It’s been a matter of when, not if, the Dallas Cowboys would secure some wide receiver help. After trading away Amari Cooper, they were left with CeeDee Lamb and not much else. On Monday, the Cowboys signed former Colts WR T.Y. Hilton. Does this mean anything for fantasy football?
T.Y. Hilton Signs With the Cowboys
I’m not going to lie. I never thought I’d be sitting here, in the year 2022, talking about T.Y. Hilton. I loved Hilton as a prospect back in 2012. Not because I actually knew he was a great prospect, but rather because I watched him return punts in a bowl game and thought he “looked good.” Turns out, 23-year-old me was right!
Hilton is a four-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in receiving yards in 2016. The 2012 third-rounder is one of the better wide receivers of the past decade.
With all that said, Hilton is now 33 years old. You can see a noticeable decline in his level of play since 2019. Of course, Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement certainly contributed. However, Hilton’s age and diminishing ability have been on full display over the past two seasons.
From 2013-2018, Hilton posted five 1,000-yard seasons and never averaged fewer than 60 receiving yards per game. In 2019 and 2020, he averaged 50 receiving yards per game. In 2021, that number fell to 33.
Since turning 30, Hilton has struggled to stay on the field. Out of a possible 49 games since 2019, Hilton has played 35 of them.
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The good news is Hilton is fully healthy now and reportedly ready to go physically. He could play as soon as Sunday, provided he can get up to speed on the playbook.
The Cowboys have had WR issues all season behind Lamb. Michael Gallup opened the season inactive after recovering from a torn ACL, James Washington broke his foot in August and wasn’t able to play until just last week, and rookie third-rounder Jalen Tolbert sure looks like a colossal bust.
As a result, the Cowboys had been linked to Odell Beckham Jr. for over a month. After Beckham’s physical didn’t go well, the Cowboys still felt the need to sign someone. Enter Hilton, who will likely be involved as soon as he’s mentally ready.
Fantasy Impact of T.Y. Hilton Signing on Cowboys Skill Players
You don’t need me to tell you this has no impact on Lamb whatsoever. Lamb will remain the alpha WR1 and a high WR2 in fantasy. If you have Lamb and you made the playoffs, congratulations! Keep starting him.
If the Hilton signing is going to detract from anyone’s value, it will be Gallup. With that said, it’s not as if Gallup was particularly fantasy-relevant anyway. He’s averaging under 9.0 PPR fantasy points per game on the season and is a deep-league WR5, at best.
Hilton’s role will likely be as a situational deep threat. At his age, Hilton can no longer play a full complement of snaps. He just won’t be able to stay healthy. Hilton also lacks the same complete skills he had in his prime.
The one attribute that tends to hold up into old age is straight-line speed. DeSean Jackson is a good example of this. He seemingly pulls a hamstring every other game, but the man can still blaze.
Hilton can give the Cowboys a downfield threat they simply don’t have on the roster. I would expect him to primarily play outside. If he’s out there in two-receiver sets, which, admittedly, will not happen often, it won’t be at Lamb’s expense.
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The most likely scenario is Hilton takes away a handful of snaps from Gallup and a whole lot more from Washington and possibly Noah Brown — neither of whom were remotely fantasy relevant. There’s a chance Washington gets cut, and Tolbert will remain a healthy inactive.
There’s no action here for fantasy managers to take. This move is unlikely to hurt Dak Prescott, and it won’t impact Lamb. The guys it could hurt aren’t players you’re starting anyway.
As for Hilton himself, no, he does not carry any fantasy value in the year 2022. Hilton projects to be a part-time player on an offense with an alpha WR1, a top-10 tight end in Dalton Schultz, one of the most explosive running backs in the league in Tony Pollard, and the guy who steals carries from him, Ezekiel Elliott.
Hilton is in Dallas to put pressure on opposing defenses. He’s not going to help any fantasy teams.
