Cowboys vs. Eagles
Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys face a must-win situation when they visit the division rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys are reeling, losing two straight, including a drubbing at home by the Tennessee Titans. Now Dallas must visit the defending champ Eagles, a 7.5 point favorite at home. This could be a make-or-break game for HC Jason Garrett but can Dallas surprise and pull out a victory in The City of Brotherly Love?
Is Dak Prescott a player we can start this week?
It’s doubtful. While QB Dak Prescott has been a borderline QB1/2 since Week 4, on the road Prescott has really struggled. Dak is only averaging 6.45 yards per completion away from home and he’s taken 17 sacks in those four games. With just three road touchdown passes and four interceptions, he’s a player that cannot be trusted this week. Some of the worst games Prescott’s career have come against the Eagles. He’s a stay away for all fantasy owners this week.
Can the Cowboys running game get going Sunday night?
One of the most disappointing aspects of the Cowboys season has been the play of a once dominant offensive line. Show me a good offensive line and I’ll show you a good offense.
This season the Cowboys line has really struggled. Despite all of this RB Ezekiel Elliott has managed to be fairly productive, an RB1 in fact, but he’s had just one game of 20+ fantasy points. Elliott has been remarkably consistent, finishing as at least an RB2 in all games except one. This week Elliott has his most difficult matchup of the year, Philly has allowed a total of just 405 yards on the ground this season. If you are thinking Elliott might have better luck with a short touchdown, the Eagles have also allowed a league-low two rushing touchdowns.
I don’t recommend sitting Zeke but I would understand if you did. For me, Zeke is still a borderline RB1 that will find a way to his floor but isn’t a safe play in DS cash games.
What can we expect from Amari Cooper against the Eagles?
Most of Philadelphia’s struggles begin and end with the defensive secondary. The team has been awful defending pass catchers, allowing more than 40 fantasy points to opposing receivers. We’ve seen huge games from Julio Jones, Jackson/Evans, Corey Davis, Thielen/Diggs. The Eagles are being torched in the passing game and while they have shown some improvement lately the trends show that the Cowboys can attempt to attack this weakness. WR Amari Cooper looked good in his Cowboys debut, showcasing the route running that made him so special to start his career. Cooper should find ways to get open for Dak, who requires clear separation and a good throwing window if he is to trust his read. Cooper is a solid start this week and an easy start in all of your lineups.
Anyone else we can hope to start from the Cowboys this weekend?
While rookie WR Michael Gallup is trending up, he still cannot be trusted as a fantasy starter. Gallup is currently playing in better than 85% of the offensive snaps and is the clear number two option behind Cooper. WR Allen Hurns did manage a touchdown in Week 9 but he played in just 18% of the snaps. Right now it is Cooper, Gallup and WR Cole Beasley with Cooper being the only clear startable player on this roster. At tight end, the team hopes to have TE Geoff Swaim back from injury. The remaining players at TE played incredibly poorly last week.
Boom: Amari Cooper
Bust: Zeke Elliott
Sleeper: Michael Gallup
-Marc Salazar
Eagles
In arguably the biggest game of Week 10, my 4-4 Birdies face off against a reeling Cowboys squad which allowed a previously anemic Titans offense to score 28 points. Despite their notable offensive line injuries, the Eagles managed to eek out 24 points against a far superior Jaguars defense in week 8. Will Carson Wentz and the Eagles’ playmakers be able to replicate, or even surpass, their performance in London this Sunday night? Let’s dig in and find out…
The Truth
There are many ways to describe Carson Wentz and his recent performances under center, but none fits as well in my mind as “The Truth”. Wentz has become stunningly consistent of late, posting 4 consecutive games of 275+ passing yards and 2+ TDs, while throwing a single INT in that span. Any doubts about the man’s elite talent have been quelled, and as such he should be starting for your fantasy squad week in and week out, regardless of the opponent.
Someone Will be Running the Football…
Welp, with Darren Sproles now confirmed to be out for many more games, it’s back to the pool of mediocrity that is the Eagles’ current stable of RB’s. While Corey Clement might be able to seize a larger role in the backfield given an extra week to rest what has looked like a lingering quad issue, both Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams look to factor into the mix against a truly formidable Dallas defensive front. For the time being, i wouldn’t start any of the three backs, but keep an eye on each back’s workload, as it could spell out who will be the back to own ROS.
A Golden Opportunity
This Sunday night marks the first game for the Eagles’ newest pass catcher Golden Tate, and I’m sure many are wondering just how he’ll affect the rest of the team’s pass catchers and their future production. Well, I’m here to tell you that you need not worry. Despite being another mouth to feed in this offense, Tate brings to the field a dynamism which almost certainly will make life easier for everyone on the offensive side of the ball. While he certainly will hog his fair share of targets, catches, and possibly even TDs, the efficiency Tate should bring to this offense should balance out, or even outweigh the loss in workload the majority of Eagles pass catchers will see with his arrival. Look for Zach Ertz to make 15 yard catches seem even more effortless, while Alshon Jeffery gets a couple extra catches in zone than he would have prior. Despite sharing a role in this offense with Tate, even Nelson Agholor should benefit in terms of efficiency from Tate’s arrival, possibly even seeing those same big plays that made his 2017 fantasy prospects so bright.
The Defense
Oh yea, and it’s about damn time this defense rose back up into the starting caliber in fantasy. The Eagles D should be returning vicious DT Timmy Jernigan in the next week or two, and even without him they stand to gain a good chunk of points as they look to terrorize Dak Prescott on Sunday night. Look for the defense to post up starting defense numbers with the potential for oh so much more if Dak plays the way he has recently.
Boom! Bust! BSleeper!
For a team ready to unveil what should be a drastically changed offense, this one is tough to project. I think I’ll tab Alshon Jeffery as my boom player, given the Dallas CBs should have no answer for his elite high-point catch radius. As for my bust, I think the combination of Dallas Goedert and underneath throws to Golden Tate should make Ertz’s usual excellence a bit worse, allowing me to tab him as my bust. On the other hand, the attention a guy like Golden Tate draws should allow Nelson Agholor to get the ball in his hands and use his elite athleticisim to make some big plays. As such, I’ll take him as my sleeper.
Boom! = Alshon Jeffery
Bust! = Zach Ertz
BSleeper! = Nelson Agholor
-Alex Silverman