Dynasty Capsule: Dallas Cowboys
Every year we give our premium content members a team-by-team, player-by-player look at the NFL season that was. The coverage will be in-depth, but because the Dynasty Capsule series begins immediately after the regular season, we won’t use it to discuss free agency or the draft. Come see us in early May once Mr. Irrelevant is off the board for another 32-article series giving you the same detailed discussion you’ll see below.
Buckle up dynasty fans, because you’re about to be reminded why our motto is, “There is no off-season.”
Quarterback
Dallas drafted him in the fourth round during last year’s draft behind fellow rookie quarterbacks Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch, Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg and Jacoby Brissett. Prescott was thrown into the starting role after Tony Romo severely injured his back during a preseason game. He took advantage of the opportunity by passing for 3,667 yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions while leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 13-3 record and home field advantage in the playoffs.
He currently ranks seventh amongst quarterbacks with a 86.67 ADP, making him a seventh-round pick in startup drafts. Even with the rich price tag, Prescott should provide a lot of value in dynasty for years to come because he’s only 23 year’s old and is playing behind one of the best offensive lines in the history of football.
[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]
Romo suffered a broken bone in his back during a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks that caused him to miss the majority of the season. Not only did he experience a dramatic injury but he was also Wally Pipped by quarterback Dak Prescott, causing him to ride the pine during the back half of the season. He will be 37 years old going into next season and he has three more years left on his contract, making him hard to move from the team’s roster due the $19.6 million cap that lingers over his head.
He’s worth holding onto during the preseason and is worth stashing at the end of your bench in deeper leagues just to see if is on another team next season. Don’t break the bank trying to acquire him because there’s a good chance that his next opportunity could be short lived.
He signed a one year deal with the Cowboys last September and will be a free agent in the off-season. Sanchez is earmarked as a journeyman backup quarterback at this stage of his career and holds zero dynasty value going forward.
Showers was on the team’s practice squad and will be free agent this spring. He looked good in preseason games by making the tough throws and leading the third string unit on multiple scoring drives. More than likely he is going to be a practice squad dandy for the remainder of his career.
Running Back
Elliott started his pro career off with a bang by rushing for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns while eclipsing the 100-yard mark seven times this season. He proved to be the perfect fit for Dallas’ run first offense as he finished the season with a 5.1 yards per carry average. After finishing the regular season as the league’s leading rusher, Elliott managed to rush for 125-yards against Green Bay in the divisional round of the playoffs.
He routinely gets drafted within the top five picks in rookie drafts because he’s one of the most talented running backs in the league and he plays behind one of the best offensive lines in football. Acquire him if possible, but his price tag should be through the roof, making him almost impossible to obtain via trade. He will be just 22 years old going into next season and will have plenty tread on the tires to be a valuable dynasty asset for years to come.
He will be a free agent this off-season and his fantasy value will be highly dependent on what team picks him up during free agency. He did well in 2015, rushing for 1,089 yards and three touchdowns, but rarely saw the field last year due to injuries and being stuck behind Ezekiel Elliott. McFadden is no longer the elite prospect he once was but he does have enough left in the tank to be a “spot” starter for an NFL franchise. His time being a fantasy asset is long gone and should be considered waiver wire fodder in most leagues.
He looked great during the beginning of the season but his play faded down the stretch. Touches are limited in the Dallas’ backfield due to Ezekiel Elliott’s large market share of the workload, making it hard for Morris to carve out a role with the starting offense. He’s signed with the team through 2017, but it’s on a cheap contract, meaning Dallas can easily cut him.
He was used sparingly as the pass catching specialist, catching 16 receptions for 122 yards. Elliott is a tremendous receiver out of the backfield which makes it tough for a third down back to get enough opportunities to be fantasy relevant in the passing game. Dunbar is set to be a free agent in the offseason, and a change of scenery could be the best thing for his dynasty stock.
Dallas signed him to a reserve futures contract at the end of the season. Smith is more than likely never going to be fantasy relevant let alone a player that can stick on an active roster for more than a few games at a time.
Wide Receiver
Bryant finished the regular season catching 50 receptions for 796 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 14.12 fantasy points per game. He had four games with 20 or more fantasy points and he had only four games that he played in where he scored less than ten fantasy points. A knee injury caused him to miss three games during weeks four through six. He’s signed with the Cowboys through the 2019 season.
He currently ranks tenth amongst wide receivers with a 14.33 ADP, making him an early second round pick in startup drafts. He’s 28 years old and has endured multiple injuries during the last few years, causing his stock to deflate a little bit in dynasty. Bryant is still one of the most talented wide receivers in the league and his age and injury history allows you to acquire one of the best fantasy assets in the league at a discount. He’s a perfect match for win-now dynasty teams because he’s still able to produce fantasy points when healthy. Owners with rebuilding teams might want to think about shopping him for multiple pieces to build for the future, because Bryant will be on the way out of the league when your team is finally built to compete for a championship.
Beasley led the team with 75 receptions for 833 yards while proving to be the teams’ go-to possession receiver. He had nine games with ten or more fantasy points while averaging 11.81 fantasy points per game. Beasley is a very dependable player who always seems to be open when the chips are down, which is one of his main characteristics that allowed him to carve a role within the offense. In March of 2015 he signed a four year $13.6 million-dollar contract which means he will be a Dallas Cowboy through the 2018 season.
With an ADP of 116.50, Beasley is going around ninth and tenth rounds of startup drafts. His price will become more palatable during the offseason as the new batch of rookies will certainly deflate some of his value by making him a forgotten dynasty asset. He’s served best as a rational spot start option to cover bye weeks and injuries because he doesn’t have the consistent upside to net you WR1 fantasy points. There’s still value in dependability and Beasley is as consistent as they come, making him the perfect guy to have at the end of your bench to keep things together when a slew of injures hits your wide receiver corps.
2016 was Williams’ least productive season of his career catching only 61 receptions for 594 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 7.84 fantasy points per game. His best game came against the Giants during week 14 when he caught five receptions for 76 yards and one touchdown while amounting to a season high 18.60 PPR fantasy points. Even with the lackluster production, Williams still managed to catch 72.13 percent of his targets while averaging 13.5 yards per catch. His contract has expired and he will be a free agent once the offseason begins. There’s a chance he resigns with the Cowboys but there’s also a good chance that the Cowboys let him walk and utilize the cap savings on other positions. His value will be highly dependent on his landing spot and he needs to go to team with a high volume passing attack for his fantasy stock to increase.
His dynasty value was at its peak during the spring of 2014 with an ADP of 67.80, but since then things have drastically changed and now he’s considered a sixteenth round pick in startup drafts with next to no trade value. To put that into perspective, Calvin Johnson was still recently being drafted on average just 17 picks after him and he hasn’t played a snap in the league since 2015. He’s worth picking up as a throw in during trade negations because he’s worth stashing at the end of your bench just to see where he lands in free agency.
He was primarily utilized to stretch the field to keep the defense honest. Even though his production was limited to just 219 yards and three touchdowns, his speed gave Dallas’ offense an extra dimension. He will be a free agent in the off-season and might be battling to latch onto a team’s 53-man roster next season. Keep him on the waiver wire and put him on your watch list just in case he goes to a team that will grant him more opportunities.
He’s the team’s swiss army knife as he’s primarily used on end arounds and as a returner. Whitehead is more of a role player and may never be a consistent fantasy asset.
Since entering the league in 2014 Evans has been rostered by the Jets, Jaguars, Patriots and now the Dallas Cowboys. His time is running out due to the fact he’s been in the league for a few years and have nothing to show for it.
Andy Jones
He had a great training camp last year and flashed during the preseason games. If I had to put a chip on any of the players who are currently listed on the practice squad to make an impact for Dallas in the future it would be easily placed on Jones. He had a very productive collegiate career at Jacksonville University, catching a career total of 144 receptions for 2,120 yards and 17 touchdowns. Jones is on my personal watch list and I will be ready to pounce like a shark who smells fresh blood water if I hear any positive news suggesting that he’s going to make Dallas’ 53-man roster.
Tight End
It’s obvious that father time is not on his side as he turns 35 years old in May, making him one of the oldest assets in dynasty. As one of the most productive tight ends to ever play the game, Witten currently ranks seventh all time with 1,089 receptions. He’s under contract through 2017 with the Cowboys, but retirement is just around the corner and his status should be monitored on a year to year basis. Right now, it appears he will back for next season.
He currently ranks twenty-second amongst tight ends with a 206.00 ADP which equates to a seventeenth-round startup pick, making him virtually free. He’s worth the investment for win-now teams only because he should be able to contribute for at least another year. It’s advised that rebuilding teams trade him for draft picks or younger prospects.
Dallas moved away from two tight end sets this season which curtailed Escobar’s target share to just 1.44 percent. He will be a free agent this off-season after an injury riddled first four years of his career. He’s currently valueless in dynasty and he must get sign with a team that will give him an opportunity for targets in order for him to gain any value going forward.
Hanna is one of the most athletic receivers on the team with a 4.49 40-yard dash and a 6.76 three-cone time while standing at 6’4’’ and weighing 252-pounds. He’s signed with the team through 2018 and will more than likely be the first tight end off the bench if Witten were to go down with an injury. Unless your league is super deep you’re more than likely not going to have him rostered on your dynasty team.
Rico Gathers
Dallas drafted him in the sixth round of last year’s draft as a developmental player to build up for the future. He has very limited experience playing football, but he did play four seasons of basketball at Baylor and he’s a highly athletic prospect with the requisite size for an NFL tight end. He’s a player to keep on your watch list.
[/am4show]
- 2024 NFL Draft: What We Expect for Day 1 - April 25, 2024
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Luke McCaffrey, WR Rice - April 19, 2024
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Will Shipley, RB Clemson - April 6, 2024
