Game Overview ::
By hilow >>
- Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) was shut down for the season, leaving Jake Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert, Brandin Cooks, KaVontae Turpin, Luke Schoonmaker, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks, and Ryan Flournoy as the remaining pass-catchers.
- Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (concussion) appears unlikely to play while still in the league’s concussion protocol, putting Kenny Pickett in line to start.
- Saquon Barkley needs 268 rushing yards to break Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record.
- Kenny Pickett targeted A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith on 23 of 24 passes after taking over for the concussed Jalen Hurts last week but failed to lead a touchdown drive after the first quarter (the team scored twice after he took over, one on the drive he took over on a touchdown pass to Brown and one on a two-play drive where Saquon Barkley did everything).
- The Eagles are effectively locked out of the No. 1 seed out of the NFC and could be at risk of resting their players in the second half of Week 17 and in Week 18.
How dallas Will Try To Win ::
The Cowboys have been much more competitive over their previous five games, winning four and losing by a touchdown to the Bengals. They’ve also averaged 27.4 points per game during that five-game stretch after scoring more than 25 points just once with Dak Prescott under center to start the season (a Week 1 blowout win over the Browns). Much of that success can be attributed to a soft schedule that has allowed the team to focus more heavily on the run game (the Panthers, Giants, and Commanders are all bottom four run defenses while the Bengals rank 23rd), something that may be more difficult to muster against the stout Philadelphia defense (the Eagles are top 10 in rush defense metrics). I would say it is likely the team begins the game with a run-focused offensive approach before making adjustments based on game flow.
Rico Dowdle now has four consecutive games with a 70% snap rate or higher while Week 16 against the stout Tampa Bay rush defense was the first time in five weeks he saw less than 20 opportunities. Even so, he has just one touchdown since becoming the true lead back and has returned a 4x salary multiplier his Week 17 salary just once while seeing no more than three targets in a game during that span. The matchup on the ground is also much more difficult than he has seen in those five games, with the Eagles holding opposing backfields to 1.67 yards before contact per attempt (sixth), 4.3 yards per carry (eighth), and 14.7 fantasy points per game (second). This is a much different spot on paper than the ones he enjoyed during his recent stretch as the alpha.
Alpha wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has now been shut down for the season after struggling through a painful AC joint injury in his shoulder the previous six weeks. That is likely to leave their pass-catching depth chart looking rather sparse, likely consisting of Jake Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert, Brandin Cooks, KaVontae Turpin, Luke Schoonmaker, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks, and Ryan Flournoy, likely in that order for targets. The level of volume for the pass offense gets a bit murky considering the team’s recent performances, but I would make an educated guess that none of that lot is overly likely to see enough volume to warrant fantasy consideration with Cooper Rush under center and in this matchup.
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