Week 10 fantasy football start ‘em, sit ‘em: A look at the Cowboys roster

Which Cowboys are you going to start in fantasy football this week?

Last week was bittersweet. The Dallas Cowboys were dealt a deflating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the closing seconds. Yet, for fantasy managers who roster Dallas Cowboys, they delivered. Dak Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb throughout the contest and put up Madden numbers in the stat sheet. This week the Cowboys draw a reeling New York Giants team, whose season is all but over. That said, the fantasy schedule is heating up as we make a push for the fantasy postseason.

Here is your Dallas Cowboys fantasy advice for Week 10.

QB – Dak Prescott, Sit ‘em

If you’re in deeper leagues, and somehow managed to get a solid QB behind Dak Prescott, this might be your week to sit Prescott. Though the Giants are not a good team overall, the game script likely will dictate Prescott’s fantasy output this week. Think back to Week 1 of the season where the Dallas defense suffocated the Giants and allowed the Cowboys to coast to an easy win while Cooper Rush took over early in the fourth quarter. That’s a possibility to happen again and oddsmakers tend to agree, having the Cowboys as a 17-point favorite over New York.

The Giants are in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks and aren’t a slam-dunk matchup for the Cowboys like the Eagles were last week. Other options to consider would be Brock Purdy against the Jacksonville Jaguars or Jared Goff against the Los Angeles Chargers. Both of their opponents are bottom-tier pass defenses and both games should see plenty of scoring, keeping the games in a passing-friendly game script.

RB – Tony Pollard, Start ‘em

Tony Pollard disappointed fantasy managers last week but gets a chance to bounce back against a generous New York Giants defense. The Giants have been struggling against the run and got worse after they traded away Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks at the trade deadline. Although Pollard scored single digits in fantasy for the fourth time this year, he would have scored a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles if not for a strange illegal motion penalty that nullified the score.

As stated previously, Pollard has been matchup-dependent as of late, struggling mightily against tougher fantasy defenses and feasting on weaker competition. Luckily, the Giants fall into the latter. The Giants are allowing 4.6 yards per carry to all runners this season. Per lineups.com, the Giants are stingier against the pass when it comes to defending running backs, but the opportunity Pollard has on the ground should lead to a good fantasy output.

This is a weekly reminder that Pollard is among the top runners in terms of red zone opportunities. That should continue. If you look around many fantasy outlets, Pollard is a player they are encouraging fantasy managers to buy before the fantasy trade deadline and it’s for matchups like this. Start Pollard with confidence.

WR – CeeDee Lamb, Start ‘em

Over the last few weeks, CeeDeee Lamb has been busy. Over the last two games, Dak Prescott has thrown 75 passes. Lamb has been the recipient of 30 of those passes with a staggering target share of 40 percent. To no one’s surprise, Lamb has made good on the increased volume and has had a top three finish in fantasy football the last two weeks among wide receivers.

After a sluggish start to begin the year, Lamb’s production has taken a major increase and is now on pace for 121 receptions and 1,751 yards. In this matchup, pay attention to the tendencies of the New York Giants. The Giants’ defense has the second-highest blitz rate in the NFL, sending a blitz on 43.1% of their defensive snaps. Dak Prescott has been one of the best against the blitz and can use that to his advantage. This should also allow CeeDee Lamb one-on-one coverage against the New York secondary.

Per playerprofiler.com, Lamb has the fifth-highest route win rate and is eighth in fantasy points per target in man coverage. Lamb also has two yards of separation per target and should have plenty of room to work with after the catch. If you were fortunate enough to buy low on CeeDee Lamb when he struggled you are reaping the rewards. Look for Lamb to surpass his projected point total of 17 with ease.

TE – Jake Ferguson, Start ‘em

Jake Ferguson is in for a tough matchup against the Giants. They allow the fifth-fewest points per game to tight ends. However, you should still start Jake Ferguson this weekend. The streaming options that should be widely available are likely to leave you with disappointment. Luke Musgrave has a difficult matchup with Pittsburgh, Michael Mayer is talented but not seeing enough volume with Aidan O’Connell at quarterback, and Juwan Johnson has yielded meaningful touches to Taysom Hill. Ferguson is the best option to go with despite playing the Giants.

Ferguson was peppered with targets last week, getting ten passes thrown his way for a target share of 22%. He also found the end zone in back-to-back weeks. That trend could continue, as Ferguson has been targeted in the red zone 14 times. Ferguson has become an integral piece on a very good Dallas offense and should be in your lineups this week.

Def/Spec. Teams – Start ‘em

Lastly, if anyone needed a bright, red neon sign as to why they should start the Cowboys’ defense and special teams, here’s the lightning round of reasons why.

-The Giants are dead last in scoring with 11 PPG

-Darren Waller was placed on injured reserve

-Tommy Devito, with a QBR of 8.2, is now the starting quarterback in place of Daniel Jones

-New York has a point differential of -116

-The Giants are ranked 25th and 26th respectively in pass block win rate.

-30th in red zone scoring percentage