The Cowboys are coming off their second straight NFC East title as they head into the 2024 season. With Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn in Washington and RB Tony Pollard in Tennessee, it seems that everyone else in the division got better while the Cowboys got worse. If they don’t make the playoffs this season, or if they do but cannot advance to the conference championship game, it should be the end of Mike McCarthy’s coaching tenure in Dallas.
Dak arguably had the best season of his career last year, and he should be able to put up similar numbers in 2024. He threw for a league-high 36 TD passes, over 4500 yards, and was able to limit his INT total to just nine. His rapport with CeeDee Lamb played a major role in both of their successes, and the emergence of Jake Ferguson made a big impact as well. There is a case to be made for Dak putting together an even better fantasy season in 2024 because the Cowboys should be very pass-heavy. In one QB leagues, you should be able to get Dak around pick 70, and although it’s not a bad price, I do prefer the value of guys going after him like Kyler Murray, Jared Goff, and Tua.
Neither of these players enters the season with much buzz. Dowdle performed nicely as a backup to Tony Pollard last season, but there is nothing to suggest that he can handle an RB1 workload. Zeke returns to Dallas after one year in New England, where he had a career-worst 3.5 YPC and only rushed for three TDs. Part of that was because the Patriots offense was atrocious, and part of that was because Zeke has lost his juice. As it stands now, these two players should be looking at a 50/50 split in carries, with Zeke being utilized as the goal line back. Zeke also is a solid pass catcher out of the backfield, making 51 catches last season. Both should be drafted because they will have roles in this offense, and if one gets hurt, the other could step into a much larger role.
Chances are, Lamb will be selected with the first two picks of your draft. Not only is he playing for a new contract, whether it be in Dallas or elsewhere, but Lamb is as durable as they come. He has yet to miss a game in his four-year career and is coming off an incredible season that saw him catch 135 passes for 1,745 yards and 12 TDs. Lamb also got involved in the ground game last year, rushing for 113 yards and two TDs. We should expect to see more of that this season, with the Dallas RB group being one of the worst in the league.
Cooks was disappointing in his first season with the Cowboys. Although he played in 16 of 17 games, he was quiet for most of the season, posting only two games with more than five catches and only one game with more than 75 yards receiving. Much of this can be chalked up to the fact that Dak targeted CeeDee Lamb so often that Cooks just wasn’t part of the game plan with any consistency. Another factor is that because it was his first season in Dallas, Dak just had more trust in Lamb, Ferguson, and even former Cowboy Michael Gallup. Cooks should be better this season, and although he won’t be a difference-maker, he can be taken around pick 140-150 right now, so there is no risk whatsoever.
Ferguson enters the season as a top-10 TE in fantasy after putting together a very solid 71/761/5 season a year ago. He should be Dak Prescott’s secondary option in the passing game, making him very valuable. You should be able to get Ferguson between pick 80-90 in most drafts, usually as the 8th-10th TE off the board, which is solid value.
It is very rare to have a kicker on a team preview. Aubrey, however, is a special case. Of course, being on a good offense that moves the ball up and down the field will always add value to a kicker, but Aubrey is exciting because of his own abilities. He was 36 for 38 in FG attempts last season and was an incredible 10 for 10 in FGA that were over 50 yards. He was also perfect in FGA that were 40-49 yards, so he is clutch, has a monster leg, and is almost guaranteed to be a top-scoring kicker this season if he doesn’t suffer an injury.
I believe the Cowboys will be a pass-first team this season, so having Dak, Lamb, and Ferguson will benefit your fantasy teams. They will score a lot of points and should win 10 games and qualify for the playoffs. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, they will likely be a wild card team, go on the road in the first round, and lose. This is a talented team that will once again come up short of their overall goal.
