Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 19 at 1:00 PM ET
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Betting Odds: NYG +10.5, 44.5 Total on Oddshark
Network: FOX
Writer: Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware on Twitter)
Dallas Cowboys
QUARTERBACKS
Dak Prescott (Start)
Dak Prescott has been a QB1 this season, but just barely as the QB11 overall this season. He has let down many analysts who had Dak as a Top 5 quarterback worthy of an early-round selection. However, some of us faded the two-time Pro Bowler before the start of the season:
I see Dak Prescott as a Top 10 QB for 2021, yet I’m fading him at ADP40. He’s already encountering speed bumps on the road to recovery from a gruesome leg injury that may or may not impact his mobility.
More on Dak and four others I’m avoiding at ADP:https://t.co/3ntTkeG89k
— Drew DeLuca (@DrewDeLaware) August 3, 2021
My biggest concern was Dak’s reliance on mobility to help create, both inside and out of the pocket. Less than one year removed from that gruesome injury, I worried that reduced mobility would not only suppress his rushing contributions from a fantasy perspective, it might also make it easier for opponents to defend a talent-laden offense with an important dimension removed. Let’s see how it’s going:
A few takeaways: First, we need to remember that the 2020 statistics, especially for TD/INT ratio, represent a small sample size, although it’s worth noting that Prescott was on pace for his most prolific season as a passer before sustaining his season-ending injury. Second, we see a clear drop-off in his efficiency as a runner, both in terms of yards per attempt and yards gained after contact. He’s no longer scaring defenses with his legs, plain and simple, and this may be part of the reason why his fantasy production has tailed off as the season wears on.
Long story short: if Dak Prescott is on your roster, and you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You might be tempted to sit Prescott given the above, but odds are high that you likely don’t have a better option on your bench or waiver wire. We see him as a mid-t0-low-end QB1 this week, so start him with confidence against a New York Giants team that has been fairly generous to opposing quarterbacks this season.
RUNNING BACKS
Ezekiel Elliott (Start, RB2), Corey Clement (Start, Flex*), Tony Pollard (Sit*),
Ezekiel Elliott has been held back by a knee injury, and while he’s been playing through it, he yielded quite a few snaps to Corey Clement last week, more so than expected. Clement essentially filled the role vacated by Tony Pollard, who was sidelined with a fascia (foot) injury sustained earlier this month. Clement logged a 36 percent snap share, which was very much in line with the volume Pollard was seeing in the three weeks prior: 33, 42, and 40 percent in Weeks 12-14, respectively.
Elliott, as long as he suits up, is a must-start in a soft matchup. We’re sitting Pollard regardless, but we like Clement as a sneaky flex play, especially if Pollard remains sidelined this week. Clement is nowhere near as explosive as Pollard, but he’s a competent jack-of-all-trades who should fare well behind a solid offensive line against a mediocre-at-best opponent. He could see extended run if the game gets out of hand and the Cowboys decide to shelve Elliott for a quarter or two.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
CeeDee Lamb (Start, WR1), Amari Cooper (Start, WR2), Michael Gallup (Start, WR3), Cedric Wilson (Sit), Dalton Schultz (Start)
CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper are must-starts every week in just about every league imaginable; you really don’t need us to tell you to start them, but we’ll do it anyway: Start Lamb and Cooper. Now, this may come as a surprise to some, but Michael Gallup has actually led all Cowboys receivers in snap share in three of their last four games.
Gallup is the only one of the trio to record five or more receptions in each of the Cowboys’ last four games, offering a higher floor than many analysts imagined, myself included. Given the state of the injury-plagued running back room, we expect the Cowboys to throw more than usual, rendering all three Cowboys starting wide receivers as startable assets. Sorry, Cedric Wilson; it’s just not your week. Instead, fire up Dalton Schultz with confidence as a sure-fire TE1 (Top 12 tight end) this week.
New York Giants
QUARTERBACKS
Mike Glennon (Sit), Jake Fromm (Sit), Daniel Jones (Sit; likely out)
Daniel Jones (neck) will likely give way to Mike Glennon yet again this week, although we’re not sure how many quarters the ironically long-necked backup will play. Glennon is clearly a career NFL backup quarterback at best, and with the playoffs now well out of reach, the Giants find themselves in evaluation mode. The Giants have a big decision to make about Daniel Jones this offseason, and they reportedly have interest in seeing what they have in Jake Fromm, a 2020 Round 5 draft selection by the Buffalo Bills.
Though Giants QB Mike Glennon is expected to start Sunday vs. Cowboys with Daniel Jones still out, recently acquired QB Jake Fromm could see some action in the game, per source. It’s something the team is considering.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 15, 2021
The former Georgia Bulldog was an afterthought entering last year’s draft as far as physical attributes go, but several scouts were intrigued by his mental makeup and intangibles. We don’t want any Giants quarterbacks anywhere near our Week 15 lineups, but Fromm makes a cheap, interesting add in deep dynasty leagues.
RUNNING BACKS
Saquon Barkley (Start, RB2), Devontae Booker (Sit), Elijhaa Penny (Sit), Gary Brightwell (Sit)
Saquon Barkley‘s touchdown last week was his first since Week 4, and his 95 yards from scrimmage marked his second-highest total of the season. Unfortunately, the Cowboys have been fairly tough on opposing running backs, allowing the eighth-fewest total of fantasy points allowed to the position. Nevertheless, Barkley appears to be rounding into form as the season grinds on, so while we don’t foresee RB1 overall production, we do like his odds of producing high-end RB2 numbers this week, assuming he’s able to overcome an ankle injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday.
Devontae Booker managed to log 12 touches for 84 yards last week, his best performance since Week 9. If Barkley is limited or held out of action this week, Booker vaults up to low-end RB2/flex territory. Neither Elijhaa Penny nor Gary Brightwell should be rostered in 12-team leagues, PPR or otherwise.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Kenny Golladay (Sit), Sterling Shepard (Sit), Kadarius Toney (Sit; COVID-19), Darius Slayton (Sit), John Ross (Sit; COVID-19), Evan Engram (Sit), Kyle Rudolph (Sit)
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Kenny Golladay was a disappointment last week. Despite logging seven or more targets for the second time in three weeks, Golladay caught only two passes for 15 yards. The former Detroit Lion hasn’t posted more than 50 yards receiving since Week 4, and we don’t see things turning around this week against a much-improved Cowboys secondary led by Trevon Diggs.
Sterling Shepard logged his first game action since November 1 last week, and Darius Slayton’s 21 targets over the last four weeks are just one shy of Golladay’s team-leading total over that span. With Kadarius Toney‘s status up in the air due to COVID and Golladay likely on lockdown by Diggs, Shepard and Slayton are solid bets to pace the team in targets this week. Unfortunately, we don’t expect much from either in terms of efficiency in an offense led by Glennon or Fromm.
The Cowboys are one of six teams who have not allowed a touchdown to opposing tight ends over the past five weeks, so we’re not optimistic about Evan Engram this week, either. In summary, if your New York Giant relies on a quarterback to throw him the football, sit him.