Fantasy Football 2019 Team Previews: Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
Must Own
Ezekiel Elliott, RB (ADP: 2): Elliott isn’t going to be suspended this season, which is great news for fantasy owners. Zeke is one of the most talented RBs in the NFL, and he’s also guaranteed – barring injury – to be one of the most heavily-utilized too. That mix of opportunity and ability makes Elliott a fine candidate for the No. 1 overall pick, especially as Dallas has figured out how to use him in the passing game as well. There isn’t much to say here. Zeke is a beast and your should draft him somewhere in the Top 4, and/or spend a boatload of money on him in an auction.
Amari Cooper, WR (ADP: 32): Cooper is going to be a polarizing player all offseason . As the No. 13 receiver off the board, the fantasy community is continuing to buy high on his potential as a WR1 without him ever having justified that faith over a full season. I’m someone who likes Cooper a ton. He’s had three 1,000-yard+ seasons out of four in the NFL, and he’s never scored fewer than five touchdowns. If you set aside the overall numbers though, the issue with Cooper is how he accumulates them. During his career he’s been extremely boom-or-bust; he’s put up 10 or fewer yards in 11 games, and 130+ yards eight times. That kind of player is tough to rely on as a WR1 because it feels like he’s leaving you hanging for half the season.
Did that trend change in Dallas? Well he averaged six receptions and 80 yards a game over nine games with the Cowboys, but after a consistent first six games, he fell off the map with three straight duds in which he maxed out at 32 receiving yards. This ADP seems a little high for me, but it’s not a huge risk to take him here. You might suffer some painful weeks, but he’s assured to basically win you other weeks on his own. Dallas’ offensive line will protect Dak Prescott more than Oakland’s protected Derek Carr, so Cooper’s in a better position to succeed.
Fantasy Relevant
Dak Prescott, QB (ADP: 126): Prescott might be underrated. He’s a lock for low-20s passing touchdowns, and last season posted a career-high 3,885 passing yards. He benefitted tremendously from throwing the ball to Elliott more, and there’s no reason for that not to continue. He also has potentially his best receiving corps yet, with a full season of Cooper, Michael Gallup in his second year, and Randall Cobb joining the mix. Lastly, he’s an asset on the ground, consistently delivering around 300-350 yards and six touchdowns as a rusher. Prescott is always going to hover around the Top 10; the problem is that he hasn’t proven his ceiling is any higher than that. I do not believe he has much room left for growth, so while he’s a fine QB to take late and he’ll be reliable, there’s no need to reach.
Handcuff(s)
Tony Pollard, RB (ADP: 273): Pollard, a fourth-round pick out of Memphis, is presumed to be the handcuff for Zeke. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry over his three collegiate seasons, but has never even reached 80 carries. Pollard was very active as a pass-catcher as well, so he could have value in PPR formats as a FLEX if Elliott gets hurt, but he can be safely ignored in all formats unless that injury comes to pass.
Alfred Morris, RB (ADP: N/A): It’s been a long time since Morris was relevant, and he failed to make a mark even in Dallas. He’d likely take over the bulk of the early-down work if Elliott got injured, but he wouldn’t have anything close to Zeke’s impact even if he assumed the whole workload. Don’t worry about drafting him as a handcuff; if you lose Zeke, you’ll be hurting badly and you’ll need to seek higher-upside replacements.
Deep Sleepers
Michael Gallup, WR (ADP: 160): Gallup has big time talent and he flashed multiple times as a rookie. He caught 33 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a healthy 15.4 yards per catch. I’m certainly a believer in Gallup’s ability, but opportunity will be a problem. Dallas is a run-first offense, and their main passing options are Elliott and Cooper, who will soak up the majority of the carries and targets. Gallup can pop at any given time, but can’t be drafted as anything more than a fringe WR3.
Randall Cobb, WR (ADP: 184): Cobb has been a 10-yard per catch guy for some time now, and injuries have plagued him, and sapped his effectiveness. Still, he’s only 28 years old, and he’s stepping into a role vacated by Cole Beasley, who saw 65 targets last season. If you believe Cobb, at this point in his career, is superior to Beasley, then he’s going to be relevant in PPR formats. Otherwise, feel free to ignore Cobb in this run-heavy scheme.
Jason Witten, TE (ADP: 181): Witten is out of retirement, and is the 23rd TE off the board. That makes him largely irrelevant, although it places him on teams before Tyler Eifert and Jordan Reed. Witten’s been a low-end TE1 since 2014, so its unreasonable to expect him to revert to his prime after spending a year announcing games on TV. However, Prescott is still the QB, Elliott is still the RB, and Jason Garrett is still the head coach. Could Witten step right back into a 60-grab, 700-yard season? My guess is no, and even if he could, are you really drafting that? It’s a cool story that he’s returned, but you can ignore him.