The Atlanta Falcons will face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Tyler Allgeier.
Is Tyler Allgeier Playing in Week 9?
Allgeier is not listed on the injury report this week, so barring any setbacks, he is on track to play this weekend.
We’ll continue to monitor the Falcons’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Tyler Allgeier in Week 9?
Allgeier continues to be used just enough to be annoying but not enough to justify playing by himself.
Allgeier carried the ball 12 times against Tampa Bay last week for just 33 yards, usage that has been about what we’ve come to expect. In a game where points shouldn’t be tough to come by, you might be able to get away with him in deep formats or as a DFS pivot off of Bijan Robinson. In that instance, you’re chasing a score and there aren’t many better matchups for that — Dallas has allowed a touchdown on 5.5% of running back carries, the third-highest rate in the league.
Allgeier remains atop my handcuff rankings and is a must-roster option as a result, even if playing him with confidence is unlikely to occur as long as Robinson is active.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 9 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Tyler Allgeier’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Allgeier is projected to score 11.4 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 14.6 rushing attempts for 67.9 yards and 0.3 touchdowns. It also includes 1.4 receptions for 12.5 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Dallas Cowboys Defense
When you watch the Dallas Cowboys, you can see straight away how bad they are against the run without any statistics to back that up. Teams just seem to be able to move the ball at will at times, and the holes are gaping. They have been roasted by some of the better offenses in the league this year and have salvaged some respectability against the worse teams.
The problem is that this schedule is brutal going forward, and the Cowboys do not get much respite. The biggest issue of all is allowing touchdowns on 73.9% of red-zone trips, which has seen them rank fourth from bottom in terms of points per drive (2.57). Being bad against the run wouldn’t be so detrimental if you were good against the pass, but the Cowboys have a susceptibility to the big play there as well.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Tyler Allgeier’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.Â
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons Insights
Dallas Cowboys
Team: Strong second half? The on-field product is struggling right now, but this franchise does have back-to-back-to-back seasons with a four-game win streak in the second half of the season.
QB: Dak Prescott has been intercepted multiple times in three straight games, a first for him and the 11th time in the franchise has seen a QB do that. Only twice in their long history has it happened in four straight (Danny White in 1983 and Craig Morton in 1972).
Offense: In Weeks 1-4, Dallas allowed pressure 25.8% of the time, a rate that has spiked in their three games since (37.3%).
Defense: The Cowboys are 2-3 over their past five games. In three games against teams favored to make the playoffs over that stretch, they’ve allowed 105 points (35 points per game). In the other two games, there were 32 points total. They face playoff hopefuls in each of the next four weeks (Falcons, Eagles, Texans, and Commanders).
Fantasy: Jake Ferguson had zero air yards in Week 8 despite eight targets and has been held under 30 air yards in four straight. He’s an asset in PPR leagues, but the per-catch ceiling is low (zero touchdowns this season, nine catches for 34 yards over his past two games).
Betting: Dallas has covered each of their past five road dome games, as well as the past three cashing under tickets.
Atlanta Falcons
Team: In Week 8, the Falcons improved to 3-0 following a loss this season, winning those games by five points.
QB: Kirk Cousins’ 62.4% quick pass rate is his highest since 2018, his first season with the Vikings.
Offense: Atlanta converted 3-8 third-and-long situations (seven-plus yards) in Week 5 against the Bucs; since then, they are just 2-15 in such spots.
Defense: The Falcons have the lowest sack rate in the NFL (2.2%), and it isn’t close (Carolina ranks 31st at 3.6%). We’ve only had two sub-3% sack teams over the past decade (the 2018 Raiders and the 2020 Titans).
Fantasy: I’m not overreacting, but Drake London posted the lowest aDOT of his season on Sunday (6.7 yards) with his second-lowest on-field target share (18.8%). Shorter routes typically correlate with more volume, not less, so this is at least something to monitor.
Betting: The Falcons are just 1-4 ATS at home this season, and they were fortunate to get that one (Week 5’s comeback win over the Bucs in overtime as a 2.5-point favorite).
