The Cowboys host the Texans in a Texas-sized Monday Night Football matchup in Big D. They’ll already be without Dak Prescott (hamstring) and Brandin Cooks (knee), and now CeeDee Lamb ($10,800 in Showdown) is also questionable due to a new back injury. QB Cooper Rush ($8,000) will need playesr to step up as pass-catchers, so both Jake Ferguson ($5,800) and Jalen Tolbert ($4,600) could be great values for fantasy football this week.
Since it’s the Monday Night Football matchup, we may not have the final word on Lamb in time for Sunday’s slate, but with a back issue, even if Lamb plays he could be limited. I’d bump Ferguson into my top 10 tight ends and Tolbert is a desperation flex option since he could be the team’s top wide receiver. For DFS, the Cowboys are in the single-game Showdown contests like the NFL $1.25M Monday Night Showdown [$300K to 1st] (HOU @ DAL).
Jake Ferguson’s upside
Ferguson was limited in practice earlier this week with illness, but he returned to a full practice Friday and did not get an injury designation on Saturday, meaning he’ll be good to go.
Last week, Rush completed just 13-of-23 pass attempts for 45 yards. He was replaced by Trey Lance ($6,000) who didn’t fare much better, completing 4-of-6 passes but only for 21 yards and an interception. Lamb was the target of 10 of the 29 pass attempts between the two QBs, while Ferguson and Tolbert each had five targets.
Ferguson actually led the team with four catches and 24 receiving yards. He lost a fumble, so he finished with 5.4 fantasy points. Before that game he had posted double-digit fantasy points in four of his six games since being sidelined in Week 2.
He matched his season-high with seven catches and finished with 71 yards against the Falcons, so if Rush is able to get the offense going, Ferguson is likely be be one of the best ways for him to go, even though the Texans have been fairly solid against tight ends this season.
Jalen Tolbert’s potential
Tolbert caught three of his five targets last week, but only totaled 14 yards. He was also targeted on Lance’s deep pass that was intercepted while Tolbert never even looked back.
However, if Lamb is unable to play or is limited, Tolbert could get a lot of those targets. He has at least three catches in each of his last eight games dating back to Week 1 and flashed his ceiling with seven catches for 87 yards, a touchdown and 21.7 fantasy points. That was obviously with a different QB, but the third-year receiver from South Alabama has the raw tools to be a great bargain value play for DFS if Lamb is out, and a high-risk swing for the fences flex play in deep season-long leagues
The bottom line
With Lamb’s uncertainty, Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tolbert each get a boost, and if his back issue is worse than expected, both could be great plays on Monday Night Football.
The Cowboys are seven-point home underdogs, and Ferguson is a good value at +370 to score a touchdown while Tolbert is at +310.
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