What We Saw: Week 7

We watched every NFL Week 7 game so you don't have to – Here's What We Saw!

Brett Ford
What We Saw 4 Weeks Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Steelers @ Bengals
Rams @ Jaguars
Saints @ Bears
Dolphins @ Browns
Patriots @ Titans
Raiders @ Chiefs
Eagles @ Vikings
Panthers @ Jets
Giants @ Broncos
Colts @ Chargers
Commanders @ Cowboys
Packers @ Cardinals
Falcons @ 49ers

Washington Commanders @ Dallas Cowboys

Final Score: Cowboys 44, Commanders 22

Writer: Riley Blum

 

There were nine possessions and 25 points scored between these two teams in the first quarter alone, highlighted by a 74-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb. The majority of the second quarter was more of a slog with a bunch of penalties, until the teams traded touchdowns in the final 2 minutes. The Cowboys were able to drive and score a touchdown in under a minute thanks to huge plays from George Pickens and Javonte Williams to go into the half up 27-15.

The Cowboys went on to comfortably outscore the Commanders 17-7 in the second half. The game was basically over after Jayden Daniels left with a hamstring injury after fumbling on a strip sack. Marcus Mariota threw a pick-6 on the Commanders’ ensuing drive to seal their fate, and Dallas mostly played clock control the rest of the game. The end result was a 44-22 blowout in favor of the Cowboys.

The Cowboys’ offense is firing on all cylinders, and if their defense can play like this moving forward, they could be real players in the NFC. The Commanders are trending in the opposite direction with a banged-up receiving corps and Daniels going down with another leg injury.

Four Up

  • CeeDee Lamb — Back like he never left. He led the Cowboys in targets and receiving yards, and scored a 74-yard touchdown.
  • Jake Ferguson — Ferguson continues to be Dak Prescott‘s safety valve and one of the top targets in this offense. He caught another two touchdowns and has now scored in four straight weeks.
  • Dak Prescott — Dak continues to play MVP-caliber football, tossing three touchdowns in his fourth straight game. He also has his top target, Lamb, back and healthy.
  • Javonte Williams — Javonte bounced back with over 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He continues to have an elite role in this offense.

Two Down

  • Jayden Daniels — Left the game with a hamstring injury. He gave a thumbs-up after leaving the medical tent, but this will be a situation to monitor moving forward. Before exiting the game, Daniels was having a tough day throwing the ball with his top three wide receivers out.
  • Jacory Croskey-Merritt — “Bill” struggled to find running room in what we thought would be a plus matchup, but the Cowboys’ defense came to play. On top of that, Daniels and Chris Rodriguez Jr. each vultured a short touchdown.

 

Washington Commanders

 

Quarterback

 

Jayden Daniels: 12/22, 156 yards, 1 TD | 8 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble (Lost)

Jayden Daniels and the Commanders struggled to get the passing game going with Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin out. Daniels exited the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, though he managed to provide an OK score for fantasy managers thanks to his 35 yards and a score on the ground. Fantasy managers will need to monitor his status moving forward as we did not receive an update other than Daniels being ruled out for the remainder of this game.

 

Marcus Mariota: 4/10, 63 yards, 1 INT | 2 carries, 34 yards

Marcus Mariota entered the game after the injury to Daniels. Mariota managed to rip off a big run, but he also threw a pick-6 on his first drive, and missed his receivers on some open throws. He filled in decently the two games he was asked to start, but this whole offense gets downgraded if Daniels is forced to miss time.

 

Running Back

 

Jacory Croskey-Merritt: 13 carries, 32 yards, 2 targets, 1 reception, -1 yard

Jacory Croskey-Merritt couldn’t get anything going with the Dallas defense playing surprisingly tough in this game. He missed out on two short touchdown chances that went to Daniels and Chris Rodriguez Jr. On the plus side, he comfortably led the Commanders’ RBs in opportunities and was heavily involved until the Commanders fell behind.

 

Jeremy McNichols: 2 carries, 22 yards | 3 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards

Jeremy McNichols popped the longest plays in this backfield, turning his four touches into 45 yards.

Missed Opportunities

  • He was tackled just short of the end zone on a 19-yard run.

 

Chris Rodriguez Jr.: 3 carries, 12 yards, 1 TD

Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored late in the game on a 3-yard touchdown run.

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Chris Moore: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 59 yards

Chris Moore had the Commanders’ longest play from scrimmage on a 44-yard catch.

 

Jaylin Lane: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 60 yards

Jaylin Lane led the Commanders in receiving yards in this game and was the most targeted wide receiver with the usual starters out.

 

Robbie Chosen: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 36 yards

 

Zach Ertz: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 37 yards, 1 TD

Zach Ertz had the Commanders’ lone receiving touchdown on the day and he led the team in targets. He’s a viable streaming tight end for fantasy, especially if any of the receivers continue to miss time with injuries.

 

Luke McCaffrey: 2 targets

Notes

  • 209 return yards on eight kick returns.

Missed Opportunities

  • Mariota missed McCaffrey on a fourth-and-1 throw where he was wide open for a big gain.

 

Johns Bates: 2 targets, 1 reception, 5 yards

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback

 

Dak Prescott: 21/30, 264 yards, 3 TD, 5 carries, 7 yards

Dak Prescott continued playing at an elite level throwing for three touchdowns in his fourth straight game. He connected with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for some huge gains, and he tossed two of his touchdowns to tight end Jake Ferguson. In addition to flashing his big-play ability, Dak showed some mobility with some timely scrambles and extending plays (two of his carries were kneeldowns to end the game). Dak has a full complement of weapons in this passing attack, and is proving to be a good value for where he was drafted. Consider him a QB1 moving forward as a high-end pocket passer.

 

Running Back

 

Javonte Williams: 19 carries, 116 yards, 1 TD, 4 targets, 1 reception, 2 yards

Javonte Williams bounced back with a strong showing against the Commanders. He runs hard and fights through contact, and he displayed burst and shiftiness breaking a couple long runs. He continues to be the bell cow for this Cowboys team, racking up 116 yards on 19 carries. Javonte should be considered an RB1 in fantasy moving forward.

Missed Opportunities

  • He had an 8-yard run called back on a holding penalty.
  • Was tackled just short of reaching the end zone on his 33-yard run.

 

Jaydon Blue: 7 carries, 29 yards, 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards

Jaydon Blue sprinkled in for some change-of -pace work, but most of his carries came on Dallas’ final drive as the Cowboys were running out the clock.

Missed Opportunities

  • Had a run to the outside for 14 yards called back for holding.

 

Hunter Luepke: 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

CeeDee Lamb: 8 targets, 5 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD

CeeDee Lamb returned from injury and was not eased in at all. He led the team in targets and receiving yards, including taking a 74-yard bomb to the house. The huge play accounted for the majority of his fantasy production, but Lamb is locked in as a high-end WR1. Lamb looked healthy out there and did not show any ill effects from the ankle injury that had sidelined him the past few weeks.

 

George Pickens: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 82 yards

With Lamb back, George Pickens did not command the same target volume as he did the past few weeks, but he continued to show chemistry with Prescott on the deep ball. Pickens looked great, making some highlight-worthy catches. Pickens continues to show how talented he is, and he will see valuable looks in this potent offense. He may be more volatile in fantasy moving forward if he doesn’t see more lay up targets along with the downfield looks.

Notes

  • Pickens drew a 37-yard pass interference on Dallas’ opening drive to set Williams up for a 2-yard touchdown run.

Missed Opportunities

  • Prescott threw just out of Pickens’ reach on a crossing route that would have been good for a chunk gain.

 

Jake Ferguson: 7 targets, 7 receptions, 29 yards, 2 touchdowns

Though the yardage total isn’t anything to write home about, Jake Ferguson produced another strong fantasy score, especially in PPR. He brought in all seven of his targets, leading the team in catches on the second-most targets. He continues to be a go-to target for Prescott, connecting with him to convert on a third-and-12 play as well as catching two red-zone touchdowns. Ferguson should continue to be started in all formats.

 

Jalen Tolbert: 2 targets, 1 reception, 16 yards

 

KaVontae Turpin: 1 target, 1 reception, 17 yards

Notes

  • Three kick returns for 80 yards and two punt returns for 4 yards.
Series Navigation
Introduction
Steelers @ Bengals
Rams @ Jaguars
Saints @ Bears
Dolphins @ Browns
Patriots @ Titans
Raiders @ Chiefs
Eagles @ Vikings
Panthers @ Jets
Giants @ Broncos
Colts @ Chargers
Commanders @ Cowboys
Packers @ Cardinals
Falcons @ 49ers