The Dallas Cowboys have lost two consecutive games and now appear to be on their way to the No. 5 seed in the NFC. However, their schedule doesn’t get any easier, as they host the Detroit Lions in Week 17. The Lions have a legitimate chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC and could be a team that the Cowboys see very soon in the playoffs.
When it comes to fantasy football, the Lions’ defense has been good, but so has the Cowboys’ passing game. Can fantasy football managers trust CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup in Week 17?
Fantasy Outlook for CeeDee Lamb This Week
The answer to the question, “Can you trust Lamb in fantasy?” should be a resounding yes! I don’t care what defense he is going up against; he has been absolutely phenomenal this year. The Lions do a great job stopping the run (fourth), but they are 23rd against the pass (234.9 yards).
This a game that screams a big-time performance by Lamb, and he has delivered those types of performances all year long.
He leads the NFL in catches (109), is second in yards (1,424 yards), and is tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns (9). He has seven games with at least 116 yards and has scored a touchdown in six of those seven games.
If you are playing in a fantasy championship and you have Lamb on your team, he is in your lineup with zero questions asked. Matter of fact, there aren’t very many players in the NFL who should be more of a guarantee to be in your fantasy lineup than Lamb. I am looking for an eight-catch, 100-yard, and one-touchdown type of game.
Fantasy Outlook for Brandin Cooks This Week
Cooks’ first year in Dallas has been up and down at times. He was looked at as a guy who could come in and be an outstanding No. 2 receiver to Lamb.
At times, Cooks has shown the ability he has, as evidenced by his game against the New York Giants, where he scored nine catches for 173 yards.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
While he hasn’t put up big numbers, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has a lot of trust in Cooks. In the loss to the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Eve, Cooks caught a touchdown late in the game that put the Cowboys up by one before losing.
There is no denying Cooks is still a talented receiver, but right now, his best-case scenario is as a Flex play in Week 17.
Fantasy Outlook for Michael Gallup This Week
Gallup hasn’t had a type of season that would warrant him being in a lineup during the playoffs, and he has been especially quiet as of late. He has five catches in his last five games, with only three for 13 in his last two games.
Besides the two receivers above, the Cowboys also have a very reliable pass catcher in tight end Jake Ferguson. All three of these guys are capable of having big games, and there just aren’t enough targets for Gallup in this lineup.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Lamb is the player to start. His projected 22.3 points include eight catches and 100 receiving yards. That projected stat line easily outperforms the consensus projections of Cook’s 9.8 points and Gallup’s (5.3).
I am going with the Optimizer on this one, as there aren’t many guys in fantasy who are must-plays over Lamb. Cooks could be a high-risk, high-reward type of player in the Flex against the Lions.
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