Intro/Methodology
Every week, I’m going to break down an entire division, focusing on their play on the field that week. Specifically, I’ll go through each team and focus on their dynasty assets, especially anybody who suffered injuries or a massive value change. I won’t look at any player or team in too much detail. This article is more of a summary piece. I also included links to all my previous divisional nuggets articles at the bottom of the page. With that said, let’s jump right in!
Cowboys
Summary
The Cowboys won their game versus the Giants 37-34, but that’s a secondary headline. Quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a compound fracture in his ankle, which will force him to miss the remainder of the 2020 season. I’ll discuss it more in detail below, but this injury is a massive blow to the Cowboys’ offense and their playoff hopes.
Quarterback
As I mentioned above, Prescott will not return in 2020. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2020 season, although I expect the Cowboys to utilize the franchise tag for retaining his services for 2021. According to everything I’ve seen, Prescott will recover in time for the start of the 2021 season, although there’s always a risk of complications with any major surgery.
Right now, I’ve lowered Prescott to my QB8 in dynasty leagues, but he remains a top-tier asset. He’s still a second-round startup pick in dynasty superflex formats, and I have little hesitation on his long-term outlook. Personally, though, I never like to assume the risk of a full recovery from major injuries, so I’m likely downgrading Prescott more than most dynasty players.
For the rest of 2020, Andy Dalton will replace Prescott at quarterback. Dalton is one of the best backups in the league, and he should present mid-QB2 value in this high-powered offense. He doesn’t run like Prescott, and he’s likely capable of about 70-75% of Prescott’s passing production. He’s worth your entire FAAB budget in any superflex format, and he’s certainly worth a decent bid in 1 QB leagues.
Running Backs
There’s nothing significant to say about the Cowboys’ running backs. Ezekiel Elliott is a stud, and he’s always been one since he entered the NFL. Backup Tony Pollard is talented, but he’ll never have more than handcuff value while Elliott remains healthy.
Receiving Weapons
I think it’s challenging to speculate precisely how a quarterback change will affect one receiving weapon over another. While Dalton seemed to favor Michael Gallup on the Cowboys’ final drive, I’m not sure that will continue in future weeks. In dynasty leagues, I’m not downgrading any of the Cowboys’ WRs, as I expect Prescott to continue as the Cowboys’ starter long-term.
Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb have both looked like WR1s through five games, with Lamb going for eight receptions and 124 games in this game. All Cowboys’ WRs are strong holds now, as their perceived value has declined more than their actual value. For the rest of 2020, Cooper remains a low-end WR1, Lamb is a mid-WR3, while Gallup is a WR4.
I do think that tight end Dalton Schultz is the biggest loser from the quarterback change. The Cowboys will have less passing volume under Dalton, and I believe Schultz is the least deserving of touches. I had Schultz as a borderline TE1 for 2020 with Prescott, but he’s now only a mid-TE2. However, Schultz still has a chance to dethrone Blake Jarwin as the Cowboys’ long-term starting tight end, so keep watching his play over the back half of the season.
Eagles
Summary
The Eagles’ offense looked poor in this 38-29 loss to the Steelers. They made a few highlight plays, but overall the entire offense was a massive disappointment. The Eagles played the game without tight end Dallas Goedert and receivers Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson. All of those players are somewhat close to returning, which could provide a massive boost to this sputtering offense.
Quarterback
Once again, Carson Wentz looked awful in this game, completing 20/35 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also took five sacks, losing 34 yards. While Wentz lacked any significant receiving weapons, he failed to connect with star tight Zach Ertz. Wentz isn’t close to losing his starting job to rookie Jalen Hurts, but I’ve lost faith in Wentz as a long-term fantasy option.
The only reason Wentz remains my dynasty QB12 is that the Eagles cannot move on from him before 2022. They would eat over $20 million in dead cap by releasing Wentz before then, so Wentz will get all of 2020 and 2021 to turn his career around. However, I’m no longer confident that will happen.
Running Backs
This backfield is not a committee. Miles Sanders had 11 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns, and he added two receptions on four targets for 19 yards. Backups Boston Scott and Corey Clement totaled one carry for three yards. Sanders played 85% of offensive snaps compared to 12% for Scott and 5% for Clement. Treat Sanders as a locked-in dynasty RB1. Scott has lost most of his value, and Clement is no longer worth a roster spot.
Receiving Weapons
This group of receiving weapons is an absolute disaster. Out of nowhere, Travis Fulgham led the receivers with 10 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. Coming into this game, Fulgham had six targets in his NFL career. He’s worth a waiver claim, but I wouldn’t go insane. Wide receivers randomly pop from time to time, and I doubt Fulgham is a long-term dynasty asset.
Rookie John Hightower and veteran slot receiver Greg Ward were the only other two Eagles’ receivers to play a significant snap share. Hightower did nothing with his six targets, catching two of them for 18 yards. Ward was slightly better, with four receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown on five targets. However, I saw more from Fulgham in one game than I did from either of those players. Ward is likely worth a roster spot, whereas I probably won’t waste one on Hightower.
Finally, let’s bury the complete and utter bust, 2019 second-round pick JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Despite the Eagles’ having no healthy weapons, Arcega-Whiteside played eight offensive snaps. He caught his only target for 37 yards at the end of the half on a meaningless play. He can go from any of my dynasty rosters. If he can’t produce without Jeffery and Jackson on the field, he’s finished. I suppose I’d prefer to keep Arcega-Whiteside over Hightower, but I’d far rather take a chance on Fulgham or Ward over him.
I also expect the Eagles to trade Ertz, either now or after the season. They failed to come to terms on a contract extension, and he turns 30 years old in November. Ertz had a miserable game, with one catch on six targets for six yards. He’s a dying dynasty asset, and he’s fallen to my dynasty TE10. Honestly, that’s probably generous given how he’s played in 2020.
Washington Football Team
Summary
Washington’s offense looked putrid in this 30-10 loss to the Rams. They benched starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins before this game, promoting Kyle Allen to the starting position with Alex Smith as his backup. Allen suffered an arm injury during the game, leading Washington to turn to Smith. Head coach Ron Rivera announced recently that Allen would remain the starter if healthy, although he’s clearly on a short leash.
Quarterback
This Washington offense will not support a fantasy-viable quarterback. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Haskins, Allen, or Smith. You don’t want to start these players outside of a superflex or 2QB league. I believe that Smith is the most talented quarterback on the roster, but I also think Washington’s 2021 starter is not currently on the team. Just avoid this mess as a dynasty owner.
Running Backs
Thankfully, Washington seems to have finally benched dull plodder Peyton Barber. Barber saw two snaps in this game, and he recorded no offensive stats. Dynasty owners can drop Barber from their rosters.
Unfortunately, Washington and Rivera seem insistent on creating a committee between exciting rookie Antonio Gibson and veteran J.D. McKissic. Gibson and McKissic split snaps almost equally, 56% for Gibson, and 50% for McKissic. Gibson dominated touches on the ground with 11 carries to McKissic’s one, although he only managed 27 yards on his carries. However, McKissic saw a team-high eight targets, which he converted into six receptions for 46 yards.
Overall, I believe Washington already considers Gibson their lead running back, but McKissic hasn’t looked bad on his receiving touches. Therefore, in this low-powered offense, neither player will have much fantasy value. With that said, now is a perfect time to buy Gibson in dynasty leagues. He’s taking command of a backfield in an offense that should look completely different with a new quarterback in 2021.
Receiving Weapons
I’ll save you all some time. Outside of Terry McLaurin, none of Washington’s receiving weapons are worth anything in dynasty leagues. McLaurin needs a better quarterback, but he’s shown the talent. I think he could be a WR1 in the right offense, and I would love to buy him while his price remains low.
Washington’s other players include rookie Antonio Gandy-Golden, injured slot receiver Steven Sims, and tight end Logan Thomas. They tried to sign Amari Cooper to complement McLaurin in the offseason, and I believe they’ll attempt to upgrade their receiving weapons again next offseason. Don’t be surprised if none of the players I listed have a starting job in 2021.
Giants
Summary
The Giants’ offense somewhat came to life in this loss to the Cowboys, although the 37-34 final score is a bit deceiving. The Giants scored on a pick-six, and they only had 300 total offensive yards. They look lost without star running back Saquon Barkley and receiver Sterling Shepard. Luckily, they didn’t lose any more players to injuries this week.
Quarterback
Daniel Jones struggled again this week, completing 20/33 passes for 222 yards. He also lost yet another fumble, which the Cowboys returned for a touchdown. At this point, I’m losing confidence in Jones as the Giants’ long-term quarterback. The team is 0-5, and the 2021 NFL Draft has multiple top quarterback prospects. Jones has fallen to QB18 in my dynasty rankings, and he could continue to slide with further poor performances.
Running Backs
This running game has almost no dynasty impact whatsoever. Devonta Freeman looks somewhat decent, although most running backs would struggle to succeed in this offense. Either way, Freeman doesn’t present any dynasty upside. But, he is a low-end RB3 this season if you need to play him in your lineups.
The Giants also have veterans Wayne Gallman and Dion Lewis on the team. I’d slightly prefer to roster Gallman over Lewis, but neither is truly worth a roster spot. You can ignore this backfield and wait for Barkley to return to his workhorse role in 2020.
Receiving Weapons
Darius Slayton had a huge game this week, catching eight of 11 targets for 129 yards and a touchdown. I believe that Slayton will have a long-term role on the Giants, although they badly need a real number one receiver. Slayton is an excellent downfield threat, though. He’s never going to be a WR1 or even a WR2, but he could present a volatile WR3 value throughout his career.
Golden Tate caught four of five targets for 42 yards, but he looks completely done. Tate turned 32 years old in August, and the Giants can easily escape from his contract after 2020. I think we’ve seen the end of Tate as a fantasy asset, both in New York and for his career.
Shepard missed this game with turf toe, but he should return to the lineup soon. It’s clear that the Giants want Tate as their #3 receiver, so Shepard will compete with Slayton for the top receiver role when he comes back. The Giants should have Shepard in 2021, but he’s also not a real alpha receiver. They badly need to find that type of player to complement Slayton as a deep threat and then put Shepard back in the slot where he excels.
Finally, I’m tired of the inconsistencies of tight end Evan Engram. Engram caught one of two targets for 16 yards, but he did add two carries for nine yards and a touchdown. Given the hellish dynasty tight end landscape, I still rank Engram as a dynasty TE1, but he’s not far from losing that status. You can’t start Engram, and it’s not entirely Jones’ fault. Engram is playing poorly, and that’s become impossible to ignore.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
Previous Divisional Nuggets Articles: NFC East (Week 2), AFC North (Week 3), AFC South (Week 4), NFC West (Week 5)
