Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb secured all 7 of his targets for 117 receiving yards in Week 6’s victory vs. the Chargers. After a pair of sub-50-yard performances, the talented wideout finished as the WR10 on the week in PPR with 18.7 points. His teammate Brandin Cooks also made good on his opportunities, catching 4 passes on as many targets with 36 yards and a TD in the contest. Not all was good for these Cowboys’ wideouts, however. Michael Gallup saw a team-leading 10 targets but only converted 3 receptions for 24 yards on Monday night. This is a player who’d led the team in receiving yards (167) and receptions (13) over the past three games entering Week 6, so Gallup’s flop was assuredly disappointing for fantasy managers who opted to stream him this week. Following their Week 7 bye, the Cowboys will take on the Rams.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 21 of 30 passes for 272 yards with 1 TD in Monday night’s win vs. the Chargers. The veteran also added some value with his legs in Week 6, tallying 40 rushing yards (including an 18-yard TD run) on 7 carries. Prescott’s 24.8 fantasy points were enough for him to finish as the QB1 overall on the week. Dallas will head into their bye in Week 7, but this is certainly a great way to leave off after a dreadful showing in primetime last week vs. the 49ers.
The Cowboys will be placing LB Leighton Vander Esch on IR for the neck injury that knocked him out in Week 5. He's expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks. We'll see Monday night just how Dallas plans to fill in for LVE. Damone Clark is an obvious candidate for more playing time. Micah Parsons has also been mentioned as a potential part of the plan, which would mean more snaps in a standup position off the D-line. S Markquese Bell also figures to see added playing time.
Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch suffered a neck injury late in Sunday night's loss to the 49ers. X-rays at the stadium came back negative, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Vander Esch will have an MRI Monday to assess the injury further. It's a particularly touchy situation because LVE has a history of neck issues dating back to college. We'll watch for more on his outlook for Week 6 and beyond.
Cowboys S Donovan Wilson suffered an injury to his right leg in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's loss to the 49ers. Former NFL team doctor David Chao says there's "some hope by video the injury is not significant." We'll watch for the diagnosis. Wilson played a season-high 77% of Dallas snaps in his third game back from a calf injury before leaving. If he misses further time, Markquese Bell would get some extra snaps. Bell hasn't played more than 45% of defensive snaps in any game yet this year, though.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb posted a team-leading 49 receiving yards on 4 catches in Week 5’s loss vs. the 49ers. TE Jake Ferguson posted a respectable 3-catch, 28-yard performance that’s passable in PPR scoring, but these Dallas pass-catchers were otherwise underwhelming on Sunday night. The errors forced by QB Dak Prescott (3 INTs) had a tangible impact on the outcome of this contest. Hopefully, this offense will collectively bounce back in Week 6 vs. the Chargers.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott completed 14 of 24 attempts for 153 yards with 1 TDs and 3 INTs in Week 5’s loss vs. the 49ers. It sure seems like this guy has a bad case of the whoopsies. Since returning from a thumb injury in Week 7 of last season, Prescott has thrown 15 INTs in 16 regular season games. He’s going to remain off the fantasy radar in 1QB leagues until there’s some demonstrative improvement. Next week, he’ll face off against the Chargers.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle (hip) put in full practices on Thursday and Friday and isn’t listed on the final Week 5 injury report. He’s ready to serve as Dallas’ No. 2 RB behind Tony Pollard vs. the 49ers on Sunday night.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (rest, knee) returned to a full practice on Thursday. It's confirmation that he's good to go for Sunday night's showdown with the 49ers.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle (hip) put in a full practice on Thursday. He looks set to resume No. 2 RB duties behind Tony Pollard vs. the 49ers on Sunday night.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb did not practice on Wednesday. The team lists his official designation as "Not Injury Related - Rest" and "knee." We'll see whether this was more of a rest day or if the knee is really a concern heading into Sunday night's game vs. the 49ers. Check back tomorrow for an update on Lamb.
Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle was knocked out of Sunday's win over the Patriots with a hip injury. X-rays came back clean, but Dowdle will undergo an MRI on Monday, according to Patrick Walker of the team's official site. We'll update Dowdle's status when we know more. His absence would leave rookie Deuce Vaughn as Dallas' No. 2 RB.
Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson caught all of his team-high 7 targets for 77 yards in Sunday's win over the Patriots. He narrowly missed scoring on the team's first drive, getting taken down at the 1-yard line after a 3-yard catch. He got Dallas down to the 4-yard line with a 14-yard catch-and-run before that. Ferguson continues to have a strong role in a good offense. That makes him a solid weekly starter in fantasy, though a Week 5 visit to San Francisco will challenge that.
The Patriots made Ian Rapoport's Sunday Ezekiel Elliott report look like a lie. The NFL Network reporter said New England planned to give Elliott "starter reps" against his old team. That amounted to 6 carries and 3 targets in the 38-3 loss. Elliott totaled just 22 yards and watched Rhamondre Stevenson beat him 16-8 in touches. We'll see what gets reported about the Patriots backfield heading into Week 5, but Elliott's 3.9 yards per touch so far this season certainly don't scream that he needs to get the ball more. Stevenson managed only 40 total yards against the Cowboys. The New England backfield gets a tough matchup with New Orleans in Week 5 before a better spot at Las Vegas in Week 6.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott will get "starter reps" in today's game against the Cowboys. Regardless of whether he technically starts, that means increased work against his old team. Elliott carried 16 times in last week's win over the Jets but still trailed Rhamondre Stevenson (19) in a run-heavy game plan. Don't be surprised if we get another rushing lean against Dallas, which arrives ranked 20th in run-defense DVOA and third-best against the pass. We've moved Elliott up the Week 4 rankings, where he could be a low RB2 or flex option this week. We'll see what this means for Stevenson's role, but we're not knocking New England's top back out of fantasy-starter range.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott struggled in the red zone in Week 3, leading to a lowly 249-1-1 passing line. “It just goes back to myself, the offense, in the red zone,” Dak said. “We get better there, we win this game. But we've got to fix that area, period.” After going one of five in the red zone on Sunday, the Cowboys now rank 27th in RZ efficiency. If we’re searching for a positive: Michael Gallup enjoyed his best game of 2023 (6-92). Brandin Cooks also returned in this one and dodged a setback. Prescott will look to rebound at home vs. New England.
Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks (knee) is not listed on the final Week 3 injury report. He practiced all week, including full workouts on Thursday and Friday. Cooks should be ready for his usual role in Sunday’s plus matchup vs. the Cardinals.
Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks (knee) was upgraded to full participation in Thursday's practice. He's on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. Dallas is sporting a big 27.75-point implied total for that one, making Cooks an upside WR4 option.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs suffered an ACL tear in Thursday's practice and will miss the rest of the season. That leaves one of the top-performing defenses so far without its lead cover man. Fantasy wise, it's probably not a big deal at least for matchups with the Cardinals and Patriots the next two weeks. And we're not significantly downgrading the Dallas DST overall. But losing a top coverage player and big-play producer certainly dings the upside of the Cowboys defense.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that WR Brandin Cooks (knee) is expected to be limited in practice on Wednesday, a full-go on Thursday, and then play vs. the Cardinals this weekend. We'll track his progress throughout the week.
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