Cowboys at Commanders

This game would have been very important if the Commanders had prevailed last week, but they lost to the Browns and were eliminated from playoff contention. Dallas, on the other hand, has one of their best playoff outlooks in a long time and an outside shot at the #1 seed if they are able to win and both San Francisco and Philadelphia lose this week. It’s an unlikely scenario, but should be enough to make sure the Cowboys take care of business. 

The favorable matchup makes a number of Cowboys intriguing fantasy options for this week. Dak Prescott is a solid QB1, while RBs Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot are both top 20 options at their position. Among the pass catchers, both CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz are top 6 players in the Fantasy Life consensus ranks at their respective positions. At least one of these players will probably disappoint, but the lofty rankings reflect our confidence in the Dallas offense to move the ball and put points on the board. 

Washington is finally giving rookie QB Sam Howell his shot, so we will get our first look at if the dynasty community was right about him being a steal in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Both Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson are out, so the lead role in the backfield should fall to Jonathan Williams. All Washington pass catchers are lottery tickets, as we have no idea how successful Howell will be or who he will favor targeting. Recent experiences with backups like Nick Foles and Jarrett Stidham show just how wide the range of performances can be. We still have Terry McLaurin ranked as a startable option but he could have an extremely low floor if the offense struggles. 

No one should be surprised that Dallas are huge favorites in this game. Not only are they the more talented team with something still to play for, but they are the healthier team as well. The Commanders are a franchise stuck in the dreaded middle – not good enough to be a legit contender and not bad enough to land an elite QB prospect without trading up in the draft. 

Although I’m excited to see what Sam Howell can bring to the table, the odds aren’t in his favor and he faces a Dallas defense that leads the league in takeaways. The most likely outcome is a comfortable Cowboys victory, but I will definitely have my eye on this one early to see if Washington looks interested in playing spoiler against their division rival.