The Cowboys entered Week 8 having yielded the fewest points in the NFL, and for a while last night their defense looked as good as ever, forcing two turnovers and winning the line-of-scrimmage battle.
Then the Titans found their offensive groove for one of the first times all year. In the process, the Amari Cooper experiment -- despite the receiver's good game -- took a big hit. Dallas gave up a 2019 first rounder not so Cooper could help lead this offense to the postseason in 2019. This was all about winning now. And with Dak Prescott at the helm, this is far from a Super Bowl-caliber team with or without Cooper. Oh, and the wideout will be a free agent in 2020, at which time he'll demand a bigger payday after Dallas peppers him with targets the next 24 games, padding his stats and handing him more leverage at the bargaining table.
All this to say, yes, Cooper should be a more consistent fantasy option in Dallas. And yes, the trade did nothing to improve this team's playoff chances over the next 1-2 years, and might eventually set them back.
One interesting stat that sums up the Cowboys' offensive woes: Two years ago Dak Prescott had the 4th most fantasy points inside the red zone. Last year he was 5th. This year? 20th. We saw it last night with 2nd-and-goal at the Tennessee 6, when a bad pass was intercepted in what otherwise would have put Dallas up 14-0. Then in the fourth on a 1st-and-10 at the Tennessee 13: one failed trick play and three incompletions.
Keep an eye on Dak's red-zone efficiency going forward. If Cooper can change those metrics, I'll be proven wrong. For now, I believe this team made a huge mistake.
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Taking a look at guys on waivers I'm targeting this week: Ignore Mitch Trubisky's (25% Available in ESPN Leagues) disappointing Sunday. His remaining schedule primarily includes some of the NFL's worst pass defenses and one of the best fantasy playoff schedules around: the Rams, Packers, and 49ers. He should be rostered in 95%+ of leagues and is a must-start for most of the second half.
At RB, Kapri Bibbs (98% Available) gets a favorable matchup this week against the Bucs. With Washington losing two o-line starters and Paul Richardson this past weekend, expect Alex Smith to look Bibbs' way a bit more, making him a poor man's Duke Johnson. And as I've written many times, Spencer Ware (96% Available) is supremely under-rostered. Kansas City could lock up home-field advantage by Week 15, which could translate to 15+ touches for the former bellcow in Week 16. Mike Davis (81% Available) is an obvious get as a must-start RB2/3 if Chris Carson can't go next week. Duke Johnson (50% Available) looks to be back on track with a new coaching staff expected to make the most of his passing-game talents. And don't forget about Gio Bernard (67% Available), who's back at practice and who should resume his complementary/backup role this weekend as part of a likely short-handed offense against a blistering Saints offense. In other words, Gio could start making an impact immediately if Cincy falls behind early.
At WR, shockingly it's hard to ignore Adam Humphries (97% Available) in a packed Tampa Bay receiving corps. The team's official #4 wideout is on pace for an incredible 70 catches and has clear chemistry with Ryan Fitzpatrick. There are plenty of worse flyers out there in Week 10. And while I don't expect Maurice Harris (100% Available) to come close to replicating last week's outburst, he's another surprising receiver who can help WR-needy managers in deeper leagues. The boom-bust Marquez Valdes-Scantling has been all boom the past few weeks, and with Geronimo Allison potentially out for the season, MVS should be rostered in nearly every league. And John Ross (92% Available) could enter the starting lineup with A.J. Green sidelined. Ross is an easily attainable, nothing-to-lose boom-bust option for those who lose out on MVS, Humphries, and Harris.
At TE, I've (wrongly) pushed Jonnu Smith (99% Available) too many times this year. He's one of several inexplicably underutilized talents around the league -- guys who are capable of posting solid weekly numbers of their team game-planned around them more. I still believe Smith has TE1 potential if Tennessee would commit to using him as their #3 or even #4 target.
Then the Titans found their offensive groove for one of the first times all year. In the process, the Amari Cooper experiment -- despite the receiver's good game -- took a big hit. Dallas gave up a 2019 first rounder not so Cooper could help lead this offense to the postseason in 2019. This was all about winning now. And with Dak Prescott at the helm, this is far from a Super Bowl-caliber team with or without Cooper. Oh, and the wideout will be a free agent in 2020, at which time he'll demand a bigger payday after Dallas peppers him with targets the next 24 games, padding his stats and handing him more leverage at the bargaining table.
All this to say, yes, Cooper should be a more consistent fantasy option in Dallas. And yes, the trade did nothing to improve this team's playoff chances over the next 1-2 years, and might eventually set them back.
One interesting stat that sums up the Cowboys' offensive woes: Two years ago Dak Prescott had the 4th most fantasy points inside the red zone. Last year he was 5th. This year? 20th. We saw it last night with 2nd-and-goal at the Tennessee 6, when a bad pass was intercepted in what otherwise would have put Dallas up 14-0. Then in the fourth on a 1st-and-10 at the Tennessee 13: one failed trick play and three incompletions.
Keep an eye on Dak's red-zone efficiency going forward. If Cooper can change those metrics, I'll be proven wrong. For now, I believe this team made a huge mistake.
---
Taking a look at guys on waivers I'm targeting this week: Ignore Mitch Trubisky's (25% Available in ESPN Leagues) disappointing Sunday. His remaining schedule primarily includes some of the NFL's worst pass defenses and one of the best fantasy playoff schedules around: the Rams, Packers, and 49ers. He should be rostered in 95%+ of leagues and is a must-start for most of the second half.
At RB, Kapri Bibbs (98% Available) gets a favorable matchup this week against the Bucs. With Washington losing two o-line starters and Paul Richardson this past weekend, expect Alex Smith to look Bibbs' way a bit more, making him a poor man's Duke Johnson. And as I've written many times, Spencer Ware (96% Available) is supremely under-rostered. Kansas City could lock up home-field advantage by Week 15, which could translate to 15+ touches for the former bellcow in Week 16. Mike Davis (81% Available) is an obvious get as a must-start RB2/3 if Chris Carson can't go next week. Duke Johnson (50% Available) looks to be back on track with a new coaching staff expected to make the most of his passing-game talents. And don't forget about Gio Bernard (67% Available), who's back at practice and who should resume his complementary/backup role this weekend as part of a likely short-handed offense against a blistering Saints offense. In other words, Gio could start making an impact immediately if Cincy falls behind early.
At WR, shockingly it's hard to ignore Adam Humphries (97% Available) in a packed Tampa Bay receiving corps. The team's official #4 wideout is on pace for an incredible 70 catches and has clear chemistry with Ryan Fitzpatrick. There are plenty of worse flyers out there in Week 10. And while I don't expect Maurice Harris (100% Available) to come close to replicating last week's outburst, he's another surprising receiver who can help WR-needy managers in deeper leagues. The boom-bust Marquez Valdes-Scantling has been all boom the past few weeks, and with Geronimo Allison potentially out for the season, MVS should be rostered in nearly every league. And John Ross (92% Available) could enter the starting lineup with A.J. Green sidelined. Ross is an easily attainable, nothing-to-lose boom-bust option for those who lose out on MVS, Humphries, and Harris.
At TE, I've (wrongly) pushed Jonnu Smith (99% Available) too many times this year. He's one of several inexplicably underutilized talents around the league -- guys who are capable of posting solid weekly numbers of their team game-planned around them more. I still believe Smith has TE1 potential if Tennessee would commit to using him as their #3 or even #4 target.