Anyone in the football world, whether fans or haters of the Cowboys, knows Dak Prescott is sidelined for atleast 7 weeks. This injury will turn fantasy teams upside down, it hurts the healthy players more than anyone. I feel bad for zeke right now, losing his good friend and top end QB for half of his contract season. This team will feel the sting of Dak being out, more than anyone realizes. Obviously, we can only cry over spilled milk for so long before its time to pick up and move on from here. Fair warning, when dealing with Dallas, the rumor mill spreads faster than most teams. So, for the next few weeks I will do a write up each week dedicated to bringing you updates, spitball ideas, and mostly show you how to handle the Dak situation.

First off, anyone that tells you “oh its next man up, we will be fine”, after losing Dak, is making a fool out of themselves. This man is a top 5 QB, statistically, every year and you don’t replace what he brings to the game with Cooper Rush. We watched Dalton crash and burn with the exact same team, except even more talented WRs. So, please, DO NOT take Rush, as anything more than a desperation play, expecting him to produce any major numbers for you in place of Dak. I highly suggested going for Wentz, Mariota, and some of the more promising waiver adds. They will hold down your fantasy lineup through the weeks you’ll be without Dak. There’s also a few other Cowboys I would suggest to avoid, also let’s discuss who can be started.

Noone benefits from Dak being gone, if the O-Line was the O-Line of Dallas 2016, I would feel a little better, but not this season. The O-Line is partially to blame for the constant pressure on Dak, that eventually led to his hand injury. I don’t suggest starting anyone of the WRs, minus Lamb if absolutely necessary. Its just going to be a tough road for the rookie WRs in Dallas. However, it isn’t all completely a foregone conclusion that every player here is done without Dak.

The studs in Dallas won’t completely fold, the sky isn’t falling quite yet and there’s still a few guys that could still help your fantasy team. Clearly, Zeke and Lamb are not going to be benchable on most teams, they’ll have their moments in this offense. Tony Pollard is not a great option until Dallas proves they can work him and Zeke in tandem to help Rush. One player that I believe is flying under the radar, that could prove valuable, is Dalton Schultz. Schultz clearly won’t turn into Kelce overnight, but he will produce good enough fantasy stats to help anyone lacking in TE depth. I believe Rush will depend heaviest on Zeke, Lamb, and Schultz, with a potential big game from Pollard. The good news for Dallas is Daks window is up in the air, it shouldn’t be longer than week 8 and thats not the worst position possible.

Daks hand injury is going to go through the rumor mill, from Jerry saying the shortest term to Stephen A hoping he stays off the field completely. The best news, so far, is that Dallas did not put Dak on the IR/PUP. That news is actually very big, in my opinion, because it means they are allowing Dak the opportunity to return at any time. Jerry is not my favorite person at player management, but he’s risking a spot on the active roster that could be spent on another QB. The worst case for Dak is not seeing the field until week 9, which I personally see as a more legitimate timeframe, but I’m not his Doctor. As fantasy team managers, we just want to know an honest outlook, we just have to accept that we will be in limbo for the time being. When such a major piece to an offense goes down, it creates division, infighting, but most importantly it creates opportunity.

Lastly, who benefits most from this injury to Dak? The one person/group it definitely does not help is fantasy football teams nor the Cowboys season. It does create opportunity though, it gives Dallas a chance to see if Zeke still has it in him to lead the team, so I believe his numbers will get the biggest boost. The Dak injury creates fear from Lamb owners, so if you have enough depth at WR to hold on to him, nows the cheapest time to buy in. If you’re a QB needy team, I suggest rostering a guy like Wentz that produces fairly good results and buying in cheap on Dak, because when he does come back he will be playing his butt off to make up the losses. I do believe that if there was ever a time to buy cheap on Dak, Zeke, or Lamb, that time is now.

In closing, I want it understood that these things could all change before my next Dak report. The conservative thought process is to slow down and see how this weeks easier matchup plays out, I don’t disagree with that. However, in fantasy football, its the radical moves that win fantasy football leagues! Sometimes you have to take calculated risks in order to build a team that dominates. I will be back next week to drop another Dak report and give updated suggestions on everyone in Dallas. Lastly, but most importantly, THANK YOU for reading this article and if I can help hit me up anytime on IG. Have a great week 2 and don’t forget to have fun!

@fantasyfootballgrinder (IG)