The Cowboys have placed the franchise tag on WR George Pickens. He and the Cowboys still have until July 15 to agree to a long-term deal. If they don't, Pickens would be set to make $27.3 million in 2026. Dallas hasn't seemed overly aggressive in locking up Pickens for the long haul -- and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said earlier this month that a tag-and-trade is a possibility. We'll continue to keep tabs on the situation. Our best guess is that Pickens plays out this season on the tag for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys have agreed to a three-year deal with RB Javonte Williams. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it'll pay out $24 million in total, with $16 million of that guaranteed. That contract total ties D'Andre Swift for 13th at the position in total money, according to Spotrac. The average annual value ($8 million) ties for 16th, also with Swift. Williams' first season in Dallas found him ranking 10th in the league in total carries (ninth in carries per game), ninth in rushing yards, eighth in rushing TDs, and 10th in PPR points per game.

The Cowboys are expected to place the franchise tag on WR George Pickens, ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed this week. Owner Jerry Jones said he'd like to keep Pickens in Dallas for "a long time." But Rapoport believes a tag-and-trade remains a possibility. "The Cowboys have shown a willingness to trade their star players for significant draft pick compensation," Rapoport notes, referring to Micah Parsons. Pickens and Parsons notably share the same agent.

The Cowboys begin the offseason with WR George Pickens and RB Javonte Williams as prominent impending free agents. It seems pretty clear -- and makes sense -- that Dallas would like to retain Pickens. The plan for Williams looks less clear, however.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott didn’t play all of Week 18’s loss to the Giants. Dallas exited the postseason picture, influencing the decision to sit Prescott after one half. George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb each left early, too. Both guys finished with a 45% snap share.

Cowboys RBs Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, and Hunter Luepke are active for today's game vs. the Giants. The matchup gives this backfield plenty of fantasy upside, but it's completely unclear how work will be divvied. Blue boasts an exciting combination of big-play and pass-catching ability but was not able to earn a role all season. Mafah, a seventh-round rookie, is more of a between-the-tackles grinder at 234 pounds. This will be his first action of the season. We'd avoid the situation in season-long leagues, but you can take fliers on Blue and/or Mafah in daily tournaments.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (calf) is not listed on the final Week 18 injury report. He’ll play vs. the Giants this weekend after getting knocked out of the win over the Commanders on Christmas. The calf issue adds risk to Ferguson’s Week 18 profile, but there’s nice TD upside here with Dallas sporting a 26.5-point implied total.

Cowboys RBs Javonte Williams (shoulder) and Malik Davis (calf, eye) are out for Sunday’s game vs. the Giants. That leaves RBs Hunter Luepke and Jaydon Blue on the active roster, with RBs Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda candidates to be elevated. We’ll see what moves Dallas makes leading up to kickoff and look for clues on the backfield plans. There’s fantasy upside to mine here with the matchup against the Giants’ 31st-ranked RB defense.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (calf) returned to a limited practice on Thursday. It surprisingly seems like he might try to suit up for this weekend's meaningless finale vs. the Giants. We'll see how Ferguson is listed on Friday's final injury report.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (calf) did not practice on Wednesday. He seems more likely than not to miss this weekend's meaningless finale vs. the Giants. Ferguson's absence would leave Dallas' TE room to Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford.

Cowboys RBs Javonte Williams (shoulder) and Malik Davis (calf, eye) missed Wednesday's practice. Williams never returned to last week's win over the Commanders, while Davis finished out the game as lead back. We'll see how both guys progress over the next couple days. Their absences vs. the Giants on Sunday would leave Dallas' backfield to some combination of Hunter Luepke, Phil Mafah, and Jaydon Blue.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested Tuesday that QB Dak Prescott might not play all of this weekend's finale vs. the Giants. "We're gonna start Dak," Jones said. "How we use Dak, let's make that part of the gameplan that we won't talk about." Dallas has nothing to play for in this one and might want to get a look at QB Joe Milton. It's worth noting, though, that Prescott currently leads Rams QB Matt Stafford by 34 passing yards for the league lead. (Stafford is also a candidate to sit at least some of Week 18.) We'll look for any further updates on the Cowboys' plans this weekend. But Prescott -- as well as WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens -- carry more risk than usual.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson was knocked out in the first half of Thursday's game vs. the Commanders with a calf injury. He caught one of two targets for a six-yard TD before exiting. Ferguson's absence left Dallas' TE room to Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford. It'll be a situation to avoid in fantasy lineups if Ferguson misses next weekend's finale vs. the Giants.

Cowboys RB Javonte Williams suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of Thursday's game vs. the Commanders and did not return. RB Malik Davis wound up carrying 20 times for 103 yards in the win. He out-carried FB Hunter Luepke 12 to six in the second half. We'll look for more details on Williams' shoulder injury, but Dallas has no reason to push him back for the season finale vs. the Giants. If Williams misses that game, Davis will be squarely on the fantasy radar in a pristine matchup.

Cowboys WR George Pickens racked up 7 catches for 130 yards and a TD in Sunday's win over the Chargers. He led the team in receptions, yardage, and targets (nine). That game followed two straight weeks of 37 receiving yards or less and came against a well-performing Chargers' pass D.

Cowboys RB Javonte Williams finished Sunday's loss to the Chargers with just 34 rushing yards on nine carries. He added 9 yards on 2 receptions. Williams opened the game with a solid 7-33 first-half rushing line (4.7 yards per carry) but garnered just two more attempts after the break. Malik Davis finished the game with eight carries to Williams' nine after trailing him 7-3 at halftime. Neither guy registered a run longer than 8 yards against a soft Chargers run D (21st in rush DVOA).

Cowboys WR Ryan Flournoy injured his knee in the first half of Sunday's game vs. the Chargers and won't return. He'd emerged as Dallas' No. 3 WR and caught both of his targets for 18 yards and a score before exiting. Flournoy's absence figures to mean a few extra targets to go around to CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Jake Ferguson.

Cowboys RB Javonte Williams suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter of Sunday night's game vs. the Vikings and is officially questionable to return. His absence leaves RB Malik Davis atop the depth chart. We'll update Williams' status when we know more.

Update: Williams returned for the start of the second half.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (calf) is active for tonight’s game vs. the Vikings. He seemingly hurt his calf on Wednesday, did not practice on Thursday, but was able to return to a limited practice on Friday. That adds some risk to Ferguson’s Week 15 fantasy profile, but he’s available if you were waiting on him.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (calf) is expected to play vs. the Vikings tonight, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Ferguson seemingly hurt his calf on Wednesday and didn't practice on Thursday. But he returned to a limited practice on Friday, and EVP Stephen Jones sounded optimistic about his status at that point. Unless we hear otherwise, Ferguson seems relatively safe to stay in fantasy lineups.