Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 27th, 2024, 8:20pm ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Network: NBC/Peacock
Writer: Myles Nelson
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Dak Prescott: Sit
This is certainly not the season we were expecting Dak Prescott to have, as he has generally been considered a high-floor option during his time leading this Cowboys offense. Prescott has only broken the 20-point mark once this season (in 4-point per passing touchdown leagues) and has failed to even hit 15 points in half of his games so far. Truthfully, the Cowboys offense looks like a mess this season, with the offensive line performing perhaps the worst it has in his career (his 26% pressure rate and 2.7 sacks per game are the highest marks of his career outside his rookie season), and the rushing attack providing little-to-no help as well. Prescott still has one of the best wide receivers in the league to throw to in CeeDee Lamb, but that’s not enough to make him someone that I want to start. Until the Cowboys offense starts showing signs of being a real, functional offense that’s capable of sustaining long drives and scoring points, I’m going to stay away from starting Prescott.
Running Back
Rico Dowdle: Flex, RB3
Ezekiel Elliott: Sit
It doesn’t take watching much of any Cowboys game to realize which of these running backs is the more explosive option, which made it all the more disappointing when the coaching staff gave in to Ezekiel Elliott’s grumbling and gave him more carries than Rico Dowdle in their matchup against the Lions. I know the Cowboys coaching staff likes Elliott’s pass protection, which will mean that Dowdle will never run away with this role as he should be doing based on his actual production. However, Dowdle has proven that he can produce both on the ground and through the air, drawing 5+ targets in each of the Cowboys three losses. This means that you can be confident that whether the Cowboys decide they want to look like a half-decent football team against the 49ers, or if they would rather look like the high school JV team that they’ve looked like at times this season, Dowdle will still get enough work to be a worthwhile option in your lineup. As for Elliott, if you have him rostered, be sure to leave him on your bench.
Wide Receiver
CeeDee Lamb: Start, WR1
Jalen Tolbert: Flex, WR4
CeeDee Lamb is an elite player who always gets a healthy volume of targets, with no fewer than 7 targets in a game and as many as 14 targets in the blowout against the Lions. Start Lamb with confidence. Jalen Tolbert has shown that he has earned Prescott’s trust as a #2 receiving option in this offense after the injury to Brandin Cooks. Tolbert was targeted 10 times in the game against the Steelers, which even surpassed Lamb. With that said, this Cowboys offense is too volatile to really be able to trust Tolbert, but he does get high-value targets, with an ADOT of 13 yards, the highest on the team. His floor is very low, but his ceiling is a solid starter. You likely have better options than Tolbert, but depending on your roster makeup and league settings, you may need to start him, and I would feel okay if I was stuck in that position.
Tight End
Jake Ferguson: Start, l0w-end TE1
At this point, we know exactly what Jake Ferguson is in this Cowboys offense, a safety valve that gets plenty of short to intermediate targets, which makes him a very viable starter in PPR leagues. In his last three competitive games (let’s throw out the Detroit game, a game that was out of hand from pretty much the get-go), Ferguson received a combined 25 targets, 19 receptions, and 214 yards, good for an average of 13 points per game in PPR scoring. Ferguson does not have the ceiling that some of the other tight end options do, as only 2 of Ferguson’s 34 targets on the season have come in the red zone, but he has a very high floor in PPR leagues, so unless you have an elite tight end on your roster, I’d be very happy with starting Ferguson as a high floor, low ceiling tight end this week.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: Start, low-end QB1 if Deebo Samuel plays, Sit if Samuel sits
First off, I do want to make it clear that under normal circumstances, I’d have absolutely no issue with firing up Brock Purdy here. Purdy has shown that he is a very reliable quarterback for fantasy purposes, but the 49ers just lost their top wide receiver in Brandon Aiyuk, their third wide receiver Jauan Jennings seems doubtful to play, and so if they also don’t have Deebo Samuel this week, it makes it harder to see a world in which Purdy gets enough volume to take the risk that his passing touchdowns will make up for it. The Cowboys aren’t exactly a strong run defense, so this is a game that could easily be just like Week 1 of this season when the 49ers ran all over the New York Jets and Purdy was limited to 10 fantasy points due to a gamescript that didn’t need him to throw the ball as much. Purdy is essentially a TD-dependent quarterback, and while that’s worked plenty this year, he might be in a position this week where that’s not even needed for the 49ers to get the win. I wouldn’t be chomping at the bit to start Purdy given the overall picture.
Running Back
Jordan Mason: Start, RB1
I know that Jordan Mason’s volume has been down a bit over the past three weeks, but the stars have truly aligned for him here this week. The 49ers passing attack is decimated, and they are playing a team that struggles to stop the run. Obviously, the potential downside for Mason is gamescript, as he has only been targeted in the passing game 12 times this season, and Mason only had 14 carries in each of the 49ers last two losses. However, this matchup is set up for Mason to be able to succeed, and with the 49ers bye coming next week, and Christian McCaffrey potentially returning after the bye, the 49ers have no reason not to let Mason run wild against the Cowboys. I’m happily starting Mason anywhere I have him this week.
Wide Receiver
Deebo Samuel: Start, WR2 (if healthy)
Jauan Jennings: Start, WR2 (if healthy)
Ricky Pearsall: Sit
Kyle Shanahan did come out yesterday and say that he doesn’t expect Jauan Jennings to play this week, so I doubt he will factor into your lineup decisions this week (though you should absolutely be stashing him for Week 10 and beyond). While I can see the argument that Ricky Pearsall is in line for a lot of work if both Deebo Samuel and Jennings are out, Pearsall just made his NFL debut last week and I’m not sure he’s ready to handle the attention of being the top receiver. I would want to get Samuel in my lineup if I know that he’s healthy and has no restrictions this week, which based on Shanahan’s comments yesterday, sounds like that could be a possibility. Samuel’s versatility and great YAC ability make him an ideal high-volume player, even if he faces increased attention with both Brandon Aiyuk and Jennings out.
Tight End
George Kittle: Start, TE1
George Kittle is third in the NFL among tight ends with 42 targets on the season. Of his 42 targets, a whopping 10 of them have come in the red zone, and even more impressively, 7 of them have come within 10 yards of the goal line. When the 49ers get close to scoring, they look to Kittle to get the job done. If you have Kittle, congratulations, you have the rare type of tight end that is both a consistent threat in the red zone and a high-volume option that gets looks throughout the entire drive. And while the Cowboys have allowed the 10th-fewest fantasy points to tight ends, they haven’t exactly faced top options at the position throughout the year. Fire up Kittle with confidence.