As the Cowboys have charged their way back to the top of the NFC East – and into the running for a first-round bye – one other ownership group has also benefited.
Fantasy football owners with Cowboys’ players on their rosters are also on the move.
Several Cowboys have moved into the Top 10 in fantasy scoring in their positions. The Cowboys’ defense and kicker Brandon Aubrey are No. 1.
Aubrey was named the NFC’s NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against the Eagles on Sunday.
CeeDee Lamb is second among receivers and Dak Prescott is third among quarterbacks.
While the Cowboys are still driving for a playoff spot, fantasy owners are starting their postseason runs. And relying on Cowboys’ players along the way.
Offense
Dak Prescott put up 27.75 points this week, solidifying his hold as the third-highest scoring quarterback, and overall player, in fantasy football.
At 398.40 points, Prescott only trails Josh Allen (427.80) and Jalen Hurts (413.90).
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson led all quarterback’s with 43.05 points. Joe Flacco beat Old Man Time and posted 34 points, third-highest for quarterbacks for the week.
Tony Pollard (15.20) and Rico Dowdle (14.40) hit double-digits in the same week for the first time since Week 3.
Pollard ranks 10th overall with 198.10 points, He trails Christian McCaffrey by 146 points.
CeeDee Lamb posted 17.75 points last week to lead the Cowboys’ receivers.
Lamb picked up eight points in his pursuit of Miami’s Tyreek Hill for the top scoring wide receiver in fantasy. But his 311.30 points is still over 58 points behind Hill.
There was even a Michael Gallup sighting. Gallup put up 13.50 points, only the fourth time this year he has hit double-digits.
Deebo Samuel led all NFL players this week with 47.10 points in a standard PPR scoring system.
Jake Ferguson posted 11.50 points this week. His 125.75 points for the season puts him ninth overall among tight ends.
Ferguson will pass injured Mark Andrews next week and trails Travis Kelce by nearly 70 points for the top scoring spot.
While Prescott was the highest scoring Cowboys’ player for the week, Brandon Aubrey gave him a run for his money.
Aubrey booted four field goals (45, 50, 59, and 60) and three extra points. He finished with 22 points and was the top-scoring kicker for the week.
His efforts powered him to 147 points and he is the top-scoring kicker for the year, leading Dustin Hopkins by eight points.
Defense
The Cowboys’ defense, forcing three turnovers and holding the Eagles to just six offensive points, posted 16 points for the week.
The unit remains the top-scoring defense in fantasy for the season. At 267.30 points, they lead the Ravens by 15 points.
The Minnesota Vikings had the top-scoring defense for the week with 31.60 points. Shutting out an opponent for the game tends to pad the score nicely.
For a brief few minutes on Monday night, the Miami Dolphins had the highest score on defense, especially after two late fumble recoveries.
But an epic collapse in the final minutes against the Titans changed that.
Speaking of which…
A Wild Way To Win A Division
Going into Monday night’s final two games, I’m sure there were more than a few owners sweating out trying to win a game and make the playoffs.
I was one of them. Holding a 10-point lead, I had Derrick Henry and my opponent had the Dolphins’ defense.
We were both locked into the playoffs but the winner would win the division and get a first-round playoff bye.
Will Levis’ Pick Six interception early in the game erased my lead. Henry’s early touchdown gave it back.
With about five minutes left in the game, I was clinging to a 0.7 point lead.
The Dolphins were punting and all I needed was for the Titans not to turn the ball over again.
So they went out and committed two turnovers and just like that I was down 3.3 points. But our scoring system lowers a defense’s total score the more points and yards they give up.
And Miami gave up a lot of yards and two touchdowns in those final few minutes.
Henry’s second touchdown not only gave the Titans an incredible come-from-behind win, but it also gave me an 11.35-point victory.
And a division title. As well as a first-round bye.
And a mini-heart attack for that matter.
Remember earlier when I said a team starting 0-3 was no reason to panic? My Scribe’s Penmen team started the year 1-4.
They finished 10-7, won the division, and have a good shot and returning to the championship game.
It wasn’t the way I envisioned the year going – especially with my other two teams having horrible years — but I’ll take it.
If you too made the playoffs in your league, congratulations. Best of luck going forward to all of you.