49ers @ Cowboys
With Ezekiel Elliott a surprise inactive for the Cowboys, it was fair to question what theit offense would look like. It turned out that the offense would not miss a beat as Dallas would win a shootout over the 49ers 41-33, with the two offense trading blows back and forth all day, a beautiful sight for us fantasy players.
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Nick Mullens: 21/36, 219 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 2 sacks| 1 carry, 7 yards,
C.J. Beathard: 5/7, 100 yards, 1 TD
Sunday was another mixed bag sort of game for Nick Mullens with certain moments where he looked impressive but also including blunders such as two interceptions, as the 49ers attempted to come back later in the game. He also lost a fumble early in the game on a strip-sack by the Dallas defense. He did have two touchdowns including an outside pass to Jordan Reed along with one to Brandon Aiyuk before leaving the game with an elbow injury in the 4th quarter. When he got the opportunity, C.J. Beathard impressed and showed off his arm with a deep Hail Mary touchdown as time expired, though his work was last in the game with Dallas up a few scores so playing a bit softer on defense.
Running Backs
Raheem Mostert: 14 carries, 68 yards
Jeff Wilson Jr.: 16 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 0 receptions
Tevin Coleman: 3 carries, 11 yards |
Kyle Juszczyk: 2 carries, 4 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 25 yards
Jerrick McKinnon: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards
The 49ers’ backfield continues to be a bit confusing as there was a clear split in carries between Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. Both backs took advantage of these opportunities and looked really good against this poor Dallas defense, with Jeff Wilson being the one more involved in the passing game on Sunday and cashing in with a touchdown at the goal line. Maybe this was due to Mostert nursing his injury from last week but the way he ran on Sunday did not seem like someone who was hurt. He did end up leaving the game due to an ankle injury and did not return, so keep an eye on this moving forward as it could impact his Week 16 availability, especially now that San Francisco is eliminated from playoff contention.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Brandon Aiyuk: 13 targets, 9 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD
Kendrick Bourne: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Reed: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards, 1 TD
Richie James: 7 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards
Brandon Aiyuk continues to take full advantage of his opportunities as the most trusted receiver for San Francisco showing off both his hands and speed, taking a shovel pass into the endzone down by the goal line as well as being leaned on for third-down conversions. Each week he continues to make plays that impress us and make me excited about his future, taking full advantage of his great matchup on Sunday.
Brandon Aiyuk on an end around.#FantasyFootball | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/eVTc3yFzSW
— QB List (@TheQBlist) December 20, 2020
Along with Aiyuk, we also saw touchdown receptions from Kendrick Bourne and Jordan Reed. While Bourne’s was on a Hail Mary to end the game, Reed’s was a nice red-zone score to start off his game. Though, he did struggle to get anything else going with some timing issues between him and Mullens after that.
Jordan Reed gets San Francisco on the board. #FantasyFootball | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/tuwtjKCmPF
— QB List (@TheQBlist) December 20, 2020
Finally, we saw Richie James see a good portion of San Francisco’s targets, though he did exit the game in the 4th quarter late with an injury, and he lost a fumble during the game, causing some targets to trend towards other options in the passing attack.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Andy Dalton: 19/33, 209 yards, 2 TDs, 2 sacks | 2 carries, 8 yards
Andy Dalton had himself a solid day on Sunday, taking good care of the football and not trying to force it into tough coverage. He was willing to dump the ball off in shorter routes when needed, and Tony Pollard was the main beneficiary of that. Among these short passes include a dump off to Dalton Schultz, which he took the remainder of the way for a touchdown, along with a play-action pass in the back of the endzone for Michael Gallup.
Dalton drops one off to Gallup.#FantasyFootball | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/MwsOv5znXp
— QB List (@TheQBlist) December 20, 2020
Running Backs
Tony Pollard: 12 carries, 69 yards, 2 TDs | 9 targets, 6 receptions, 63 yards
With the surprise inactive of Ezekiel Elliott, all eyes were on Tony Pollard, who dazzled in his opportunity on Sunday, showing off great speed and force on the ground as well as being a very active part of the Dallas passing game. He ran for two touchdowns, including one at the goal line early in the game and one longer run juking a few defenders into open field racing into the endzone for 6. While other players mixed into the run game occasionally, it was all Tony Pollard on the ground impressing through the entire game.
Ezekiel Elliott is out this week with a calf injury and Tony Pollard has himself a first quarter TD. #FantasyFootball | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/3rpyMhd9JZ
— QB List (@TheQBlist) December 20, 2020
Tony Pollard taking full advantage of his start today.
His second score of the day ⬇️#FantasyFootball | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/0T3ARni9lm
— QB List (@TheQBlist) December 20, 2020
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
CeeDee Lamb: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 85 yards
Michael Gallup.: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 36 yards, 1 TD
Amari Cooper: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
Dalton Schultz: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards, 1 TD
With the Cowboys’ offense generally coming through Tony Pollard on Sunday, there was not much of a passing game, especially with the 49ers’ shutting down Amari Cooper for only 2 receptions for short gains. The only exception to this may have been CeeDee Lamb, who showed off his speed and athleticism capped off with a 45-yard reception. He would also end up returning a 49ers’ onside kick attempt for a touchdown. With Andy Dalton at quarterback, we have started to see more signs from Michael Gallup, with Dalton continuing to look his way, including down at the goal line for his touchdown off play-action. Along with that emergence, we are seeing Dalton liking the name connection with Dalton Schultz, as Andy Dalton looked his way in the red zone to connect for another touchdown reception.
Dalton to Dalton. @andydalton14 | @BinghamBaller9
📺: #SFvsDAL on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/EJLjYXQNy2 pic.twitter.com/8zsz5CCpnf— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2020
— Callen Elslager (@callen_elslager on Twitter and Reddit)