QBL GAME OF THE WEEK
Texans at Cowboys
Game Info
Kickoff: Saturday, August 24th at 7:00 pm ET
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Betting Odds: DAL -2.5 via Oddsshark
Network: NFL Network
Dallas Cowboys
Zeke Who?
“Zeke Who?” was the questioned muttered by long-time Cowboys GM after last Saturday’s victory over the LA Rams. Contract negotiations between the team and star running back have not progressed and Jerry Jones continues to voice his displeasure. What makes it easier for him to do it is rookie RB out of Memphis Tony Pollard. Pollard has been electric in his limited opportunity in this preseason. He has put in work as both a rusher and receiver out of the backfield. The team has also limited his snaps to be exclusively with the one’s and Jerry Jones cannot get enough of him. I believe Ezekiel Elliott’s holdout days are numbered. He will be back with the team before you know it and will pick up right where he left off. However, after this preseason performance by the rookie, he has proven enough to carve out a role for himself. Even if Elliott returns, expect Pollard to still be used sporadically on game day. If Elliott doesn’t return be prepared to see Tony Pollard assume his workload and instantly become a top 15 fantasy back.
Getting Gallup Going
Michael Gallup had a rough first year in the NFL. He did not put up spectacular total’s in any of the important receiver categories and has fallen out of favor for most drafters. However, If you look beyond the box score, Gallup was mainly just unlucky. He and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott could not manufacture a connection. Prescott missed Gallup on multiple deep balls, that if he had caught would have changed fantasy drafter’s perspectives completely. Last week against the Rams there was a spark of change. Prescott and Gallup seemed to be on the same page and completed a spectacular deep ball. Gallup has been one of the more impressive players in Cowboys camp and it has shown through two weeks of the preseason. He has likely been benefitting from the extra practice reps he is getting with Prescott due to Amari Cooper being sidelined with a foot injury. Cooper is not expected to play the rest of the preseason, so for this week expect to see Gallup and Prescott continue to build chemistry and produce results.
Houston Texans
Can this O-Line get worse?
The Houston Texans O-line has been the teams Achilles heel over the past few years and it does not appear as if a change is in sight. The Texans will likely be fielding one of, if not, the worst o-line units in the entire league. They did make efforts to help the line after making what appeared to be a panic pick in this year’s draft after selecting developmental tackle Tytus Howard out of Alabama State. Howard recently broke his finger, which marks another barrier in the development of this horrendous o-line. It appears that the team will use Howard at guard as Bill O’Brian confirmed after Tuesday’s practice that it would be Matt Kalil starting left tackle. If you don’t know who Matt Kalil is, he is often referred to as a human turnstile. He has bounced around the league over the past few years trying to find a permanent home but has not posted any strong performances. Deshaun Watson is one of the league’s budding superstars and one of the most sought after fantasy asset’s at the QB position. He has faced an uphill battle since joining the league and this year will be more of the same. He was injured in 2018 because of poor line play and will have to hope the Texans can find a way to help him avoid the same fate this year. Dallas will be missing most of their defensive line starters this week so if the Texans o-line struggles against them, I would begin worrying for Watson’s safety.
Duke’s Debut?
After finally being released from his sentence as a disgruntled NFL employee, Duke Johnson found himself in the perfect fantasy situation. He was shipped to Houston for a 4th round pick, where he will compete in a backfield with no true receiving back. Unfortunately for Johnson, immediately after arriving at the Texans camp he sustained a hamstring injury and has been sidelined. This is not the ideal scenario for a player joining a new team this late into the offseason. Luckily, reports on Tuesday stated that Johnson had finally returned to practice. This leaves him 4 days to get ready for this weekend’s game. It is not guaranteed that he plays in the game, but if he is healthy enough to play it will be good to see what his usage will be like. Starting RB Lamar Miller has had a mediocre career as a Texan by all accounts and Johnson is a player that can bring some life to the backfield. For fantasy, we can hope to see Johnson used to his full potential that we seemingly never saw him reach in Cleveland. If he does not start, keep an eye on the Damarea Crockett, who has been impressive this offseason and has shown his ability as a runner and could become a direct backup to Miller.
-Matthew Perri (@MattPerri91)