Cowboys activate LVE

Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch is active for tonight's game against the Cardinals. It will mark his 1st action since he suffered a collarbone fracture in the opener.

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy said Saturday that he's "definitely encouraged" about LB Leighton Vander Esch's chance of playing Monday night against the Cardinals. "All the arrows are pointing up right now," McCarthy added. The team has yet to actually activate the LB from IR, though, following surgery for a Week 1 collarbone fracture. If you're hoping to use Vander Esch -- or replacement Joe Thomas -- in your IDP lineup, then you'll need to watch the situation into Monday.

Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch has returned to the practice field this week. CBS Sports reports that he's on track to play Monday night against the Cardinals. Dallas, however, has yet to list him on this week's injury report, which means the team has yet to activate him from IR. Vander Esch suffered a collarbone fracture in Week 1, so playing in Week 6 would mark a surprisingly quick return. Players typically take half a season to return from that surgery. We'll see about Vander Esch's status for Monday night as we move into the weekend. He's at least worth picking up now where available, though, assuming that he'll be ready to play Washington in Week 7. His return will push Joe Thomas back out of the starting lineup.

Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch will have surgery on his fractured collarbone and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. Joe Thomas played full-time snaps filling in for Vander Esch on Sunday night and is an option for deep IDP leagues. LB Jaylon Smith and SS Darian Thompson also gain tackle upside with LVE out.

Cowboys MLB Leighton Vander Esch fractured his collarbone in Sunday night's loss to the Rams and will go on IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Vander Esch is expected to return this year, but he'll likely miss at least half the games. Don't bother hanging on to LVE in redraft leagues, unless you have an IR spot to play with. His absence will help the tackle upside for LB Jaylon Smith and SS Darian Thompson.