This a snippet of Adam Pfeifer’s NFL matchups column, previewing the Cowboys vs. the Jets for Fantasy Football Lineups. Fantasy rosters needed protective spray because key players continue to miss extended time due to injury. Multiple backup quarterbacks are projected to start, and running backs and wide receivers are getting whittled down every week. As a result, we missed on plenty in this article, but we hit on plenty, as well. Back on the horse. With that in mind, let’s dig into some NFL DFS matchups and NFL game breakdowns for your Week 6 Fantasy Football Lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and FantasyDraft.
To read the FULL column, click HERE.
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Dallas Cowboys @ New York Jets
Total: 44.5
Line: DAL -7
Cowboys passing game
Dak Prescott had his flaws last week but still had a very good fantasy day due to volume. He passed for 463 yards and two scores, while throwing three interceptions. Prescott has still been mostly good this season, completing 64.3 percent of deep passes, the highest rate in the NFL, while his 76.5 percent play-action completion rate is third-best. The Jets defense remains very banged up and the secondary is poor. 74.8 percent of all yardage surrendered by New York this season has come through the air, the fifth-highest rate in the league. You should keep rolling out Prescott as a top-seven fantasy quarterback, though due to other players I like more at a similar price tag, I likely won’t get to him much in DFS this weekend.
Amari Cooper continues to thrive, as he torched Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander last weekend, hauling in 11 balls for 226 yards and a touchdown. Cooper now ranks third in the league in receiving yards (512) and second in completed air yards (398), averaging 9.3 air yards per target. His 11.9 yards per target are eighth-best at his position, while his 3.37 yards per pass route is sixth-best. Cooper has been so efficient, averaging 0.75 fantasy points per pass route. These Jets corners won’t slow him down and at $7,000 on DK, I believe he is underpriced.
He’s only played three games, but no one in the league is averaging more receiving yards per game than Michael Gallup this season (113). Gallup is also top-10 in yards per target (11.7), giving him massive upside with each pass attempt heading his way. New York is allowing the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers this season and Gallup has a very intriguing $5,600 price tag on DK. I love what I’ve seen from the second-year receiver in this offense and this week, he’s a mid-range WR2 for me.
Cowboys running game
We have yet to see a ceiling game from Ezekiel Elliott, which is scary considering he’s scored at least 17 fantasy points in each of his last four games. He is back to playing nearly every snap, while also averaging a healthy 4.6 targets per game over the last three weeks. The high-end running backs aren’t fantastic this week, mainly because McCaffrey plays in the early London game, but Elliott’s volume is locked in right now and he’s a favorite against a poor team. New York has allowed 1.2 rushing touchdowns per game this season, the fifth-most in the league through five weeks and they still remain without C.J. Mosley in the heart of that defense. Don’t be surprised if Elliott has his best game yet here in Week 6.
Jets passing game
After missing the last few weeks with mono, Sam Darnold is back with the Jets and has been cleared to play in this game. I can’t say I’m running to him as a fantasy starter, but this is obviously great news for the Jets offense as a whole. The Cowboys are allowing just 11.9 fantasy points per game to opposing signal callers, the sixth-fewest in football. Darnold could be rusty but his return makes you feel a lot better about these Jets pass-catchers.
Both Robby Anderson and Jamison Crowder are $4,000 on DraftKings, making them absolutely in play. Crowder was targeted 17 times in his only game with Darnold back in Week 1 and with tight end Chris Herndon not expected to play with a hamstring injury, the middle of the field should solely belong to Crowder. He is the preferred cash play, especially in an Adam Gase offense that has featured the slot receiver in the past.
Anderson is the GPP play, as Darnold has been inconsistent with his deep ball in his young career. You know he has slate-breaking upside, as he’s seeing 43 percent of the Jets air yards this year, the third-highest rate among any receiver in football. Darnold only averaged 4.3 deep ball attempts per game last year but Anderson was more involved in the second half of the season, averaging 8.5 targets per game over the final eight games of the season.
Jets running game
The results haven’t been pretty but volume has certainly been on Le’Veon Bell’s side this season. He ranks third in the NFL in opportunity share at 88 percent, while averaging a gaudy 24.6 touches per game. Bell has run 120 routes, ninth-most among running backs, but he is also the only one inside the top-15 that had a bye week already. That equates to 30 routes per game. But because the Jets offense has been so poor, Bell has just five total red zone touches, which ranks 43rd among running backs. Hopefully, Darnold’s presence results in longer drives, as New York is averaging 4.6 plays per drive, the fewest in football.
You also want the offensive line to play better in New York. Per Graham Barfield of NFL.com, the Jets are creating just 0.38 yards before contact, the worst mark in the league, while Bell has been contacted at or behind the line of scrimmage on 58 percent of his carries. However, Dallas was just destroyed on the ground by Aaron Jones last week and Bell will be as involved as any back in football. I love him at $6,400 on DK and you should view him as a top-seven back in seasonal leagues this week.
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