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Williams is notably not Micah Parsons, but if for some reason you can’t have Parsons, he’s probably on the short list of defensive line stars in the league. He’s a star run defender — something we seem to recall the Cowboys needing — by virtue of splash plays. Williams has only one sack this year, but the Jets have not held many leads and Williams does have 23.5 sacks in his past seasons. The Jets star defender has 1.5 years remaining on a four-year, $96 million extension signed in 2023. So the Cowboys will make sure to have someone with an expiring contract distraction on the roster in 2026, as nature abhors a vacuum. The Jets are now a conceptual football team, the closest thing we’ve seen to one since the Sashi Brown Browns anyway. So from that standpoint, Mazi Smith, a theoretical defensive tackle, is a great addition.

Tucker has been forced into an unnatural role in the Las Vegas offense following the trade of Jakobi Meyers to the Jaguars, and he now has just 113 yards receiving in the three games since Meyers’ departure. It is clear he is not ready to fulfill primary duties and his counting stats are likely to continue to suffer the rest of the way while playing the X-type role. Up next is a difficult matchup with the man-heavy Browns in Week 12.

The 12 looks handily led the team, but it was two drops and routine plays that left a sour taste in fantasy managers’ mouths in this one. Neither instance would have taken significant points off the board considering the Raiders really only threatened paint on one drive, but it remains noteworthy that Bowers has now struggled in back-to-back games following his three-touchdown eruption in his first game back from injury in Week 9. Bowers has all the runway in the world for fantasy liftoff after the team traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers at the deadline, but he has yet to make good on the upside case. Even so, fantasy managers can likely count on top tier production from their second round pick the rest of the way as the team has little competition for targets in its current state.

Quarterback Geno Smith was asked to throw the football 42 times versus just 12 team rush attempts as the Raiders struggled to move the football consistently throughout, initially playing the Cowboys to a tightly contested field goal battle before allowing four straight touchdowns to fall into a 31-9 deficit. The game flow significantly impeded Jeanty’s workload as the team struggled to stay afloat. Jeanty’s otherworldly talent seems to be going to waste in his rookie season considering the team’s poor run-blocking offensive line and consistently negative game script. Things don’t get any better ahead of a Week 12 meeting with the stout defensive front of the Browns, where Jeanty will be a low-end RB2.

The fact that the headline for Smith in this one is a tongue-in-cheek comment on the team’s inability to run the football tells the tale of how the game played out for the Raiders at home. The defense kept the team in the game in the first quarter but the wheels came off as they allowed four consecutive touchdown drives to fall into a 31-9 hole they would not come near clawing out of. Smith’s lone touchdown toss came in the fourth quarter and a screen to Tre Tucker, capping off the only drive of the night over 50 yards. Smith remains under team control through the 2027 season after signing a two-year extension this offseason, something that could come under siege after a rocky start to his 2025 campaign.

Ferguson’s five looks paled in comparison to the combined 18 targets between CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, although the veteran tight end found paint for the seventh time this season after failing to score in 2024. His weekly target volume is likely to remain modest for as long as both Lamb and Pickens are healthy, but Ferguson’s established red zone role continues to keep him in TE1 territory ahead of a Week 12 showdown with the division rival Eagles.

The end line doesn’t tell the full story as Lamb was disciplined for unknown reasons to start the game, watching from the sidelines as the team went three-and-out on their first possession. He bookended the solid fantasy showing with a missed connection with quarterback Dak Prescott on a would-be walk-in touchdown late in the fourth quarter on fourth down. Even so, it was a solid showing for one of the league’s top receivers. He’ll get the surging Philadelphia defense in Week 12 at home.

The only real blemishes on Pickens’ standout performance were a 15-yard penalty following his 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter and the fact he started the game on the sidelines for apparent disciplinary reasons. Kicker Brandon Aubrey would convert the long point after try following his penalty to make it a moot point. Pickens’ 764 yards ranks fifth in the league and he has averaged more than 10 yards per reception in all 10 appearances this season, making this offseason’s coming contract discussions of utmost importance to fantasy managers and Cowboys fans, alike. Up next is a difficult matchup against the stout Philadelphia defense in Week 12.

After a slow start in the first quarter, four consecutive touchdown drives gave the Cowboys their most positive game script of the season, allowing Williams to rack up a season-high 23 touches. He managed a middling 4.2 yards per carry on his 22 totes but out-touched backup Malik Davis 23-4, highlighting his status as a legitimate workhorse back ahead of a divisional showdown with the Eagles in Week 12. Fantasy managers must be pleased with the returns after the beleaguered veteran slipped in drafts this offseason.

While fantasy managers are surely giddy about the returns to end the week, Prescott missed a wide open CeeDee Lamb on a would-be walk-in touchdown on fourth down late in the fourth quarter that could have padded the counting stats for both parties. The Cowboys also started slow after going three-and-out on their first possession, turning it over via strip-sack on their second possession, and settling for a long field goal on their third possession to end the first quarter. Prescott and the offense settled into a groove from then on, finishing the next four drives with touchdowns to four different pass-catchers to take a commanding lead into the fourth quarter. Prescott and the Cowboys badly needed then win coming out of their bye before a murderer’s row of opponents, starting in Week 12 against the Eagles at home.

Sanders appears to be in line for the start with Dillon Gabriel in concussion protocol. It remains unclear which direction the team will go once Gabriel is healthy, but Sanders managed to complete only 4-of-16 passes in relief a week ago. Who starts moving forward could come down to how Sanders fares in a good spot on paper in Week 12.