Monday Night Football Starts and Sits: Cowboys vs Eagles

Fantasy football starts/sits and lineups advice for the Cowboys vs Eagles Monday game in Week 3. Dan Fornek analyzes the MNF matchups with a detailed breakdown.

Through the first half of Week 2’s Monday Night Football matchup, it looked like we were set up for another exciting game with Detroit leading 17-14 over the Packers. Unfortunately, that was short-lived as the Packers rode Aaron Jones and his four touchdowns to a decisive 35-17 victory at home. Aaron Rodgers, Jones, Davante Adams, and Robert Tonyan all had the kind of performances that can swing a fantasy matchup at the final hour and assuredly did (speaking personally).

Week 3’s Monday night matchup features another divisional matchup that could have long-term implications. Dallas and Philadelphia come into Week 2 tied with Washington for the lead in the NFC East and hoping to create some separation this week. Each team also features several players selected to be starters for this upcoming fantasy season. This should be a high-scoring affair between two quarterbacks with an array of weapons at their disposal in offenses that can put up points in a hurry. Both teams have seen their defenses perform well this season and have strong offensive lines, so this game has a chance to be a classic.

Below, you’ll find the recommended starts, sits, and upside plays heading into the Week 3 matchup between the Cowboys and Eagles.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Game time: Monday, September 27th at 8:15 pm

Game line: Dallas -4

Over/Under: 51.5

Must Starts

Dak Prescott (QB, DAL)

After Dak exploded in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay in Week 1 (403 yards, three touchdowns, one interception), fantasy managers thought he would have an encore performance in Week 2 at the Chargers. Fantasy analysts and players were geared up for a shootout between two strong quarterbacks. What we got was a strong defensive battle that finished almost 20 points below the Vegas projected total (55). Even more painful, Dak struggled to get the ball moving through the air in the victory (237 yards, zero touchdowns, one interception). Look for Dak to bounce back against the Eagles in Week 3 on Monday night. Philadelphia has done well in their first two weeks against underwhelming passing offenses (Atlanta and San Francisco), but Dak has the offensive line to buy him time to hit his weapons downfield. The loss of Brandon Graham (Achilles) should allow Dak to have more time in the pocket to put up the fantasy stats we have come to expect.

Jalen Hurts (QB, PHI)

Like Dak, Jalen Hurts came out firing in his first game of the 2021 season and had fantasy managers salivating at his upside (264 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions. Seven carries for 62 yards). However, Hurts came back to earth against the 49ers thanks to a pass rush that threw off his timing and forced some inaccuracies (52% completion, 190 passing yards, zero touchdowns, zero interceptions). The positive? Hurts still generated 21 fantasy points thanks to 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Hurts’ weekly rushing upside always has him in contention to be a QB1 in fantasy every week. Dallas’ secondary has performed well this year (20.9 points per game allowed to quarterbacks), but they haven’t faced anybody with the rushing skills of Hurts to this point. Hurts is a must-start again in Week 3.

Ezekiel Elliott (RB, DAL)

Through two weeks, it would seem that Dallas is transitioning Ezekiel Elliott from a true bell-cow role to a split backfield with Tony Pollard. In Week 1 against Tampa Bay, Zeke was on the field for 83% of the offensive snaps and had 13 total touches (11 carries for 33 yards and two receptions for six yards). In Week 2, his workload and production increased (16 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown and two receptions for 26 yards), but his snap share declined to 71%. It is too soon to make any sweeping declarations about Zeke’s overall workload through two weeks, but it is worth noting at this point. That being said, Zeke is a starting lineup mainstay as always. In two games against the Eagles last year, Zeke had 38 carries for 168 yards and five receptions for 44 yards. Look for him to continue to lead the Dallas backfield despite the explosive plays of Tony Pollard.

Miles Sanders (RB, PHI)

While Miles Sanders hasn’t been able to recreate the massive fantasy performances he had in the final games of 2020 with Jalen Hurts, he has still been able to provide decent fantasy production through the first two weeks of the season. Sanders has played 66% and 67% of the offensive snaps for Philadelphia the first two weeks. In that time, he has 28 carries for 129 yards and five receptions (on seven targets) for 43 yards. Sanders hasn’t been able to find the end zone (partially thanks to the role of rookie Kenneth Gainwell), but he is getting consistent work each week. Dallas has done well against running backs on the ground this season (27 carries for 120 yards) but has struggled against pass-catching backs (18 receptions on 21 targets for 107 yards). Sanders may struggle to move the ball on the ground, but can easily pop a reception for a long touchdown, giving him solid upside as an RB2 this week.

Amari Cooper (WR, DAL)

Amari Cooper went nuclear against Tampa Bay in Week 1 (13 receptions on 16 targets for 139 yards and two touchdowns) before getting absolutely shutdown against the Chargers in Week 2 (three receptions on five targets for 24 yards). Those two games probably represent the high and low points of his production this fantasy season. Philadelphia has done very well against opposing wide receivers so far this season (11.6 fantasy points per game, 2nd best in the NFL), but that sample size has an asterisk. Atlanta’s offensive line couldn’t protect Matt Ryan long enough to find his weapons in Week 1 and Jimmy Garoppolo struggled to move the ball downfield in Week 2. Dallas has the offensive line to protect Dak and won’t have to worry about Brandon Graham this week. Amari has had massive games against Philadelphia in the past and may need to do the same for Dallas again this week.

CeeDee Lamb (WR, DAL)

CeeDee Lamb continues to produce massive numbers across from Amari Cooper for Dallas. In Week 2, Lamb followed up an excellent game against Tampa Bay (seven receptions on 15 targets for 104 yards and a touchdown) with a strong effort against a great secondary (eight receptions on nine targets for 81 yards and a touchdown). At this point, Lamb seems to be making good on all of the promises that turned him into a third-round pick in fantasy drafts throughout most of the offseason. In two games against Philadelphia last year, the second-year Oklahoma product caught seven of 10 targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. Darius Slay is still a solid cornerback, but the combination of Steven Nelson and Avonte Maddox could be in trouble on the other side of the field.

Dallas Goedert (TE, PHI)

Philadelphia moved Zach Ertz to the COVID-19 list at the start of this week, which potentially leaves Dallas Goedert as the team's primary tight end for Week 3. There is still a chance that Ertz gets activated off the list before this week's game kicks off, but regardless the Philadelphia tight ends are in a good position. Dallas has allowed 13 receptions on 15 targets for 127 yards and two touchdowns to tight ends this year, the fifth-worst mark in the league. Most of that damage was done by Rob Gronkowski in Week 1, but those numbers should look way worse after Week 3. Both Jared Cook and Donald Parham Jr. had touchdowns called back for penalties against Dallas. If those touchdowns stood, it would have given them the most touchdowns surrendered to the position this year. Ertz and Goedert have combined for nine receptions on 11 targets for 106 yards and a touchdown. Goedert is start-worthy in a very positive matchup this week.

Consider Sitting

DeVonta Smith (WR, PHI)

DeVonta Smith has a big game (six receptions on eight targets for 71 yards and a touchdown) in Week 1 and a bad game (two receptions on seven targets for 16 yards) in Week 2 on his rookie resume so far this season. Smith leads Philadelphia in targets through two games and is functioning as the lead receiver for second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts. Dallas has allowed 32.9 points per game to wide receivers this year, but they do feature a shutdown corner in Trevon Diggs. If Dallas chooses to have Diggs shadow Smith this week, it could be a long day for the rookie. Smith has solid upside, but his floor could be a zero-reception game. There are receivers with better options in a higher volume passing game.

Zach Ertz (TE, PHI)

Zach Ertz is on the COVID-19 list, but even if he is activated he is a very low floor play even in good matchups. Ertz is seeing plenty of time on the field (58% snap share in Week 1, 64% in Week 2), but has turned that into three receptions on four targets for 40 yards in two weeks. Ertz has finally taken the backseat to Dallas Goedert in the passing game and offers little upside unless there is an injury ahead of him.

Blake Jarwin (TE, DAL)

Blake Jarwin was a late-round tight end target in fantasy throughout the offseason but so far that hasn’t yielded meaningful results. Jarwin has six catches on seven targets for 57 yards in two games but saw his snap share drop from 57% in Week 1 to 47% in Week 2 as he continues to return from his 2020 ACL injury. As it is, the Eagles are allowing just 3.8 fantasy points per week to tight ends on the season. Jarwin can stay on the bench for another week until he can consistently find a way onto the field.

Potential Sleepers

Tony Pollard (RB, DAL)

Tony Pollard is on the cusp of being a player you can start each week despite the presence of Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield. Pollard has a clearly defined role in the Dallas offense and has looked extremely explosive in his limited touches so far this season. For example, Pollard played in just 34% of Dallas’ snaps in Week 2 against the Chargers, yet had 13 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown with three receptions for 31 yards. If Pollard can consistently see a 30% snap share on offense, he will have standalone value and can be played as an upside FLEX this season. With several running backs in bad matchups, he’s worth a flier, especially coming off a game where he looked so much better than Zeke carrying the ball.

Kenneth Gainwell (RB, PHI)

Like Pollard, Kenneth Gainwell has a defined role in his offense and is on the cusp of having weekly upside. Gainwell has played in at least 33% of the snaps for Philadelphia in both games this season and has seemingly taken the RB2 role from Boston Scott. The rookie out of Memphis has the bonus of getting significant touches in the red zone, scoring a touchdown in Week 1 and a 2-point conversion in Week 2. Sanders is the RB1 in Philadelphia, but Gainwell isn’t going anywhere. His ability to catch the ball (in addition to his consistent work in the run game) makes Gainwell a boom or bust FLEX option heading into Week 3.

Jalen Reagor (WR, PHI)

Jalen Reagor was completely written off after an awful rookie season, but through two games new Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni seems to have a plan for the sophomore wide receiver. Reagor is second on Philadelphia in targets (11), tied for first in receptions (8), and has 54 yards and a touchdown in two games. If he hadn’t stepped out of bounds on a deep shot from Jalen Hurts against San Francisco, he’d have another touchdown to his name as well. Reagor is getting quick screens and occasional deep shots in his second year, which plays to his strengths. There needs to be a bit more consistency from him to declare him a must-start, but he has excellent upside against a Cowboys secondary that has struggled outside Trevon Diggs through two weeks.

Quez Watkins (WR, PHI)

Quez Watkins is a boom-or-bust play that has massive potential every time he touches the ball. Watkins has caught all five of his targets for 140 yards this season, including a 91-yard bomb from Hurts against San Francisco that just missed finding the end zone. Watkins is playing roughly half the snaps for the Eagles and given his role as the field stretcher, he has the potential to have huge weeks thanks to Jalen Hurts’ scrambling ability. Regardless, Watkins is getting a consistent role in a high-scoring offense. If you find yourself down big heading into Monday Night Football, he is worth a shot.

Dalton Schultz (TE, DAL)

Dalton Schultz is seeing more work as the Cowboys’ tight end at this point in the season, playing at least 68% of the team’s offensive snaps so far. Through two games, Schultz has caught all eight of his targets for 63 yards. Neither of the Cowboys’ tight ends are having a major impact in the passing game so far, but the upside is always there with Michael Gallup sidelined for a few more games. Schultz is the one getting the snaps, so he’s got the upside until that changes.

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