In support of: The Hayden Hurst Family Foundation
Helping youth, military, and others in need regarding their health, education, and wellness by funding services and programs through donations and fundraising events.
Nominated by Lobo’s Fantasy Football Den (@LobosFFDen)
“As someone who has struggled with mental health their entire life, it’s important to acknowledge and support those that struggle with mental health. For a long time, I faced the journey alone and was scared and embarrassed to tell others, when in fact…nobody should have to embark the journey alone.“
#Project32 Menu
2020 Recap
Division: NFC East
2020 Finish: 6-10 (3rd in NFC East)
2020 Tendencies:
- Passing Ratio: 60% (12th)
- Neutral Game Script: 59% (10th)
- Offensive Scheme: Vertical
Personnel Groupings:
- 11 Personnel (1 RB, 1TE, 3WR) = 71%
- 12 Personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) = 21%
- 13 Personnel (1 RB, 3 TE, 1WR) = 2%
- 10 Personnel (1RB, 0 TE, 4 WR) = 2%
- 21 Personnel (2 RB, 1 TE, 2 WR) = 1%
- 22 Personnel (2 RB, 2 TE, 1 WR) = 1%
- 00 Personnel (0 RB, 0 TE, 5WR) = 1%
Coaching Room
Head Coach: Mike McCarthy
Career Record: 131-87-2 (.595)
Super Bowl Champion: 2011 Green Bay Packers
Many media outlets including CBS Sports have Mike McCarthy on the hot seat entering 2021, but I believe Jerry and Stephen Jones will give Mr. McCarthy the benefit of the doubt. What could have gone wrong for the 2020 Dallas Cowboys, did go wrong. There were several key injuries that occurred prior to or during the 2020 season. Leighton Vander Esch (5 games missed), Gerald McCoy (16-Cut before season started due to injury), Tyron Smith (14), La’el Collins (16), Zack Martin (6), and Dak Prescott (11) all missed significant time that was too much for any HC to overcome. That is a combined 22 Pro Bowl appearances, nine First Team All Pro selections, and one OROY award that missed significant time in 2020. With that said, Mike now gets a full off-season and a roster that appears to be healthy and ready to compete.
Offensive Coordinator: Kellen Moore
Kellen Moore is entering his 3rd season as the OC for the Dallas Cowboys and the Jones family has put together an offensive roster that includes Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and La’el Collins. This offense should be very special under Moore in 2021. In 2019, his first year as OC, the Cowboys finished sixth in total points (434), fifth in rushing yards (2153), and second in passing yards (4751). With Prescott at the helm in 2020 for the first 5 games the offense was leading the league in total yards, passing yards, and points. Kellen has been impressive in his first two years in Dallas and was rumored to have an opportunity to be the new HC at his alma mater, Boise State University, where he was 50-3 as the starting QB on the Smurf Turf. If this offense can stay healthy it is going to be a lot of fun to watch and I have no doubt KM has some surprises in store in 2021.
Overall Rank: 22nd/32
OL Room
LT Tyron Smith – PFF 76.6, Pass Blocking 78.0, Run Blocking 67.0 *2019
Tyron Smith has been one of the most dominant LT’s in the NFL since entering the league in 2011. He has only given up 1 sack in the last 1,885 snaps played going back to 2018, but only played two games in 2020. Smith was selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls from 2013-2019 including two First-Team All Pro Selections in 2014 and 2016. Early reports indicate that the neck surgery he underwent back in October was a huge success. To say that Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are happy to have him back would be a huge understatement.
LG Connor Williams – PFF 70.8, Pass Blocking 66.6, and Run Blocking 71.3
Connor Williams started all 16 games in 2020 for the first time in his career and showed improvement in both the pass and run game. Connor played Tackle at the University of Texas and has converted to Guard since entering the NFL. He will be pushed by Connor McGovern, but early indications are that this is his job to lose. Dallas is counting on him to continue to improve in 2021.
C Tyler Biadasz – PFF 53.5, Pass Blocking 56.0, Run Blocking 57.0
Tyler Biadasz will forever be compared to “Fear the Beard” himself, Mr. Travis Frederick. Although slowed by hamstring injuries later in the season, Biadasz was able to crack the starting line-up in 2020. He was a unanimous All-American and Rimington Trophy winner out of the University of Wisconsin and was widely recognized as one of the best run blockers in college, which bodes well for Mr. Elliott in 2021. I fully expect a big leap in year 2.
RG Zack Martin – PFF 91.3, Pass Blocking 73.9, Run Blocking 92.2
Zack Martin has dominated the NFL since coming into the league in 2014 with six consecutive Pro Bowls and four First Team All-Pro selections in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Zack was forced to move to RT for two games and looked just as dominate on the outside as he does in the interior of the OL. Zack missed six games in 2020, but he is fully healthy heading into 2021. I have no doubt he will be invited to his seventh Pro Bowl.
RT La’el Collins – PFF 86.4, Pass Blocking 75.2, Run Blocking 89.4
La’el Collins had his best year as a pro in 2019 and graded as one of the best RT’s in the league. He looks to bounce back to form after missing the 2020 season due to a hip injury. Collins was replaced by Brandon Knight who finished the season as the 78th ranked T out of 83 players graded. Collins is going to be a huge part of the success in 2021 if the Cowboys want to make a run.
New Toys: T Ty Nsekhe
Old News: T Cam Erving (6/5), C Joe Looney (13/12)
Overall Rank: 8th/32
QB Room
Dak Prescott (QB3)
As Dak Prescott goes, the Dallas Cowboys go. Through the first five games of 2020, the Dallas Cowboys were leading the league on a per game basis in points (36.2), passing yards (371.2), and total yards (488). That does not include the 4th Quarter against the New York Giants because Dak suffered a compound fracture of his ankle during the 3rd quarter ending his 2020 season. Dak was leading the league in passing yards with 1,856 at the time of the injury. His projection over 16 games was 5,939 yards, which would have shattered the NFL Record for passing yards in a single season set by Peyton Manning in 2013 (5,477). Did I mention that Prescott was completing over 68% of his passes? And now, the NFL wants to play 17 games with a full off-season to work with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Zeke Elliott, Blake Jarwin, and Tony Pollard? Sign. Me. Up.
As the 2020 season played out without Prescott, it was obvious Jerry’s World was about to pay up. Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert combined for only 3,509 yards and 22 touchdowns through the last 11 games. The narrative that anybody could be successful in Dallas with this group of skill players went out the window. The Cowboys broke and paid their franchise quarterback $160M over 4 years that included a $66M dollar signing bonus. As Dak Prescott goes, the Dallas Cowboys go. The unsettling part of Dak’s return is that due to a shoulder strain he has been unable to take part in preseason games and been on a pitch count for most of camp, but the Cowboys fully expect him to be ready to go for Week 1. Get your popcorn ready!
Fantasy Outlook
Passing: 670 Attempts, 69.3%, 5805 yards, 42 TDs
Rushing 51 Attempts, 287 yards, 3 TDs
Total Fantasy Points: 418.9
New Toys: Will Grier
Old News: Andy Dalton (11/9)
Position Fantasy Rank: 3rd/32
RB Room
Ezekiel Elliott (RB5)
Fantasy managers want to know which Elliott will show up this upcoming season. Will it be the Elliott of 2020 who averaged career lows in yards per carry (4.0), rushing yards per game (65.3), and total touchdowns (8) or do we get the Elliott who averaged 96.5 rushing yards per game from 2016-2019 and won 2 rushing titles in 3 years? Had he not been suspended for 6 games in 2017, he may have led the NFL in rushing for three consecutive years. We need to remember that Elliott was also a First Team All Pro in 2016 and selected to three Pro Bowls in his first four years in the NFL. I believe we see a bounce back year from Elliott in 2021. It is worth noting that he was on pace for a Top five finish in FPPG before the Dak injury in Week 5. The Cowboys also lost 4/5 starters on the offensive line by Week 6. In 2019 with Dak and a healthier OL, Elliott put up 1,777 total yards and had 14 TD’s.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 284 attempts, 1306 yards, 11 Touchdowns
Receiving: 80 targets, 56 receptions, 461 yards, 4 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 323.0
Tony Pollard (RB35)
Tony Pollard has become one of the top handcuffs in all of football. A true handcuff, in my opinion, is someone that steps into the RB1 role in every aspect when an injury occurs to the lead back. Tony did just that in Week 15 when Elliott was on the sidelines. Pollard had 18 touches for 132 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 5.8 yards/carry on 12 attempts and had 6 grabs for 63 yards behind a patch work offensive line. I do not personally like to handcuff my own RB’s, but if I don’t have Elliott on my roster, you better believe I’m grabbing Tony Pollard in every league that I can.
Fantasy Outlook
Rushing: 116 Attempts, 547 yards, 6 Touchdowns
Receiving: 40 targets, 28 receptions, 245 yards, 3 Touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 161.3
New Toys: Corey Clement
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Rank: 7th/32
WR Room
CeeDee Lamb (WR7)
CeeDee Lamb is special. It is just that simple. We saw the impact in the first 5 games as Dak Prescott had a perfect QB rating (158.3) when targeting Lamb on throws over 20 yards. Lamb can win at all 3 levels and his numbers against man and press coverage were extremely efficient. According to Matt Harmon of Reception Perception, he had a success rate of 72.5 percent against man coverage and garnered an 80% success rate vs press which put him in the 93rd percentile among WRs. Lamb will challenge Amari Cooper as the alpha in Big D.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 147 targets, 105 receptions, 1496 yards, and 10 touchdowns
Rushing: 9 attempts, 39 yards, and 1 touchdown
Total Fantasy Points: 324.1
Amari Cooper (WR18)
Amari Cooper has been to the Pro Bowl four times and surpassed 1,000 yards receiving five times in just six years in the NFL. Cooper is excellent off the LOS and a tactician when it comes to setting up routes by establishing a new hallway and getting DB’s to square up and/or flip the hips to create route side space. With that said, he has never reached double digit touchdowns in a single season and with the emergence of Lamb and Michael Gallup plus a healthy Blake Jarwin, I don’t see it happening in 2021 either. In fact, 2021 could be the year that Amari Cooper becomes the WR2 in Dallas.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 134 targets, 94 receptions, 1200 yards, 9 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 267.8
Michael Gallup (WR33)
Michael Gallup is about to have his breakout season in 2021. This should come as no surprise to anyone that has seen his development at the NFL level. Gallup was often overshadowed by Cooper and Lamb in 2020 but reports out of Dallas are seeing him line up in the slot more which would give him more room to work. It is believed that the Dallas Cowboys could move on from Gallup after the 2021 season when he will become an unrestricted free agent. Gallup playing in 2021 for the chance to get the next contract should bode well for this offense.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 107 targets, 73 receptions, 1100 yards, 7 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 224.9
New Toys: Simi Fehoko
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Rank: 1st/32
TE Room
Blake Jarwin (TE13)
There were big hopes for Blake Jarwin coming into the 2020 season. He was no longer going to be in the shadows behind future Hall of Famer, Jason Witten. He had also just signed a three-year $24 million extension. Unfortunately, 25 snaps into his 2020 season he tore his ACL against the Rams in Week 1. The good news, Jarwin is only 27 and has a full off season with Dak Prescott to prepare for what should be the biggest season of his career. He brings more verticality, separation, and yards after the catch capabilities, which should put him in position to get the lion’s share of the TE targets. I believe he is a steal at his current ADP.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 80 targets, 57 receptions, 662 yards, 5 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 153.2
Dalton Schultz (TE45)
Dalton Schultz was thrust into action after Jarwin suffered an ACL tear in Week 1. Schultz had only seen 19 total targets in his first two years in the league. He surprised everyone and showed an ability to be relevant in the passing game. He finished the 2020 season with 89 targets, 63 receptions, 615 yards and four touchdowns. He did struggle to create separation and to run after the catch, but he has certainly earned the trust of his teammates and coaching staff.
Fantasy Outlook
Receiving: 33 targets, 24 receptions, 226 yards, and 2 touchdowns
Total Fantasy Points: 58.4
New Toys: Jeremy Sprinkle
Old News: N/A
Position Fantasy Rank: 16th/32
2021 Full Player Projections
Make Your Own Projections With Our Template!
Strength of Schedule (SOS): #30 (.453 115-139-2)
- Nobody over .500 at home
- Only 3 teams over .500 on the road. (TB, KC, and NO)
2021 Predicted Finish: 11-6 (1st NFC East)
Note: all projections are PPR scoring
