Five Biggest Questions
1. Is Dak Prescott a top-3 QB?
2. Is Zeke Elliott a top-3 RB?
3. Will Tony Pollard have stand-alone streaming value?
4. Can Amari Cooper be a WR1?
5. Will CeeDee Lamb overtake Michael Gallup?
If Dallas had gone 10-6 last year instead of 8-8, I think Dak Prescott would have earned his long-term deal by now. Their embarrassing collapse--and Philly's insane playoff push after being two minutes away from dropping to 5-8 in Week 14--turned Dallas into one of the league's biggest underperformers. Dak (QB-3) now has everything lined up in his favor. Their strength of schedule is among the NFL's easiest, at least based on 2019 won-loss records. He has a stacked receiving corps and an elite, pass-catching-friendly backfield. His fantasy outlook changed dramatically after the 2018 arrival of Amari Cooper. After averaging 27.1 points per game last year, Dallas is a good bet to top 30. Dak is as good a bet as any to finish the year ahead of every quarterback not named Lamar or Patrick.
25-year-old Zeke Elliott is coming off two exceptional seasons and has been a per-game fantasy monster since his rookie year. He's also somewhat of a throwback RB, with 350+ touches in three of the past four years (and it would have been four-of-four if not for his six-game suspension in 2017). By all accounts, he can handle the heavy workloads. But does Dallas want him to? Tony Pollard looked NFL-ready as a 101-touch rookie. 58% of Zeke's 2019 touches came in the first half. 68% of Pollard's was in the second half. While Zeke is worth his RB-3 ADP (with the caveat that his four-year workload remains steep compared to every other back), Pollard is a nothing-to-lose bargain at his WR-48 ADP.
In the summers of 2018 and even 2019, Amari Cooper was one of the most underappreciate "great" receivers. He's enjoyed two WR1 and two WR2 seasons in five NFL campaigns. The biggest knock on his is his inconsistency. There's a high likelihood that after 2-3 good games, he'll fall flat in the next one. But he's a very safe top-20 wideout and is priced right at his WR-13 ADP. Meanwhile, I tried unsuccessfully to trade for the undervalued Michael Gallup last season. As the #22 fantasy-scoring WR, the second-year pro far exceeded expectations. Now his ranking is back at #32, which presumably connects with the arrival of rookie CeeDee Lamb (WR-41). I actually see a scenario where all three guys crack the top 35. Lamb is the best value play here, as he could eventually overtake Gallup as a #2 option. All this to say, Prescott probably couldn't be happier (unless, of course, he had a long-term contract).
Blake Jarwin earned a nice payday for an undrafted 26-year-old with 58 career receptions. The starting job is his, and his TE-20 ADP is reasonable. If I were a high-stakes gambler (I'm not), I'd bet a lot that he won't be a top-14 TE. But in very deep leagues he'll be worth a flyer during brutal bye weeks.