Cowboys RB Tony Pollard has been "privately tutored" on playing slot receiver by offensive quality control coach Kyle Valero this offseason. "Just details like route-running, getting in and out of breaks, why we’re running certain plays and what’s the meaning behind them,” Pollard said. “We’re getting into the depth of why we’re doing the things that we’re doing, so it will make more sense in the big picture. …It just shows the hard work that I’ve put in. In the offseason, during the season, it’s not going unnoticed. Guys are noticing the things that I can do with the ball to help the team, just knowing that I can contribute more and more to the team.” Pollard ranked 3rd in yards per route run last year among 51 qualifying RBs, and the Cowboys are dangerously thin at WR to open the season. So we're buying some slot usage for Pollard. That'll give him a chance to be a fantasy starter even behind a healthy Ezekiel Elliott.

Jon Machota of The Athletic named Cowboys WR Simi Fehoko as the “biggest surprise” in training camp. Machota mentions WR Noah Brown as another strong candidate, but it’s Fehoko who’s mentioned as looking “ready to contribute in year 2.” The Stanford product made only 5 appearances as a rookie and didn’t catch a ball — hardly a surprise as a Round 5 pick on a (then) strong WR corps. Injuries to Michael Gallup and James Washington, plus the trade of Amari Cooper, have given guys like Fehoko a shot to emerge. The 24-year-old goes 6’4, 222 pounds with sub-4.5 speed, so he has some intriguing tools to work with.

The Cowboys released K Jonathan Garibay and signed K Brett Maher on Tuesday. Garibay had reportedly struggled mightily in camp. Maher and K Lirim Hajrullahu will duke it out for the starting job over the next month. It's a situation to avoid in fantasy drafts until we get a winner.

Lirim Hajrullahu looks like the early leader in the Cowboys' kicker competition. Undrafted rookie Jonathan Garibay has struggled, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic, making only about 50% of his FG attempts in training camp to date. On Saturday alone, Hajrullahu beat Garibay 8-of-11 to 4-of-11. Jerry Jones pointed out that they've been challenging the kickers by making them kick into the wind and said he'd like to see how they fare in the stadium. We'll see how the rest of the competition plays out, but Garibay doesn't look worthwhile as an early pick in leagues with kickers.

Cowboys OC Kellen Moore confirmed his plans to increase RB Tony Pollard’s role in 2022. “He’s a guy that we want to get the ball to,” Moore said of the contract-year back. “He’s had a ton of success when he does get those opportunities. I think the running back role is one thing, certainly when Zeke and him can kind of tag-team that role, but then it’s another opportunity for him to expand that role and play in some different positions, out in space and some of the things that certainly he’s capable of doing. I think the more we expand those roles, the more opportunities he’ll be able to get out there and get touches.” Pollard, with an ADP at mid-Round 7, is one of our favorite RB3 targets.

ESPN's Todd Archer reports that Cowboys WR James Washington broke his right foot in Monday's practice. He'll undergo surgery on Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined for 6-10 weeks, per Archer. It sounds like this is a Jones Fracture, which is a fracture of the bone on the pinky toe side of the foot. That's the injury that cost Titans RB Derrick Henry nearly 3 months last year, so 6-10 weeks might be on the optimistic side. Regardless, Washington isn't worth a spot on redraft rosters -- and we wouldn't even bother with him in best ball. With WR Michael Gallup (ACL) also not expected to be ready for the start of the season, rookie WR Jalen Tolbert has a huge opportunity to capture a significant early-season role.

Cowboys WR James Washington was carted off the practice field on Monday with an apparent right leg injury. We'll pass along an update when we get one, but it'd probably be wise to hold off on drafting Washington in the meantime. A significant injury would open the door wide open for rookie WR Jalen Tolbert to claim a Week 1 starting job.

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 WR Michael Gallup (knee) admitted that he won't be ready to play Week 1, calling it "not a reasonable possibility.” It's a rare honest injury assessment from a player -- but it's not a surprise. Gallup didn't undergo surgery on his ACL until early February, so the typical 9-month recovery timeline would have him back in early November. We'll see if he can beat that timeline, but we're expecting Gallup to open the season on reserve PUP and miss at least the first 4 games.

The Cowboys used RB Tony Pollard in a multitude of ways on the 1st day of training camp and are "committed to making Pollard a viable weapon in the offense," insider Clarence Hill writes. "Pollard opened 11-on-11 drills with the first-team offense as slot receiver. He ended practice as the primary third-down back in the 2-minute drill with [Ezekiel] Elliott on the sidelines." Hill adds that he expects Dallas to use Elliott and Pollard on the field together this season. We hear that a lot this time of year, but it certainly makes sense in this situation considering how good Pollard is and the fact that the Cowboys lost WR Amari Cooper and will likely be without WR Michael Gallup early on. We know Pollard is at least an elite fantasy handcuff, but he's also capable of providing standalone value this season.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that WR Michael Gallup is in the "4th quarter" of his ACL rehab. "He hasn’t had a setback," McCarthy added. "He looks really good." McCarthy wouldn't give a timetable for Gallup's return, though. Considering he underwent surgery in early February, there's still a good chance that he misses at least the first 4 games of the season on the PUP list. Gallup even admitted today that it would be a stretch for him to play Week 1.

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.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup (knee) has been place on the PUP list. No surprise as he continues to recover from early-February surgery to repair a torn ACL. We'll see if Gallup remains on the PUP list to start the season, which would cost him the first 4 weeks. Owner Jerry Jones admitted earlier this offseason that Gallup is iffy for Week 1.

The Cowboys and TE Dalton Schultz failed to agree on a longer-term extension before Friday's 4 p.m. deadline. That means Schultz will play out this season on the franchise tender. It shouldn't mean any alteration to Schultz's fantasy football outlook, though that could change if he holds out for any portion of training camp. Schultz has been going right at or a little ahead of where he belongs relative to other TEs in recent fantasy football drafts.

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.

Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz will report to the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Schultz skipped last week's OTAs as he angles for a long-term deal. He's currently scheduled to play 2022 on the franchise tag. "No deal imminent, but contract talks have picked up in recent days," Pelissero tweeted. We'll continue to keep an eye on the situation, but it doesn't look like there's holdout risk with Schultz.

Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz is skipping the rest of voluntary OTAs over frustration with contract negotiations, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Schultz has already signed his franchise tender, which locks him in for the coming season. The 2 sides have until July 15 to agree on a longer-term deal. If that doesn't happen by the deadline, Schultz will play out the 1-year deal and hit the open market again next March. The fact that he has already signed the tender should keep any contract impasse from impacting Schultz's availability for 2022.