The Dallas Cowboys head into MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Giants under the bright lights of Thursday Night Football. The Cowboys are coming off two tough games, and fantasy football managers have some intriguing decisions to make about their WR options.
Should we have any concerns over CeeDee Lamb after a fumble and a sideline blowup last week? Is Brandin Cooks still the WR2? Are Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin more than just desperation options in search of a fourth-quarter comeback?
CeeDee Lamb’s Week 4 Fantasy Outlook
A lost fumble in the red zone isn’t ideal, nor are whispers that the vibes in Big D aren’t exactly strong, but if there’s one thing we can all count on, it’s Lamb.
Despite the entire world knowing that this offense funnels through its WR1, Lamb is the only player in the league with a 30+ yard grab in all three weeks this season, a streak that could continue against a defense that allows the third-most yards per catch after the reception since the beginning of last season.
The Cowboys handed Lamb the ball three times in the season-opening win in Cleveland, something I think there’s a good chance we see again as this team looks to rebound from consecutive losses. You can feel comfortable in the price you spent on Lamb — you’re going to be just fine long term, and you might have your Week 4 matchup in hand before a single game kicks off on Sunday.
Brandin Cooks’ Week 4 Fantasy Outlook
I tried to warn you this summer that Father Time was closing in on Cooks. He scored on an all-out blitz in Week 1, but outside of that, all the red flags that presented themselves last season are even more evident this year.
In 2023, Cooks averaged a career-low 1.25 yards per route run. Through three weeks, his rate is essentially half of that.
Combine his declining efficiency with Dak Prescott’s recent limitations as a road favorite (last six such spots: 210 passing yards per game without multiple scores on four occasions), and we are looking at a player who is nowhere near my starting lineup this week.
Jalen Tolbert’s Week 4 Fantasy Outlook
Jalen Tolbert has cleared 13 fantasy points in consecutive games and might out-earn Cooks moving forward, given how things have looked over the last 12 months for the veteran. If you want to stash him as a bet against Cooks, you have my stamp of approval.
Tolbert has now seen back-to-back games with five or more targets, nine in Week 2 and five in Week 3. He is clearly a starting option in this offense, having played 66.7% of the snaps in Week 1 (just three fewer snaps than Lamb and seven fewer than Cooks), 85% of snaps in Week 2 (more than either Lamb or Cooks), and 78% in Week 3 (equal to Cooks).
Tolbert has proven to be a more than useful outlet for the Cowboys’ offense when teams try to take away Lamb with double teams. That success is going to continue to encourage more opportunities to come his way.
Teams are daring Dak to beat them without CeeDee. Safety here stays glued to Lamb on a double.
Jalen Tolbert beats his man with speed, then wins with physicality on the underthrown ball. Our guy coming on strong. https://t.co/EJgASyuB6y pic.twitter.com/YPnxpnLyKa
— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) September 20, 2024
Tolbert’s route participation level has been 100% through each of the first three weeks, but his usage has varied based on the game situation. In Week 1, he was targeted on just 8.3% of his routes, which rose to 22% in Week 2, and then sat at 11% in Week 3. One of the key factors there was the absence of Jake Ferguson in Week 2.
Ferguson’s presence in the lineup pushes Tolbert down to the third or fourth pass-catching option in the offense, which is a tough place to consistently have fantasy value. Tolbert is a boom-or-bust option better suited to the Best Ball format than a standard fantasy lineup. His worst output of the season was 2.2 fantasy points in Week 1 in a game the Cowboys controlled, which could be the case in Week 3.
KaVontae Turpin’s Week 4 Fantasy Outlook
Turpin is another player who has seen a boost in opportunities in the two recent blowouts. He has totaled seven targets, reeling in five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. The problem is that his usage numbers sit at the bottom of the pile in terms of the Cowboys’ wide receivers.
In Dallas’ Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, Turpin played just six offensive snaps and ran two routes. The only time he is likely to see enough usage to be fantasy-viable is if the Cowboys are trailing big in the second half. That does not project to be the case here, so this is a spot to pass on Turpin.
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.