Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos
Final Score: Broncos 44, Cowboys 24
Writer: Geoff Ulrich @thefantasygrind (X.com)
A surging Broncos offense met with a failing Cowboys defense that was also without one of its top corners, and a Denver scoring bonanza ensued. If you’re a Broncos fan, you love to see the team build on that final quarter from the Giants game and post their best offensive performance of the season — while also realizing it won’t be this easy most weeks.
For Dallas, you can revel in the fact that the Cowboys’ offense again fared well in a tough matchup, but couldn’t put up the usual 30-plus points against the best defense in the league.
Three Up
- Bo Nix — Almost everything is working in this Denver offense, and he’s a big reason why.
- Troy Franklin — Got primary targeting in this game and delivered.
- RJ Harvey — Made plays. Looked Reggie Bush-like. This is why they drafted him.
Two Down
- Jake Ferguson — Zero catches on National Tight Ends Day. Woof.
- Marvin Mims Jr. — An afterthought in this offense, outside of a few rush plays.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Dak Prescott: 19/31, 188 Yards, 2 INTs | 6 Carries, 31 Yards
Honestly, if you had told me after the game that Dak Prescott ended with under 200 yards and no TDs with two INTs, I probably would have called you a liar. Prescott obviously threw two picks, but one was late with Dallas pressing, where he was hurried and threw semi-blind over the middle. Other than those couple of plays, Prescott played well.
He was able to get the ball to George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb on numerous occasions down the field, but missed out on all the scoring thanks to some good red-zone defense by the Broncos and a couple of PI calls that put Dallas at the 1-yard line, where Javonte Williams ran the ball in. Dak was also stuffed on a QB sneak, and Dallas also missed out on an early TD thanks to a penalty at the 1-yard line. I say this because if you started him in fantasy, his day easily could have been a lot bigger. He also counteracted the Broncos’ rush a couple of times with big runs.
This was always going to be a tough matchup, but even with the down day, he should still be viewed as a weekly QB1 for fantasy going forward.
Running Back
Javonte Williams: 13 Carries, 41 Yards, 2 TDs | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 8 yards
Javonte Williams had an inefficient day as a rusher, but did convert two short-yardage TDs. That’s the benefit of being in a high-powered offense where there is no competition for carries. Much like Prescott, I wouldn’t be scared off by Williams going forward because of the poor YPC metrics. Denver is just so good that most RBs will have poor-looking stat lines, and he did have a couple of good, tough inside runs early, but then was stuffed mostly when Denver took the lead.
Not much to report here. Outside of Dallas acquiring another RB at the deadline, Williams looks like one of the safest RB1s from here on out.
Jayden Blue: 8 Carries, 29 Yards
For all the talk about Jayden Blue being such a good weapon at the draft, he really hasn’t done anything impressive this season. His one run, where he had space in this game (and gained most of his yardage), came in the red zone, where he got the corner and looked like he had clear sailing to his first TD, but was caught by a Denver defender. It was a poor look for what was supposed to be an elite speed back. I don’t see him putting pressure on Williams for touches anytime soon.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
CeeDee Lamb: 10 Targets, 7 Receptions, 74 Yards
CeeDee Lamb benefited from the Patrick Surtain injury, which made it easier for Prescott to get Lamb and Pickens the ball. Lamb ended the day with one more target than Pickens and the same number of catches, but his day could have been bigger. There were a couple of end-zone targets, one of which he nearly converted, and he drew some big PI calls as well in that portion of the field.
The Broncos sort of chose to just be as physical as possible with him after Surtain left, and it led to penalties but also stopped Lamb from racking up more big plays. Overall, he was beating coverage and looked completely like his normal self, but was a little bit of a victim of the Broncos leaving Pickens a little more open on most plays.
Obviously, you want more than 14.4 PPR points from a top-five fantasy pick, but considering the matchup, this could have been worse. I expect we’ll see Lamb rack up more primary targets in his next couple of games against looser secondaries in Arizona and Vegas.
George Pickens: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 78 Yards
George Pickens was likely the Cowboys’ best player in this game. It seemed like Denver was playing off him, or just trying to contain him on most targets, which also allowed him to get open quite a bit and make a couple of nice moves after the catch to get extra yardage. Denver was tackling everyone on Dallas almost right after the catch, so the fact that Pickens was able to shake free on a couple of occasions really stood out.
Lamb is a legit top-five WR, but games like this from Pickens do make me wonder which WR I’d rather have if given the choice. His body control and ability to square up defenders so quickly make him pretty unique, and he is a few more solid games away from cashing a monster contract this offseason.
Overall, Dallas did plenty of good things on offense, and having Pickens on the opposite side of Lamb in a game like this normally would have given them a great shot at winning. Unfortunately, their defense is so bad that it didn’t matter here.
Jake Ferguson: 1 Target
Honestly, before this game started, I really thought Jake Ferguson might surprise with another big game in this spot. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, Surtain went out of the game early, and Dallas was doing a great job of moving around its WRs. There was just never a need for Dak to throw to the middle, and with Dallas under so much pressure on defense, he was also forced to air it out on many occasions rather than take checkdowns.
Brutal game, but little reason to think this is more than a one-game blip.
Jalen Tolbert: 2 Receptions, 47 Yards, TD
Honestly, nothing here. Jalen Tolbert caught a bomb from Joe Milton III in garbage time when Denver was semi-asleep. He was a ghost otherwise.
Kavonte Turpin: 5 Targets, 1 Reception, -2 Yards
Brutal game from Kavonte Turpin, who was really shut down by the physical Denver defense.
Denver Broncos
Quarterback
Bo Nix: 19/29, 247 Yards, 4 TDs, INT | 1 Carry, -1 Yard
Overall, just a great game from Bo Nix, who did exactly what he needed to do vs. this shoddy secondary. He did sail a couple of passes early, but in his defense, there were also a couple of brutal drops by his receivers mixed into this game, one of which could have been a long TD by Courtland Sutton that would have given Nix five on the day.
I wouldn’t be ready to declare Nix a top-five QB just based on this game, but certainly, he’s looked more comfortable in the pocket over his last five quarters than he has all season. He had numerous great deep timing throws to Troy Franklin and Sutton, and hit rookie Pat Bryant for a beautiful corner route in the end zone, on a play where Bryant had about half a yard of separation.
From a fantasy perspective, Nix is moving into being an elite, every-week option, thanks in large part to an emerging receiving core but also the fact that he rushes more than people realize (even though he didn’t need to Sunday).
Running Back
RJ Harvey: 7 Carries, 46 Yards, 2 TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards, TD
This was probably the most low-key breakout game you could script. RJ Harvey only had eight touches the entire game in a spot where both offenses were moving it fast. There were portions of the game where I forgot he was playing because he was so lightly used. However, he managed to convert a short TD run early and then blasted his way in from 40 yards out on a great-looking run play where he outran the entire secondary.
His third TD came on a short passing play from the 5-yard line.
Obviously, the red-zone usage is great, and Denver will likely show more confidence in Harvey in that part of the field going forward. That said, you do have to take this game with a grain of salt because there is zero shot that Harvey is getting a TD on every third touch going forward.
To sum up, Harvey looked great and more confident, but there wasn’t any huge move to make him the lead back. Dallas’ defense just really sucks, and he took advantage.
J.K. Dobbins: 15 carries, 111 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards
J.K. Dobbins looked good all game. He broke off a couple of nice runs and managed to break a lot of tackles on inside runs, on plays where it looked like Dallas may have him bottled up. He lost out on the red-zone touches again, mainly because the Cowboys have such a bad secondary, and because he has a QB who is playing extremely well and connecting regularly with his receivers.
If you’ve been starting him for fantasy, he is becoming a bit of a concern as he’s now failed to find the end zone in three straight games and may have added competition for touches with Harvey being such a dynamic weapon in the backfield.
He’s still the Broncos’ preferred short-yardage back, and in games where they need to grind it out against better defenses in the red zone, I’m sure he’ll have his moments again.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Courtland Sutton: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 67 Yards
Courtland Sutton is still the preferred target for Nix when things get critical, but Dallas was leaving everyone open to start the game, so Nix just picked the Cowboys apart by spreading it around. He went back to Sutton once they tightened up a bit, but didn’t need to target him relentlessly.
The two also just missed out on a TD (twice) when Sutton had a TD called back for an off-the-ball penalty and then, on the next play, dropped a missile from Nix over the middle on a ball that bounced directly off his chest in mid-air in the end zone.
Decent outing, but could have been bigger.
Pat Bryant: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 40 Yards, TD
Pat Bryant is slowly starting to creep into relevance in this offense. They like his run blocking, and that’s kept him on the field more and more of late, which has led to a few more calls in his direction. The 40 yards was his highest in a game to date, and most of it came on a nice 24-yard TD pass where he beat his man to the corner and had a beautiful ball dropped in to him by Nix.
It was a great route by Bryant, who also showed good control on the catch to keep his feet in as he was running full tilt to the back of the end zone. He’s no speedster, but Denver seems likely to take advantage of his solid route running and versatility more often.
If one of the names above him on the depth chart went down, he could turn into something legit for fantasy by the end of the year.
Troy Franklin: 8 Targets, 6 Receptions, 89 Yards, 2 TDs
Fantastic game by Troy Franklin, who got fed early by Nix against this weaker secondary and took advantage of Dallas just losing Franklin in coverage on multiple occasions. His first TD was a nice throw by Nix, who stood in a busy pocket and waited for Franklin to get wide open in the middle. His second TD was a nice 7-yard catch where he got lost by the secondary and just popped wide open in the back for an uncontested catch.
His best plays were actually in the middle of the field, where Nix found him over the middle and on screens, and he took advantage of his speed and size to gain good chunks. He’s not as polished a receiver as Sutton, but his size and speed were on great display here. If teams play off him too much, or just treat him like another warm body, like Dallas did here, Denver’s likely to keep giving him plenty of opportunities.
Evan Engram: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 36 Yards
Evan Engram started off hot with a couple of nicely designed plays that went for 10-plus yards apiece. Then Nix started heating up and hitting his WRs, and that was pretty much the end of Engram’s day.
You get the feeling that if Dallas had corners that could cover, Nix would have gone back to him, as Engram was clearly working, but had no need with Denver moving the ball so well. No other TE caught a pass in this game for Denver, so Engram just fell victim to a game plan that was working well and didn’t include targeting the TE much.
Marvin Mims Jr.: 1 Target | 3 Carries, 18 Yards
Marvin Mims Jr. dropped his only target, which was a simple screen play. He did stay involved in the rush game, but was an afterthought with Nix just hitting guys wide open 15-20 yards downfield all game. Remains a complete boom or bust option for fantasy unless Franklin or Sutton goes down.