Up next in our 2020 fantasy football team previews, we have America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite finishing the 2019 season first in offensive yardage and ninth in yards allowed, the Dallas Cowboys ended with a pedestrian 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.
With the disappointment of missing the playoffs, the Cowboys decided to move on from head coach Jason Garrett. Garrett led the Cowboys to the playoffs three times in ten years, but never made it past the divisional round.
Now with Mike McCarthy at the helm, the Cowboys are hoping for a similarly productive season from a statistical standpoint, but with a happier ending.
2020 Fantasy Football Dallas Cowboys Preview
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Quarterbacks
Dak Prescott red zone passing last season
16 TDs
0 INTs pic.twitter.com/6ez84CWFlr— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) May 21, 2020
There has been a lot of drama surrounding Dak Prescott and his potential contract extension this season. The Cowboys reportedly offered a five-year, $175M deal. However Dak likely wants a shorter deal so that he can maximize his value with another deal later on. For now, Dak remains on the franchise tag.
Dak had an excellent season and finished as the QB2 last year behind only Lamar Jackson and has finished no worse than QB10 in his four-year career.
Looking ahead to this season, the Cowboys added Ceedee Lamb in the first round of the draft, giving Dak one of the best trios of wide receivers in the league. The Cowboys also added Andy Dalton through free agency. For fantasy purposes, it’s best to think of Dalton as a safety net for the pass-catchers in the event that Dak gets injured.
This passing offense should be firing on all cylinders just as did last year, if not even more so. Dak offers high-upside and high-floor at the quarterback position. But if you want him, you're going to have to pay up as he is currently the third QB off the board in fantasy drafts. QB3 is exactly were we have him in our staff rankings too.
Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott has 3,539 rushing yards after contact since 2016
507 more than anyone else pic.twitter.com/9Sj5385HIX
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) May 19, 2020
Ezekiel Elliott is the picture of stability at an infamously unstable position. He finished as the RB4 last year in standard scoring and is consistently in the top 5 at the position. His upside in PPR leagues is capped a little bit in terms of targets with the addition of Ceedee Lamb, but he could very well lead the league in rushing touchdowns this year.
There are concerns about the loss of all-pro center Travis Frederick and what it means for the running game. His likely replacement is veteran backup Joe Looney. He is an adequate replacement, and the strength of the rest of the O-line and the offense, in general, will take significant pressure off of him
On June 15th it was reported that Zeke tested positive for COVID-19. Despite the positive test, his availability for the season should not be affected. In fact, it may make him less likely to contract it again during the season as he develops antibodies.
Rookie RB Tony Pollard looked impressive in his first year, averaging an efficient 5.3 yards per carry on 86 carries. Pollard is an excellent handcuff for Elliot and likely becomes an instant high-end RB1 if Zeke were to miss time.
Overall, you won’t find a safer pick at running back in the first round than Elliot, and Pollard is one of the most valuable handcuffs in all of fantasy.
Wide Receivers
Amari Cooper
Michael Gallup
CeeDee LambDo the Cowboys have NFL's best WR trio? pic.twitter.com/V3FP5YcbTA
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) April 24, 2020
- Amari Cooper
- Michael Gallup
- CeeDee Lamb
- Devin Smith
This is one of the most skilled trios of wide receivers in the NFL. Amari Cooper is a four-time pro bowler. Michael Gallup is coming off a 1,100-yard season. And CeeDee Lamb was the third WR drafted this year, but nobody would’ve batted an eye if he was the first.
Despite his talent, Amari Cooper has gained a reputation for disappearing in the fantasy world. He had four games of over 100 yards last year, including a 226-yard explosion against Green Bay. Yet he also had seven games of less than 50 yards, including four of less than 25 yards.
The lack of consistency is concerning but Cooper was also injured for a large part of last year. He’s got an elite skillset on a high-powered offense and I’d be happy to have him on my fantasy teams.
The WR2 for Dallas will be valuable, but who will it be? The drafting of Lamb was the worst-case scenario for Gallup as it is unclear which will take over the secondary receiving role behind Cooper.
Rookie WRs often take a while to develop so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gallup start off the season as Dak’s second option before being usurped halfway through the season by Lamb. If you want to take your shot on Lamb I’d wait until midseason as you will probably be able to scoop him up for pretty cheap.
Tight Ends
Dak ➡️ Blake Jarwin ➡️ 42-Yard SCORE!#DALvsNYG | #MNF
(via @NFL)
— PFF (@PFF) November 5, 2019
- Blake Jarwin
- Dalton Schultz
Jason Witten is moving on (again), and Blake Jarwin looks primed to take over as starting tight end after getting a three-year contract extension this offseason.
Entering his fourth-year Jarwin has never topped 400 yards in a season, even when Witten left in 2018. But TEs take time to develop, and Witten leaving vacates 83 targets at the position.
This could be the year Jarwin finally breaks out, but even if he does, his upside is heavily capped by the presence of the WR trio and Zeke.
Final Verdict
From a fantasy standpoint, this Cowboys offense has a chance to repeat as the NFL’s best team in offensive yards and has lots of players worth owning.
Unfortunately for them as a team, they lost some key pieces on defense in Byron Jones and Robert Quinn. Hopefully with new leadership at head coach this team will pull itself out of mediocrity.
That wraps up the 2020 fantasy football Dallas Cowboys team preview, next up is the New York Giants.
Visit the F6P Fantasy Football page for more advice to get you prepared for the 2020 season.
| AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | Ravens | Texans | Broncos |
| Dolphins | Bengals | Colts | Chiefs |
| Jets | Browns | Jaguars | Chargers |
| Patriots | Steelers | Titans | Raiders |
| NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | Bears | Falcons | Cardinals |
| Eagles | Lions | Panthers | Rams |
| Giants | Packers | Saints | 49ers |
| Washington | Vikings | Buccaneers | Seahawks |
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