To drift away from the talk of the NFL Draft and the chaotic NFL offseason, I decided I wanted to dive into the Dallas Cowboys fantasy preview for next season.
Now, I get that there could be moves made from now until the start of the 2022 season, but it's likely the team's starting offense remains the same, and there isn't a defensive player that the franchise could be drafting who would be a must-have IDP player.
Without further ado, check out my preview below.
Quarterback Dak Prescott
According to Fantasy Data, Quarterback Dak Prescott averaged 20 Fantasy Points per game in 2021 and finished as the QB7 in a high-powered offense that had an RB7 (Ezekiel Elliott), RB28 (Tony Pollard), WR19 (CeeDee Lamb), WR27 (Amari Cooper), and TE3 (Dalton Schultz).
Now heading into the 2022 season, most of the offense remains, but with the loss of Cooper and two offensive line starters, there could be some regression in fantasy production for Prescott.
If the season started today, his number one receiver would be Lamb, who is an uber-talented player, but it's unknown if he can take on the alpha role.
While he did show flashes of being the guy at Oklahoma, some people felt most of his touches that he got his first two seasons in the NFL were because of Cooper, and he will now have to adjust to being guarded by the opposing team's top cornerback.
Additionally, with Gallup looking unlikely to start the season, Lamb's running mate is currently newly signed Wide Receiver James Washington, who isn't a proven player in the league yet, and beyond them two there is little to no experience at their WR3 position.
If we focus on the losses on their offensive line, they could have trouble establishing the run and protecting Prescott. With that in mind, Prescott should still finish as a Top-12 QB in fantasy production despite the team's question marks, since the team is likely going to be in shootouts or be playing from behind.
Running Backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard
Now before people come for me because of my take, please just hear me out.
I know the narrative around Cowboys Nation and fans around the league is to label Running Back Ezekiel Elliott as “washed,” but before he got hurt in Week 4, you got to realize he was a Top-10 RB in production.
As the season went on, it was evident that Elliott was a step slower and I agree the franchise should have incorporated Running Back Tony Pollard more to the mix, but it wasn't known that Zeke was playing hurt all year till after the season.
According to FantasyPros, Elliott is currently ranked as the RB17 in their consensus Draft Rankings and Pollard is ranked as the RB32.
While I did mention above that their offensive line issues could spell trouble for their running game, it's likely both running backs will be getting more looks, but Pollard is the back I would consider taking this year because of his home-run ability.
Elliott could make an impact if he comes into the season healthy and has a little bit of the workload taken off him, but until the Cowboys address their offensive line issues, the backfield is hard to consider drafting.
Wide Receivers CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and James Washington
After having a top wide receiver group for a few years, the Cowboys will now be entering the 2022 season with questions on who will be the true WR1 and who can catch a ball beyond CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
While the Cowboys did sign Wide Receiver James Washington this offseason, he hasn't proven enough in the league just yet that makes you believe the wide receiver room is elevated and is more of a low-risk, high-reward type player.
Looking at the receivers, the top wideout that gives you the most value in fantasy next year is likely Lamb since he's going to take on most of the targets, but Gallup and Washington are sleepers that you can grab in later rounds.
According to Fantasy Pros, Lamb is currently ranked as the WR8 in their consensus draft rankings, while Gallup and Washington are ranked WR42 and WR120.
Now that may seem like players who aren't going to give you production, but once Gallup comes back from injury, he could produce right away given his chemistry with Prescott, and Washington could show out with more opportunities as the WR2 to start the season.
However, it should be known that the franchise could potentially still upgrade their wideouts through free agency or the draft, I would consider Lamb as the safest pick if you wanted Top-10 production from your fantasy wide receiver next season.
Tight End Dalton Schultz
Lastly, we finish with Dalton Schultz who not only had a Top-5 TE finish this season, but could be a guy who could be a steal in your drafts if you decide to wait on drafting a Tight End.
After finishing as the TE3 in fantasy, Schultz was getting questioned by critics on if he was worth retaining since they had Tight End Blake Jarwin returning from an ACL injury, but once a hip injury was discovered with him that could keep him out until 2023, there was no question they had to re-sign Schultz.
According to Pro Football Network, Schultz had a target share of 16.4% in 2021, and now with no Amari Cooper or competition behind him, he could see it rise to 20%.
Overall, if you're a fantasy football enthusiast, your best odds are to target Prescott, Lamb, and Schultz if you're in PPR or standard leagues, but I would only consider drafting any Cowboy players if they fell to me at a solid value.
