Dallas Cowboys fantasy preview

Warren Sharp’s Strength of Schedule: Warren Sharp has the Cowboys projected to face the 11th-softest schedule of 2019, with an emphasis on weak pass-defenses.

Must Draft

In his 3 NFL seasons, Dak Prescott has posted fantasy finishes as the QB6, QB10, and again QB10. He enters 2019 with the healthiest and most stacked offensive squad of his career. In Sharp’s 2019 Football Preview he notes Dak seeing a monster increase in his red-zone rushing attempts -- a move that resulted in 6 rushing scores. Expect that usage to continue in 2019.

For the same reasons you should be a fan of Dak, Amari Cooper should also be considered a rock-solid WR1 entering 2019. After (likely) contracting Warren Sharp around the same time they acquired Cooper, the Cowboys fully utilized the receiver’s skill set by lining him up all over the formation and throwing to him on early downs—a down-by-down tactic intelligent front offices are employing more and more.

This morning featured conflicting reports on Ezekiel Elliott’s potential return. One said Week 1, the other said Week 7. If the former is true, he’s the No. 2 overall pick behind Christian McCaffrey. If it’s the latter, a mid-to-late 1st Round selection is still warranted.

Regardless of whether or not you draft Elliott, do not leave your draft without Tony Pollard. As Adam Levitan noted, Tony Pollard has been on the field for all 22 of Dak Prescott’s 1st-team reps. He’s a locked-in bellcow should Elliott miss time but should carry standalone Flex value a la Darrell Henderson or James White. All signs point to new OC Kellen Moore being a savvy, analytically focused coach. Expect Dallas to continue peppering its running backs with high-value passing game usage on early downs.

Good Values

By all accounts, Michael Gallup has had a tremendous preseason and should be in for a major workload increase as the downfield threat in the Cowboys offense.

Monitor

N/A

Avoid

Jason Witten. Come on.