The Dallas Cowboys will be missing at least one — and possibly two — of their star wide receivers on Thanksgiving against the Las Vegas Raiders. Amari Cooper is out while in the COVID-19 protocol, and CeeDee Lamb is attempting to work his way back from a concussion. Someone has to catch passes in this offense, and Cedrick Wilson is one name to watch on the Week 12 fantasy football waiver wire.
Cedrick Wilson has made some plays this year
In an offense with Lamb, Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, and Tony Pollard, it can be tough for anyone else to see enough opportunities to make a difference for fantasy managers. Wilson has managed to score 3 touchdowns this season, though, and has a season-high mark of 87 yards.
He hasn’t quite put it all together, but he’s shown flashes of promise. Wilson has scored double-digit fantasy points in two games this year. He was second on the team in routes run in Week 11 with 33, and that was with Lamb on the field for most of the game.
Dallas is a pass-heavy offense
Gone are the days when the Cowboys relied on their offensive line and Elliott to do the heavy lifting. Even with Prescott missing time with injuries, the Cowboys are still averaging the ninth-most pass attempts per game at 37.5.
This team throws the ball. Michael Gallup should line up on the outside with Wilson in line to work underneath out of the slot. Dallas’ offense could also lean more on the run this week, featuring Elliott and Pollard against a Raiders defense that’s allowing the seventh-most fantasy points per game to running backs (19.9).
This offense is capable of putting up a lot of points, and Wilson should be a part of it (at least for this week). He’s certainly worth a waiver claim for the Thanksgiving slate of games.
Fantasy expectations for Wilson
This is where it gets tricky. As I mentioned above, Dallas could go into this game (that they should win) being able to rely on their defense against a Raiders offense that hasn’t scored more than 17 points in any of the last three weeks. If the Cowboys’ defense makes it rough on Derek Carr, and if Dallas intends to feature the run, Prescott simply might not be asked to do much.
If that game script pans out, Wilson might not see much work.
But there’s another script that could also occur, one that would entail the Cowboys knowing they need to keep winning to stay in front of the suddenly surging Eagles. In that scenario, Dallas goes out with bad intentions and looks to dominate the Raiders in all facets, and Prescott throws for 300+ yards to backup wide receivers while Wilson sees a season-high in targets.
The range of outcomes is wide in this game, but I think Wilson is a startable asset on Thursday if you need a flex play. He’s absolutely worth a roster spot heading into Week 12.