What We Saw: Cowboys @ Raiders

The Cowboys prevail on an emotional Monday night.

Christian Otteman
What We Saw 4 Hours Ago

Cowboys @ Raiders

Final Score: Cowboys 33, Raiders 16

Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)

 

It was an emotional night in Las Vegas for the visiting Dallas Cowboys, who were playing their first game following the tragic passing of Marshawn Kneeland. The Cowboys played like they had a twelfth player with them at all times on Monday night, moving the ball at will on offense and playing some of the best defense they had all season. Dak Prescott and George Pickens had some of their best performances of the season en route to an easy road win. Let’s dive into some of the key takeaways.

Three Up

  • George Pickens – Is there a WR1 controversy in Dallas? Pickens had one of his best games of the season and looked unstoppable.
  • Dak Prescott – Four touchdowns and four kneel downs in a virtually mistake-free night for the Cowboys quarterback.
  • Tre Tucker – The clear #2 option in this passing game behind Brock Bowers.

One Down

  • Ashton Jeanty – Only partially his fault that he’s on this list. As we all know, the Raiders’ offensive line is giving Jeanty little opportunity to succeed.

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback

 

Dak Prescott: 25/33, 268 Yards, 4 TD | 4 Carries, -4 Yards

Dak Prescott had trouble moving the ball early on, going three and out on the Cowboys’ first drive and losing a fumble in their own red zone to the elite Maxx Crosby. That was about all the Raiders could do the rest of the night, however, as Prescott went nuts the rest of the game for four scores and seven years ago zero turnovers to lead the Cowboys to a stress-free victory. Dak found four different receivers for touchdown passes but leaned on the usual suspects – CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens – to make the biggest plays in the game’s most crucial moments. Dak is having an excellent season and is locked in to QB1 status with his weapons and his team’s propensity for shootouts.

 

Running Back

 

Javonte Williams: 22 Carries, 93 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 0 Yards

The fantasy output wasn’t anything to write home about, but Javonte Williams had a decent day in terms of efficiency. He looked strong and was constantly shedding or fighting through tackles to gain extra yardage. Williams has a gigantic share of this backfield’s opportunities and should have plenty of scoring chances moving forward in this offense.

 

Malik Davis: 4 Carries, 20 Yards

Hunter Luepke: 1 Carry, 5 Yards | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 36 Yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

CeeDee Lamb: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 66 Yards, TD

George Pickens: 11 Targets, 9 Receptions, 144 Yards, TD

The destinies of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are inexorably intertwined. Both wide receivers spent the first series on the bench, presumably for some Vegas shenanigans, but enjoyed the rest of their Monday night in Sin City.

Pickens was found early and often in the intermediate parts of the field and had a highlight-reel out-of-bounds catch in the end zone. It was Lamb who was found shortly after for a wide-open touchdown to begin the second quarter. However, this night ended up belonging to Pickens. The former Steeler was open seemingly at will, and Prescott found him over and over again. Pickens’ touchdown was an impressive catch-and-run where he made a nasty cut back towards the middle of the field to leave a Vegas defender in the dust and walked into the end zone. Both receivers are clearly every-week starters, and it doesn’t feel crazy to say that Pickens may be the more dangerous player right now.

 

Jake Ferguson: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 16 Yards, TD

While the opportunities for Jake Ferguson have cooled off in recent weeks, he’s still a clear part of the team’s red zone game plan. Dak found Ferg for an easy touchdown on a fourth down near the goal line with a quick strike in the middle of the end zone. Five targets is still solid volume for a tight end, so even if the yardage total is modest, you can rest assured as a Ferguson owner with the quality of his targets and red zone usage.

 

Brevyn Spann-Ford: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards

Ryan Flournoy: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards, TD

KaVontae Turpin: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 0 Yards

Jalen Tolbert: 1 Target

 

Las Vegas Raiders

 

Quarterback

 

Geno Smith: 27/42, 238 Yards, TD, INT | 4 Carries, 14 Yards

It was a very pedestrian day at the office for Geno Smith, who you were probably hoping for more from if you started him against an exploitable Dallas secondary. The Raiders planned to air the ball out from the beginning, but they simply weren’t able to keep up with the Cowboys’ high-powered offense. As a whole, Smith looked fine for most of the night – his interception was a bit unlucky, as it was a tipped pass that found another Dallas defender – but his lack of weapons and a poor offensive line are limiting his ability to put together quick and efficient drives. Smith still isn’t a recommended starter in most fantasy formats.

 

Running Back

 

Ashton Jeanty: 6 Carries, 7 Yards | 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 27 Yards

It’s never a great thing when your quarterback, who isn’t exactly known for his rushing prowess, is the team’s leading rusher. Ashton Jeanty didn’t get many opportunities early, but he was involved in the passing game from the get-go. He unfortunately dropped a couple of short passes that he probably should have hauled in, but they would not have gone for long gains. Jeanty was constantly hit at or behind the line of scrimmage, as has been the trend for most of the season. Hopefully, the Raiders will invest in some better run blocking in the offseason to support Jeanty’s athleticism.

 

Raheem Mostert: 2 Carries, 6 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 7 Yards

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Brock Bowers: 12 Targets, 7 Receptions, 72 Yards

The Raiders went to Bowers right away, hitting him for a big gain on their first play from scrimmage. The stud tight end is clearly the focal point of this entire offense right now, for better or for worse. Bowers had a couple of targets in the end zone that were well-defended, but it was at least good to see that usage in the red zone. Bowers will retain top-tier TE status for the rest of the season and beyond.

 

Tre Tucker: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 47 Yards, TD

Tre Tucker is benefiting from the departure of Jakobi Meyers, at least in terms of target share. Tucker scored the team’s only touchdown of the night, a nice catch-and-run on a screen pass where he quickly turned upfield and fought through a couple of Cowboys to hit the end zone. Tucker will maintain some fantasy viability as a WR3 in future weeks, but his floor and ceiling are both lower than you’d like from a player in your FLEX spot.

 

Tyler Lockett: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 33 Yards

Three’s wild for the veteran wide receiver. While Tyler Lockett may be assuming the role of the team’s WR2 for the rest of the season, that niche isn’t a fantasy-relevant one. Keep him on waivers.

 

Ian Thomas: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 20 Yards

Jack Bech: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 19 Yards

Michael Mayer: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 13 Yards

 

 

Photo by Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky