaced him on more than half of those snaps. Ferguson also dipped to 53.1% of early-down, single-TE snaps, compared with 68% in such situations in 2025 and 62.9% last week.
2026 Fantasy Football Impact
We don't really care about TE blocking reps for fantasy purposes, and Ferguson's 68.1% overall snap share through two weeks actually sits slightly higher than his final rates for each of the past two seasons (64.2% and 66.3%). It's also easy for a one-week shift to never become a trend.
Ferguson will probably be fine. But "fine" doesn't win fantasy football leagues.
The more impactful change here looks like Flournoy's rise.
The third-year receiver has gone from a 42.7% route rate in 2025 to 70.8% so far this season. And that 2025 number included playing-time boosts while Lamb dealt with injuries.
Ferguson will remain Dallas' lead TE, but he's not a difference-making receiver. That makes a stat line like the one he posted against Washington an opportunity to try to sell high and boost your fantasy roster.
If you don't find any worthwhile offers this week, though, feel free to hang on to the Cowboys TE and try again later.
Dallas gets more difficult matchups with Baltimore and Houston the next two weeks.
