Dak Prescott Out for the Season: The Dynasty Fantasy Football Impact
Well, that escalated quickly. A week after being pulled out of a game with what looked to be a relatively minor hamstring injury, the Dallas Cowboys announced today that quarterback Dak Prescott will undergo season-ending hamstring surgery and be lost for the rest of the 2024 season. It’s a massive blow to the playoff aspirations of the Cowboys and could quite honestly be the final nail in the coffin as they’re currently sitting at 3-5. It’s also an injury that’s going to have some short and possibly long-term dynasty ramifications. Let’s take a look at some players who are affected by the surprising news of the day.
Dak Prescott, QB DAL
After a monster 2023 season, much was expected from Dak this season. After all, he had thrown for 4,516 yards with 36 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. It looked a lot like his 2021 breakout year where he had a 4,449/37/10 line. Unfortunately, his 2024 season (much like his 2022 campaign) will end with more questions than answers. Prescott has struggled mightily this year en route to posting just 1,978 passing yards with just 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Depending on your league format, Prescott was barely holding on to top-20 status in terms of scoring average and clearly more QB2 than QB1.
On the plus side, Prescott’s injury isn’t something that should be an issue post-surgery. He’ll have plenty of time to heal prior to the 2025 season. The real challenge here is trying to figure out what’s going to happen in Dallas. He’s on a long-term contract and obviously won’t lose his job unless something really unforeseen happens (like a modern day miracle of Trey Lance taking over at some point and somehow looking incredible). The question is going to revolve around what the Cowboys look like next year. They have some serious questions in regards to their offensive personnel and may very well have a brand new coaching staff. This will be some choppy waters, indeed.
Regardless, Prescott is going to enter next season with some real doubt as to his ability to perform at QB1 levels consistently. He’s been too up and down to likely build a dynasty franchise around and is likely going to be looked at more as a low-end QB1 or high-end QB2 instead of a truly elite-level option. As a result, his ADP is likely going to slide a bit now that he’s going to be out for the season and his durability has come into question yet again.
Cooper Rush, QB DAL
Another year. Another handful of starts for Cooper Rush. He’s proven to be a solid backup quarterback who isn’t going to lose you football games. The challenge is the fact he just may not be good enough to win you many of them, either, and that goes for fantasy and reality. Over his 27 career games played, Rush has completed 165-of-275 passes (60%) for 1,786 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. A consummate game manager, Rush will do enough to keep some of this offense relevant but everyone on the Cowboy team is going to take a short-term hit in value with Prescott on the shelf. In addition, Rush could even be challenged by Trey Lance, whom the Cowboys (and other teams) could get an extended look at this season should Rush struggle or the Cowboys go into tank mode. Regardless, Rush is worth a pickup as an in-season bye week option, but he’s 30 years old and far past the point where he would have real dynasty value.
Trey Lance, QB DAL
Well, if there’s a silver lining here, it could be in regards to Lance. The 24-year old has only played in eight total games in his NFL career due to injury (and the emergence of Brock Purdy). However, he was a former #3 overall selection in the NFL Draft and clearly has talent. We’ve seen some real ups and downs with him as well. Just this preseason, he had a game where he threw for 323 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 90 more yards and another score. The only problem in that contest was the fact he also threw five interceptions. If and when the Cowboys are eliminated, it’s possible we see him on the field again. Lance is still a borderline roster-worthy player, but this is something to keep an eye on as sometimes players just need second chances (see Darnold, Sam).
Rico Dowdle, RB DAL
The Cowboys are likely going to lean on the running game a little more now that Prescott is on the shelf. That could bode well for Dowdle, who has 321 rushing yards on 71 carries so far this year. Unfortunately the volume for Dowdle just hasn’t been there (his 21/163/3 receiving line has helped a little), but Dallas may need to see what they have in him now that their franchise quarterback is out for the year. Expectations should be tempered, but Dowdle could get some more work as we move forward this season. Still, he’s going to need to show a lot more before looking like the primary running back for Dallas next season.
Other Dallas Running Backs
When it comes to the likes of Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook and Deuce Vaughn, there really wasn’t any value when Prescott was at the helm, so it’s hard to see much now. Elliott seems to be more trouble than he’s worth and has frankly looked washed up for two years now. There was some excitement when Dallas signed Dalvin Cook, but they really don’t seem too interested in giving him much of a chance. Vaughn has looked good in spots, but it also seems they don’t have much faith in him. All in all, this just looks like a group to avoid even more now.
CeeDee Lamb, WR DAL
This hurts. Lamb was an absolute cheat code last year with 135 catches for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Dynasty managers were hoping for a repeat performance this year and that would have likely put Lamb into contention as the top overall player in fantasy. Unfortunately, the team’s troubles have brought him down to Earth this year as he’s only been able to post 53 catches for 660 yards and four scores. While those numbers are great for most, they’re a tad disappointing for Lamb. Moving on from Prescott can’t help his cause and while he’s clearly still a “must-start” in fantasy whenever he plays, expectations need to be tempered moving forward. Savvy dynasty managers could use this little window to buy on Lamb as his price could be considered a bit of a discount at the moment.
Other Cowboys Receivers
This list consists of Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Jonathan Mingo, Brandin Cooks, and others. It’s hard to see Dallas bringing Cooks back soon now that they’re nearly out of the playoff race. Tolbert has had a mini-breakout this year, but this hurts him as well. Mingo and Brooks look like project players and while Dallas oddly traded for Mingo this week, it’s hard to see any of these players (perhaps outside of Tolbert), making much of an impact here for a bit, if at all, this season.
Ken is on Twitter at DLF_KenK
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