Philadelphia fallout: Recapping the fantasy impact of Cowboys 28-23 loss against Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys won the battle but lost the war. The Dallas offense went toe-to-toe with the Philadelphia Eagles in a slugfest that hasn’t been seen in Philadelphia since Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. Unfortunately, the Cowboys fell in the second half and couldn’t get off the canvas as time expired. That said, the offensive weapons for the Cowboys were tremendous options in fantasy football leading up to the week and did not disappoint. If you’re bummed about the game’s outcome, it’s understandable. Hopefully, the Cowboys carried you to victory in your fantasy league.

Here is your fantasy recap of Sunday’s game.

QB - Dak Prescott, 40 Yahoo fantasy points

From a fantasy perspective, Dak Prescott delivered the mail on Sunday. Entering last weekend, he had a top matchup in fantasy football as the Eagles allowed the most fantasy points to fantasy quarterbacks this season. Prescott took advantage of the favorable situation and lit up the fantasy scoreboard against the Philadelphia Eagles secondary. Before Sunday’s contest, Prescott ranked #2 in pressured completion percentage, per playerprofiler.com. After watching Sunday’s game, you can see why. Prescott made several plays under pressure from the Eagles defensive line and continually extended plays outside the pocket. Prescott’s 374 yards are his season-high and second consecutive 300-yard passing game.

As of Monday morning, Prescott was projected to be a top-three week in fantasy for the second consecutive week, finishing only behind C.J. Stroud. Over the past two weeks, Prescott has totaled seven passing touchdowns. Prescott and the offense are starting to resemble a more explosive operation than earlier in the season. If Prescott is starting to heat up, that’s excellent news. He’s got a fantasy playoff schedule that consists of games against Miami and Detroit.

RB - Tony Pollard, 9 Yahoo fantasy points

We’re starting to reach a level of concern with Tony Pollard. This concern is multi-layered. While Pollard had the most challenging matchup for fantasy running backs compared to Dak Prescott, we are starting to see a pattern with Pollard. Yesterday’s game was the fourth time this season he was held to single-digit fantasy points. In each game, Pollard faced a defense outside the bottom ten in fantasy points allowed to running backs. His best games have come against the New York Jets, New York Giants, and the Arizona Cardinals.

For additional context, Pollard has fewer fantasy points than Kyren Williams and De’Von Achane, who are on injured reserve. Pollard came close to having a respectable outing if not for a questionable penalty from the officials.

However, Pollard is establishing a trend of being successful only in favorable matchups. This is a far cry from a player that had a first-round ADP. The good news is Pollard still saw 12 carries versus only two from Rico Dowdle and is still firmly entrenched as the team’s RB1. Plus, Pollard has four good matchups ahead against the Giants, the Carolina Panthers, and the Washington Commanders.

WR - CeeDee Lamb, 34 Yahoo fantasy points

It’s no coincidence that Prescott’s sudden elevation to a top fantasy quarterback as of late has to do with the increased usage of CeeDee Lamb. Lamb has totaled 30 targets over the last two games, and on Sunday, the Cowboys and Prescott made a concerted effort to get the ball to Lamb in as many ways as possible.

Lamb lined up in several spots and ran wild in the Eagles’ secondary. Lamb had a 36% target share, and his 191 yards receiving set a new career high. Like Prescott, Lamb is in line for a top-three WR finish for the second consecutive week. Lamb and Prescott are on the same page, and together, they are red hot.

Meanwhile, Brandin Cooks put up a fantasy dud after being only targeted twice, for one reception and totaling seven yards. Instead of Cooks finding a more consistent role within the offense, it was Jalen Tolbert who caught three passes for 49 yards and a score.

TE - Jake Ferguson, 24 Yahoo fantasy points

In my start ‘em, sit ‘em feature to begin the week, I felt that a big game from Ferguson was coming. I wasn’t sure that it would this week, however. Ferguson, along with Lamb, anchored the Dallas passing game. Ferguson has started demonstrating that he is a mismatch for linebackers and he is athletic after the catch. Ferguson had one big catch and run for 40 yards after getting open for a scrambling Dak Prescott and taking it up the field. Ferguson has been among the most-targeted tight ends in the red zone, and on Sunday, he found the end zone for the second time in two weeks. Ferguson’s five receptions and 91 yards, coupled with his touchdown, are suitable for another top-three fantasy finish for the Cowboys offensive players.

Defense/Special Teams - 12 Yahoo fantasy points

The Cowboys had a respectable score of twelve fantasy points, but they could have had a lot more. Dallas lost by a matter of literal feet and inches, which indicates why the Cowboys’ defense and special teams didn’t do more on the fantasy stat sheet. The Cowboys’ defense came close to creating a few turnovers, but the ball bounced fortuitously back into the hands of the Eagles. The Cowboys forced three fumbles but could not recover any of them. They also came close to blocking a punt but missed by mere inches. Finally, I expected a more significant game from KaVontae Turpin as a return specialist, and he nearly could have scored on his 48-yard kickoff return. Ultimately, the Cowboys’ defense allowing 28 points to a high-flying offense left a lot to be desired in a game where the defense could not provide game-altering plays.