Redskins @ Cowboys
Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 29th at 4:25 PM EST
Location: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, TX
Betting Odds: DAL -10.5, 45.5 total via Oddsshark
Network: FOX
Sleeper Spotlight: Case Keenum
Washington Redskins
Quarterback:
- Case Keenum (Deep QB2)
In Week 2 against Dallas, Case Keenum completed over 70% of his passes with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 103.5. A lot has happened since that game but I like Keenum to put up some points this week. He came in for an injured Dwayne Haskins last week against the Giants and played pretty well. Dallas does have a much better defense than New York, but if Dallas is firing on all cylinders on offense then Keenum will be throwing the ball all day and should have enough volume to have a productive fantasy day. I’m firing him up in a few DFS lineups but I would be hesitant to start him in a 12tm championship league – check for better guys on the wire but if you’re desperate you could do worse.
Running Backs:
- Adrian Peterson (Flex)
- Chris Thompson (Sit)
Adrian Peterson needs 180 yards on the ground to reach 1000 yards for the second consecutive year and the 8th time in his career. Will he do it? No. Will he even reach 100 yards? Probably not. He was listed on Thursday’s injury report with a toe injury but it appears to only have been a maintenance day. If Peterson is fine to suit up on Sunday then he should be on the receiving end of 15-20 carries, and that kind of volume should be enough to vault him into flex territory this week.
Wide Receivers/Tight End:
- Terry McLaurin (WR2 if healthy)
- Steven Sims Jr. (WR2/Flex)
- Jeremy Sprinkle (Sit)
Scary Terry McLaurin is in the concussion protocol this week and is considered day today. He hasn’t been ruled out of the game but it will likely come down to his participation level in Friday’s practice. Keep an eye on his status going into this game because if he suits up he’s in WR2 territory.
Steven Sims Jr. would be the primary beneficiary if McLaurin is ruled out, and he’s shown in the last two weeks that he is capable of producing if targets go his way. In the last two games, he has 11 catches on 21 targets for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Sims could be a league winner if he’s WR1 for the Redskins this week – a WR2 in fantasy if that is the case, however, he’s more of flex if Terry can play. Again, keep an eye on the injury report and adjust your lineups as necessary.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback:
- Dak Prescott (Start/QB1)
This is an absolute must-win the game for the Cowboys and head coach Jason Garrett, who may be fired before he even leaves the sideline if they lose this game. Dak didn’t look great last week against the porous Philadelphia secondary but after another week to heal his shoulder he should be good to go this week. No worries about rest here – Dallas is all in and their stars will play all day.
Running Backs:
- Ezekiel Elliot (Start/RB1)
- Tony Pollard (Sit)
Saquon Barkley lit up the Redskins defense last week and Ezekiel Elliot is in a prime position to do the same thing this week. As I just said in Dak’s blurb, Dallas is all in and they’re going to need a big day from Zeke to win this game. Start him if you got him.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
- Amari Cooper (Start/WR1)
- Michael Gallup (Start/WR2)
- Randall Cobb (Sit)
- Jason Witten (Start/TE2)
Amari Cooper looked lost on the field last week and was shut down by a pretty terrible Eagles secondary. I expect him to bounce back this week, just like the rest of the Cowboys stars. Are you sensing a theme here? Seriously, don’t overthink this. If you have one of Dak/Zeke/Cooper you’re starting him.
Michael Gallup, on the other hand, isn’t exactly a must start on a week to week basis but after his performance last week (5 catches, 98 yards on 11 targets) he has to be considered a WR2 this week. Randall Cobb also had a good week against the Eagles but he doesn’t get enough consistent looks to trust in a championship matchup. At the tight end, you could do worse than Jason Witten, but you could also do better. In what could be his final game in the NFL (assuming he doesn’t retire and then unretire again) it will take a touchdown for him to make an impact but I can see him getting one at home in Week 17.
-Ben Brown (@FelixTheDog23 Twitter, iamatechnician Reddit)