Fantasy Football Team Previews 2020: Dallas Cowboys

Must Own = Top 120

Value = 121-170

Deep Sleeper = 171 or later

All ADP data courtesy of Fantasy Pros

Must Own:

Ezekiel Elliott, RB (ADP: 3): Elliott isn’t quite as explosive a player as Christian McCaffery or Saquon Barkley, but he’s every bit as consistently excellent, and there’s a strong argument for him as the No. 1 overall pick. Elliott is a RB without holes. The lone nitpick is that Elliott’s 95 targets from 2018 dipped to 71 last season, and Elliott will need those targets to be able to get to the top spot. No matter what, though, he’s going to make good on a first round selection.

Amari Cooper, WR (ADP: 31): Cooper’s big knock is inconsistency, and while some weeks he’s definitely maddening, the overall production is undeniable. Cooper has hit 1,000 yards in four of five seasons, and scored seven or more touchdowns in three straight seasons. Cooper’s also well-known for his blowup games; he’s posted nine games of 130 yards or more, and eclipsed 200 yards thrice. If you’ve built a deep squad, Cooper’s inevitable down games might not sink you every time, and his blowup games are going to win you a week by themselves.

Dak Prescott, QB (ADP: 47): Prescott thrived in his first season with Kellen Clemens as offensive coordinator, and unshackled from a super-conservative game plan, threw for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns. The team is absolutely loaded with skill players around him, and they added arguably the best rookie WR in the draft as if he needed more help. In addition to the 306 yards per game he put up, establishing one of the highest yardage floors in the NFL, he also is a premier rushing QB. Prescott rushed for 277 yards and three touchdowns last season, a steep drop from the six rushing touchdowns he scored in each of his first three seasons. A Top 50 pick is a bit rich for my blood when it comes to QBs, but he’s probably a better value than drafting Pat Mahomes or Lamar Jackson, even if their ceilings are higher.

Michael Gallup, WR (ADP: 73): Gallup experienced a quantum leap last season that went a bit under the radar. In Dallas’ new pass-heavy attack, he doubled his reception total from his rookie season to 66, and piled up 1,107 yards and six touchdowns while serving as Prescott’s primary deep threat. He averaged just shy of five receptions and 80 yards per game, which sets a ridiculously stable floor. Gallup will face increased in-house competition from rookie CeeDee Lamb, but Gallup is more than talented enough to at least duplicate his 2019, if not improve on it. He finished in the Top 15 of DYAR and Top 20 in WR DVOA.

CeeDee Lamb, WR (ADP: 104): Lamb’s ADP has been rising all summer, and it makes perfect sense to me. I have been high on him since he was drafted, because this offense can absolutely support several hungry mouths. Yes, Cooper and Gallup deserve huge target share, and yes, the offense still revolves around Zeke, but with Randall Cobb (83 targets) and Jason Witten (83 targets) gone from the offense, that’s 166 passes available to go Lamb’s way. While obviously it’s not as simple as assigning missing targets to the new guy, it’s not hard at all to picture Lamb seeing 100+ passes in his direction, which he should be able to do a ton with going against nickel corners and/or safeties. This ADP may be slightly high, but the upside is tantalizing, and his status in this receiving corps is a bonus.

Value:

Tony Pollard, RB (ADP: 143): Pollard proved himself to be a damn good back last season, averaging a robust 5.3 yards per carry and grading out as a Top 10 RB per PFF when ignoring snap count minimums. He’s not fantasy relevant due to how dominant Elliott is, but Pollard is a season-changer if Elliott gets hurt or suspended and he steps into the lead role. Elliott owners don’t need to draft Pollard, but they should be aware he’ll be very costly on the waiver wire if an injury happens.

Deep Sleepers:

Blake Jarwin, TE (ADP: 182): Jarwin’s got a little buzz going because of Witten’s vacated 83 targets, and Jarwin’s 11.8 yard-per-reception mark. It’s certainly possible that Jarwin winds up a back-end TE1 due to touchdowns, because he’s a big athletic pass-catcher in an offense where he’ll be far from the focus of opposing defenses. But there is a limit to how much fantasy production any offense can support, and Jarwin is just not on the level of Cooper, Gallup or Lamb. This offense will be at its best throwing to them, not Jarwin, so I’m a little cool on the breakout.