CeeDee Lamb tops 100 yards in loss to Ravens

Lamb was targeted relentlessly against the match-zone-based Green Bay defense but suffered through an up-and-down connection with quarterback Dak Prescott on his way to middling fantasy returns. The Cowboys managed under 100 yards in the first half and were victimized by two Prescott interceptions deep in Green Bay territory, leading to a game environment that required 55 Prescott dropbacks. Even with a second consecutive middling-to-poor performance from a fantasy first round pick, Lamb is still pacing for a 1,500-yard, 11-touchdown season, plenty to provide a solid return on investment for fantasy managers that used their top pick on his services. Lamb could be busy again in Week 7 against the inside-funnel nature of the Philadelphia defense, where he will once again be a fantasy WR1.

Lamb played through a quad bruise last week but exacerbated the issue and left the game late in the fourth quarter. The injury is not believed to be serious and a full practice today means Lamb isn’t at risk of missing Week 6. Despite burning fantasy managers with two catches for nine yards last time around, Lamb remains one of the best fantasy football wideouts in play this week.

Lamb was on the field for a few more plays in Thursday’s loss to the Buccaneers after his injury was announced. Rapoport reports that Lamb is believed to be dealing with a quad bruise, which is not believed to be serious. Lamb and the Cowboys now have over a week to rest up before facing the Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. Barring an unexpected development, we would expect Lamb to be good to go for next week’s game against the Packers at Lambeau Field.

Lamb departed in the fourth quarter with a quad injury. He tried to return but managed one snap before making his way back to the sideline, coming back on the field later in the drive for a two-point attempt. He was shown on the sideline in visible discomfort following the additional two snaps. Lamb managed to catch just 2-of-5 targets for nine yards prior to departing. Fantasy managers will want to track his status in the coming week, although the additional recovery time could allow him to avoid any missed games.

He simply could not be stopped the way the Texans were playing defense. Lamb feasted on the sideline and against zone coverages — his longest catch went just 30 yards — and he had the go-ahead touchdown with less than 30 seconds left that had FOX’s Greg Olsen wondering why any defense would play him that way when he’d been that productive over the course of the game. He’d never managed more than 17 targets in a game before today. Obviously he won’t do this again, but Lamb has delivered for those who lucked into him in the late first-round mix and will again be a plug-and-play alpha WR1 against the Bucs on Thursday night.

Lamb caught three passes on the Cowboys’ opening drive, picking up gains of 15 and 23 yards before connecting with Dak Prescott on a three-yard score. Lamb gave the Commanders fits all day, but strung together another massive drive late in the fourth quarter when he hauled in a 35-yard pass from Prescott, who went right back to him five plays later for a 24-yard touchdown on a pass Lamb had to fight to come down with. Lamb has now scored in each of his first two games this season and will be firmly on the WR1 radar in next week’s game against the Ravens.

Although he lead the team in both targets and receiving, Lamb got off to a slow start while committing an early drop. He would score from one yard out in the second quarter after a Javonte Williams touchdown was ruled short of the goal line and also draw a defensive pass interference penalty in the second half that would lead to a Williams score, but the Cowboys simply had problems creating the chunk plays that ruled the roost in 2025. Better days are likely ahead for the perennial WR1, which starts in a Week 2 home showdown against another divisional opponent in the Commanders.

Solak’s prediction was among his bold predictions for the 2026 NFL season. Prescott having a shot at 5,000 yards, Solak said, would hinge on the Cowboys remaining a fast-paced offense in 2026. Last season the Cowboys led the league in play clock remaining at the snap and offensive plays per game, leading to 600 passes for Dak — a career high. The wideout duo of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb won’t hurt matters for Prescott, who has eclipsed 4,500 passing yards three times in his NFL career. Pickens’ downfield ability was reflected in Prescott finishing sixth in deep ball accuracy last season. “The volume will be there for Prescott to not just lead the league in passing in 2026 but to once again challenge for the 5,000-yard milestone,” Solak said. Quarterbacks have thrown for more than 5,000 yards just 14 times in league history.

Restructuring the contracts of Prescott, Lamb and Smith will create $66 million in cap space. Schefter also passes along that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the Cowboys will rework the contracts of DTs Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa, who are scheduled to count around $63 million against the cap. With the new cap set at $301.2 million, the Cowboys had negative-$56.1 million in cap space. These moves help Dallas become compliant and have money to work with this offseason.

Lamb started this game and wasn’t officially removed until the beginning of the second half, but he wasn’t much of a factor here as the Cowboys had nothing to play for. The 26-year-old will end the season with 75 catches on 117 targets for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games. This is the fewest receiving yards Lamb has had since his rookie year and the fewest touchdowns he’s ever had in an NFL season. That’s a bit shocking considering that Dak Prescott is in a battle to lead the NFL in passing yards. Obviously, some of that is the three games Lamb missed due to injuries, but playing alongside a legitimate second wide receiver in red zone weapon George Pickens was also a factor. Pickens is set to enter free agency, so the Cowboys will need to decide if they want to, or can, pay to bring him back. If not, Lamb may go right back to being a threat for 1,500 yards.