Week 11 fantasy football start ‘em, sit ‘em: A look at the Cowboys roster

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

The Dallas Cowboys offense is lighting the fantasy world on fire. Dak Prescott has emerged in the last few weeks as a possible league winner, and CeeDee Lamb staked his claim as the NFL’s best wide receiver. Defensively, the Cowboys took advantage of their desperate division rivals. The Cowboys get yet another bad team on the schedule, hoping to catapult fantasy managers to a playoff push. For most leagues, this is the last week before the trade deadline. However, if you have Cowboys on your roster, don’t panic and rest easy.

Here is your Dallas Cowboys fantasy advice for Week 11.

QB – Dak Prescott, Start ‘em

Dak Prescott has had top three finishes in fantasy in his last three games, culminating in 62 fantasy points in Yahoo league formats. Prescott is the hottest quarterback in fantasy at the moment, and he’s playing so well that the national media is reassessing their stances on Prescott and tabbing him a candidate for MVP. Prescott has 12 total touchdowns over the last three games and is on fire.

Carolina is one of the stingiest passing defenses in terms of yards allowed per game, but considering how well Prescott is playing, you’d be hard-pressed not to have him in your lineup. Carolina is in the lower tier of quarterback pressures and tied for third-worst in quarterback sacks. Prescott should have opportunities to scan the field and make big plays.

Like last week, the Cowboys enter as a heavy favorite with a 10.5-point spread. This is significant because you could have a situation where Prescott sits out in the fourth quarter, having a big lead as he did against the New York Giants. Still, don’t pass up Prescott in your lineup.

RB – Tony Pollard, Start ‘em

Fantasy managers that roster Tony Pollard must be at their wit’s end. Last week, we saw Rico Dowdle fare better as a runner than Tony Pollard and appeared to be the more explosive runner of the two. Dowdle received 12 carries compared to Pollard’s 15, but that also came with the game being out of reach. What’s noteworthy is that early in the game, after Dowdle had run the ball deep in the red zone, the Cowboys opted to give the goal-to-go opportunities back to Pollard, which proved unsuccessful.

The Cowboys insist on making things work with Pollard inside the red zone, and despite it being inefficient, it still gives Pollard a higher fantasy ceiling. Luckily for Pollard, Carolina is the worst red zone scoring defense in the NFL, allowing over 70% of red zone trips to be converted to touchdowns. This is a prime matchup, and Dowdle and Pollard each could hit double-digit fantasy points.

However, suppose you really can’t bring yourself to trust Pollard after last week. In that case, Devin Singletary is a great option against the Arizona Cardinals, who will likely be the lead back without Dameon Pierce active, or a sneaky start could be Ty Chandler against the Denver Broncos if Alex Mattison is not out of concussion protocol.

WR – CeeDee Lamb & Brandin Cooks, Start ‘em

CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott’s chemistry is at an all-time high. Lamb has finished as a top-two fantasy receiver, recording 150-yard games or better in three consecutive weeks. The trust between quarterback and receiver has become an unstoppable combination and arguably the best QB/WR stack in fantasy football. Brandin Cooks also should be starting this week. Cooks finally erupted for a big game many expected to see when he was acquired this offseason.

Cooks led the Cowboys in receiving with 173 yards last week and saw a 35% target share from Dak Prescott. Also, Cooks maintained a higher snap than Michael Gallup’s count despite Gallup finishing the game on mop-up duty. Cooks should remain involved and now looks to be stepping into the number two receiver for Dallas. Additionally, Carolina also has injuries in their secondary. but Jaycee Horn could be activated. C.J. Henderson missed last week’s game versus the Chicago Bears with a concussion, and his status is yet to be determined.

TE – Jake Ferguson, Start ‘em

Jake Ferguson is part of a high-flying offense that is resolving their red zone struggles through the air. Ferguson has scored a touchdown in three straight outings. Again, Carolina is a bad defensive team inside the red zone and likely will be susceptible to misdirection in that area of the field. Ferguson is still getting the most red zone targets amongst tight ends, and it makes too much sense to start him when he likely finds the end zone. You could consider other options like Luke Musgrave against the Los Angeles Chargers or Michael Mayer versus the Miami Dolphins, but the smarter play is riding along the Dak Prescott QB1 train.

Dallas Def/ST – Start ‘em

Without question, you should start the Cowboys’ defense against Carolina. Sunday feels like the Giants game against a struggling team with obvious offensive limitations and a quarterback woefully unprepared for his position. To say Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has had growing pains is an understatement. The #1 overall draft choice of 2023 is having ball security issues and compounding mistakes. Young has thrown two pick-sixes in the same game, has four single-digit fantasy outputs, and needs a better running game to support him.

Carolina is 31st in the NFL in run block win rate. Young has been up against several third and longs that are sure to play into the hands of Dan Quinn and Micah Parsons. Young has been sacked on average four times per game in his last four games. Young will look like a deer in the headlights at what Quinn will throw at the rookie. Furthermore, if Dallas can get back KaVontae Turpin this week, it would be a massive boost to the scoring floor for their defense/special teams. Carolina allows 31.5 yards per kick return. If healthy, have your clocks set to Turpin time.