What We Saw: Week 3

Dallas Cowboys @ Seattle Seahawks

A game that was expected to be a shootout certainly didn’t disappoint, as Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott went toe to toe and took advantage of two suspect defenses. D.K. Metcalf had a major mistake on what should have been a long touchdown but made up for it later, while Tyler Lockett took over with three touchdowns. Seattle held on to win 38-31 as Prescott’s final desperation pass was intercepted in the end zone.

Dallas Cowboys

Quarterbacks

Dak Prescott: 37/57, 472 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

While the Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott didn’t quite do enough to earn Dallas a victory, he did more than enough to cement yet another elite fantasy performance for himself. Prescott did account for 3 turnovers on the afternoon, but it didn’t do enough to hamper an otherwise excellent outing. With Dallas’ run game failing to gain traction for most of the day, Prescott and his arm were called on to keep the offense moving. This was the second week in a row where Prescott threw for 450+ yards, and he is only the second QB in NFL history to do so. When you consider his potential to accumulate 3 rushing TDs in a game, it isn’t a stretch to think Prescott could finish as the overall QB1 this season. Prescott is performing over his projections to this point and is more than delivering on his #50 overall ADP. Prescott will look to continue his dominant play next week against the Browns.

Running Backs

Ezekiel Elliott: 14 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD | 12 targets, 6 receptions, 24 yards

Tony Pollard: 1 target, 1 reception, 0 yards

It was a tough day for Cowboys’ RB Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas wasn’t able to establish a consistent run game against Seattle’s defensive front. Elliott salvaged a decent fantasy performance in PPR formats with 6 receptions, and in all formats with a 1-yard TD run near the end of the 1st quarter. It could have been expected that Zeke might struggle against Seattle’s defense, but managers of Elliott should look forward to a matchup with Cleveland next week. The 12 targets are certainly encouraging, and we will just have to hope for better production on his opportunities going forward.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Amari Cooper: 12 targets, 9 receptions, 86 yards

Michael Gallup: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD

CeeDee Lamb: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 65 yards | 1 carry, 1 yard

Cedrick Wilson: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD

Dalton Schultz: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 48 yards

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – 2nd year WR Cedrick Wilson emerges from nowhere and finishes with 107 yards and 2 TDs. Everyone saw that coming, right? Wait, who the heck is Cedrick Wilson? My thoughts exactly. If you have any Cowboys’ WRs rostered, you have probably found yourself hoping that your guy would be “the one” every week. But now, what happens with Wilson? Will he carve out a permanent role for himself – taking away from your share of the Cowboys’ target pie? Right now it’s tough to say. I wouldn’t go as far as to prioritize Wilson as a waiver wire target, but I also wouldn’t be entirely dismissive of his performance either. It is a situation worth monitoring. Either way, all 3 of Dallas’ top wide receivers produced an acceptable PPR fantasy performance – paced by WR Michael Gallup. All Cowboys’ WRs are a must-start against a Cleveland secondary that has been carved up by QBs Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. Dalton Schultz turned in another solid performance and looks to be a solid streaming option in this high-volume passing offense.

Seattle Seahawks

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson: 27/40, 315 yards, 5 TD | 6 carries, 22 yards

Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson has been truly sensational thus far this season. He hasn’t added as much in the rushing game as he has in seasons past, but he is “cooking” with his arm. Wilson threw for 5 TDs against Dallas on Sunday – totaling 14 passing TDs through 3 games this season. Wilson even lost a touchdown as Metcalf began celebrating too early and fumbled. If Russ can continue near this pace, he could possibly finish as the highest-scoring fantasy QB of all-time. Obviously, Wilson remains a must-start in all formats, and he is a tier-1 option next week against the Dolphins.

Running Backs

Chris Carson: 14 carries, 64 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 12 yards

Travis Homer: 2 carries, 19 yards

Carlos Hyde: 4 carries, 12 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards

Seahawks’ RB Chris Carson was a bit of a disappointment on Sunday against the Cowboys, as he failed to find the end zone for the first time this season. His 4.5 yards per touch were a season-low as well. While Carson continues to dominate touches out of the backfield for Seattle, Sunday’s performance is indicative of what Carson’s floor can be. The Seahawks game script led to a heavy dose of Russell Wilson and not much from the running game. Carson will continue to provide low RB1/high RB2 value throughout the season. RBs Carlos Hyde and Travis Homer didn’t provide much fantasy value in their work to spell Carson, but the Seattle backfield is a situation worth monitoring. RB Rashaad Penny is progressing nicely from his ACL surgery and expected to return to the Seahawks’ lineup around mid-season. For the time being, Carson and the rest of the Seattle RBs will look forward to a favorable matchup with Miami next weekend. Carson was injured towards the end of the game and the extent of his injury is unknown. Hyde would likely be a hot waiver pickup if Carson’s knee injury is severe.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Tyler Lockett: 13 targets, 9 receptions, 100 yards, 3 TD

DK Metcalf: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD

Greg Olsen: 6 targets, 5 receptions, 61 yards

Jacob Hollister: 2 targets, 1 reception, 1 yard, 1 TD

Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson was a star yet again through the air, and his WRs benefited greatly. None more so than WR Tyler Lockett, who had 3 TDs before the end of the first half. WR DK Metcalf finished with a TD reception for the third consecutive game this season, but Metcalf should have had 2. On a play midway through the second quarter, Metcalf had badly beaten Cowboys’ rookie CB Trevon Diggs for a certain TD – except that Diggs chased down Metcalf and exploited his lackadaisical approach towards the end zone – punching the ball out of the back of the end zone for a touchback. Now that I think about it, this lazy effort from Metcalf also cost Russell Wilson his 6th passing TD of the day. As long as Wilson is “cooking” as much as he has been, Lockett and Metcalf are potentially in line for monster seasons, and there is plenty to go around to support them both at the same time.

— Corey Saucier

Twitter: @Deputy_Commish

Reddit: /u/LightsKamaraAction