Cowboys vs. 49ers
Dak Prescott only played one drive but it was an impressive showing. Say what you will about his ceiling, accuracy or “eliteness”, he’s always shown command of the offense, poise and leadership. Dak finished 3 for 3 for 39 yards and an easy 30-yd TD strike to rookie Michael Gallup. Dak had, what most would consider, down year, but he finished as QB11 in ESPN PPR scoring. He’s being drafted as QB21 in the 14th, according to Fantasy Football Calculator. That’s just a crime. He should be considered a high end QB2 with QB1 upside. He’s averaged 320 rushing yards and 6 TDs in each of his first two seasons and for this reason alone that vaults him above his current ADP. Don’t believe the narrative that the Cowboys don’t have anyone to catch the ball, with dominate pass protection and a top end running game, the catches will come.
Jimmy Garoppolo had a quiet pre-season debut but he only managed 9 snaps and handed off 3 of them. He had a nice 3rd and long conversion on a drag but this highlighted one of my concerns about Jimmy G. His short to mid game is on point but to score fantasy points you either need to push the ball down the field, throw 35+ TDs or add value with your legs. I am not sure he can do any of the three. His ADP is QB10 in the 9th round. Make no mistake I love Jimmy G as a football player and he will likely make the 49ers relevant again but his price is high for me when I can have proven fantasy commodities like Ryan and Stafford rounds later.
Jerick McKinnon had a quiet night, handling three carries for -4 yards. This may say more about the Cowboys sneaky defense than it does about the player but more on that in a bit. McKinnon has never had more than 160 carries in a year but he can catch the ball. His miss second round ADP is based entirely on Kyle Shanahan. He comes with high risk. If you expect him to be a between the tackles runner each week you will be disappointed. I trust the coaching staff will find ways to deploy him but I find much safer options in my drafts.
Ezekiel Elliott sat out this game but his primary backup, Rod Smith, showed up. Rod, the brother of Cowboys middle linebacker Jaylon Smith, Smith had 8 carries for 32 yards and nice 6 yard grab out of the backfield. The Cowboys moved on from veterans in the off-season and Smith in the unquestioned number two. Should Zeke miss any time, keep Smith on your waiver wire speed dial.
We didn’t see much from either teams passing games. Michael Gallup, the Cowboys third round draft pick, caught an easy 30-yard strike. It’s still too early to tell how many snaps the rookie will earn, we still don’t know if the Cowboys will rely on the historical primary TE blocking sets or if they will deploy primary three wide sets, which will et Gallup on the field. For SF, Dante Pettis showed his speed early in the second half, a ball he would have scored on if the C.J. Bethard pass would have lead him more. Gallup has a 14th round ADP and Pettis is going undrafted right now but both could be early season waiver targets if they are seeing snaps.
Finally, I am excited about this Dallas Cowboys defensive unit. Most observers would be surprised to know that the defensive unit finished 8th in league defense and better in every category that 2017 Cowboys offensive unit. The young playmakers on this defense are going to surprise. They finished as DST14 last year and I think they will easily move into DST1 this year. Keep your eyes on this defense, it’s a unit that is going after DST20 and will be a sneaky every week starter for your teams.
-Marc Salazar
If you count that INT as a knock against Dalton I can’t take seriously that you actually watched the game.
He forced it to a receiver while he was under pressure…
If you’re not taking Saquon or Odell in the first round id like to be in your league.
I agree with a lot of Mr Bevins assessments.. I liked how Hill looked, and Webb deserves to be watched closely…McCoy also looked good
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