Dallas

Cowboys

Tolbert dropped a key pass that would have converted a third-and-six on the Cowboys’ opening drive of the game. He later made up for the gaffe late in the third quarter when he hauled in a six-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys the first touchdown and first lead of the game. Tolbert continues to underwhelming as the WR2 in Dallas’ offense. His 22 yards are his most since Week 8. With Brandin Cooks on the mend, Tolbert could see his role decrease as early as Thursday when the Cowboys play host to the Giants on Thanksgiving Day.

Filling in for Jake Ferguson (concussion), Schoonmaker turned in another solid outing despite seeing six fewer targets. On his first target, Schoonmaker took a short pass from Cooper Rush upfield for a 24-yard gain and then found himself on the receiving end of a 22-yard strike in the end zone late in the fourth quarter. In his last two games, Schoonmaker has caught nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown on 14 targets. The Cowboys now find themselves on a short week to prepare for Thursday night’s game against the Giants. If Ferguson can’t go, Schoonmaker will make for a solid streaming option against the Giants.

It was another high-volume day for Lamb, who has been targeted 12 times in each of his last two games. The Cowboys’ WR1 has had to adjust to life with Cooper Rush under center but has still managed to give his fantasy managers solid production in each of his last two games. The big plays haven’t been there for Lamb, but credit the Cowboys for finding ways to get the ball in the hands of their best playmaker. We shouldn’t expect weekly WR1 production from Lamb, but he’s a safe bet to return top-24 fantasy performances as long as the volume is there. He should make for a solid start on Thursday against the Giants.

Dowdle handled 19 of the Cowboys’ 28 rush attempts in Sunday’s win. His longest gain came on a nine-yard carry, but Dowdle kept the ball moving forward with one physical run after another to keep the offense on schedule. Dowdle has now handled 29 rush attempts in the last two weeks and has 114 yards to show for his volume. He’s also caught five passes for 18 yards over that span. The Cowboys have proven more than willing to make him the staple of their backfield. He’ll make for a nice volume-based RB3 in Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Giants.

Rush picked up his first win of the season as the Cowboys’ starter in a wild road win in Washington. Rush didn’t turn the ball over in this one and kept the Cowboys’ offense on schedule for most of the afternoon. His 41-yard completion late in the first half helped setup a 46-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey to tie the game at 3-3, but Rush would later find Jalen Tolbert for a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter and connected with Luke Schoonmaker on a 22-yard score in the fourth. Rush limited bad plays and bailed his center out of two high snaps that could’ve resulted in much worse than a loss of yards. The Cowboys will look to ride this momentum into Thanksgiving when they play host to Tommy DeVito and the Giants. Rush will have some value as a low-end QB2.

The hits keep on coming for the Cowboys, who revealed on Saturday that they would be without both Martin (ankle) and Diggs (groin/knee). Ferguson will miss Sunday’s game after suffering a concussion in last week’s loss to the Texans, leaving the them without several key starters in what has the makings of a disastrous game on the road against the Commanders. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker, who caught 6-of-10 targets for 56 yards in last week’s game makes for a viable streaming option in place of Ferguson.

Cooks saw his 21-day practice window opened prior to Week 11 but managed only limited showings in practice this week, ultimately failing to do enough on the practice field to warrant a return to the active roster ahead of the team’s Week 12 game against the Commanders. The Cowboys are in a complete state of disarray with tight end Jake Ferguson also ruled out after sustaining his second concussion of the season in Week 11 and alpha wide receiver CeeDee Lamb struggling through multiple injuries, including a painful AC joint sprain.

The same goes for right guard Zack Martin, who is dealing with both ankle and shoulder injuries and was previously listed as doubtful. The Cowboys find themselves in the middle of a lost season with mounting injuries on both sides of the ball, not exactly a recipe for success against one of the most competitive teams in the NFC.

Martin is not expected to suit up and LG Tyler Smith (ankle/knee) is questionable to play, leaving Cooper Rush far more vulnerable to the Commanders’ interior pass rush. Hopefully, Rush is able to get the ball out quickly, keeping CeeDee Lamb’s WR1 prospects intact.

Bland earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors last season and while the 3-7 Cowboys are unlikely to turn their 2024 season around, Bland gets an important opportunity to knock off rust over the final seven games. Hopefully, he is able to make his presence felt in a triumphant return against the Cowboys’ divisional foe.