Dallas

Cowboys

Tolbert, who got some beat writer hype this summer, was barely involved in the Dallas offense. He’s clearly the WR3 behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks for now. Tolbert ran a route on 26 of the Cowboys’ 38 drop backs against Cleveland.

The Cowboys were intent on force feeding Lamb in the first half, even designing three carries for the explosive wideout. Lamb was a victim of game script in the second half. A dominant special teams and defensive performance by Dallas left the offense without any urgency to score in the final two frames. Lamb will once again be an elite option in Week 2 against New Orleans.

Dowdle functioned as the team’s RB2 behind Ezekiel Elliott, who had 10 rushes, including a goal line touchdown. Dowdle saw half of his carries with the game out of hand in the fourth quarter. Dowdle looks to be on the wrong side of a 60-40 split in the Dallas backfield.

Cooks got loose in the Browns secondary in the first quarter and Dak Prescott found him for a short score in what would become a blowout victory for Dallas. Only CeeDee Lamb drew more targets than Cook, who ran a full complement of routes as the Cowboys’ WR2. Cooks will face his former team, the Saints, in what could be a Week 2 shootout.

It was a quiet, game-managing performance for Prescott. Dallas cruised to victory on the strength of a dominant defensive and special teams performance against the lowly Browns. The Cowboys mostly ran out the clock in the fourth quarter with a three-score lead. His only touchdown came on a short throw to Brandin Cooks in the first quarter. Dak should have much more upside in Week 2 against the apparently high-octane Saints.

Rico Dowdle, meanwhile, saw eight carries, with half of those coming in the fourth quarter while the Cowboys bled the clock with a big lead. Zeke ran 13 pass routes and two targets on the day while Dowdle had 11 and had one look. It looks like, for now, Elliott is the preferred option in the red zone, which will matter quite a bit for a high-octane Dallas offense. Elliott should be in play as a flex in Week 2 against the Saints.

Ferguson added that he hopes his knee is just hyperextended. The third-year tight end caught three passes for 15 yards in Sunday’s win over the Browns but broke out for 71-761-5 last season, emerging as Dak Prescott’s second preferred target in the passing game. Any missed time by Ferguson would be a massive loss for the Cowboy’s offense, who aired it out 32 times in a game they led in for most of the day.

Ferguson caught a ball in the flat and was tackled awkwardly near the sideline. He screamed as he hit the turf and needed help to get to the Dallas sideline. Ferguson had three catches for 15 yards on five targets before his exit. His loss would be a big blow for the Cowboys passing attack.

Cooper Rush will back up Dak Prescott with Lance inactive as the team’s third quarterback. The Cowboys enter Week 1 with all of their main skill position players healthy.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the deal includes $231 million in guaranteed money. It’s a record-setting total value for Prescott despite Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dragging his feet on the deal to the bitter end. After a tumultuous summer, Dallas now has Prescott and superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb locked up on long-term contracts. Nothing changes for fantasy purposes as Prescott never threatened to miss any time while searching for a new deal. He ranks as a low-end QB1 for Week 1 versus the Browns.