Dallas

Cowboys

Ferguson exited Sunday’s game against the Colts after taking a nasty hit to his knee. While he was able to walk off under his own power and was later ruled “questionable” to return, the 27-year-old vet never got back into the game. Ferguson has caught just 19 passes for 136 yards and four touchdowns this season, with his best game coming in Week 2 (4-43-2) against the Commanders. Brevyn Spann-Ford, a 2024 UDFA, will likely take over in Ferguson’s absence but shouldn’t be trusted as anything more than a boom-or-bust TE2 at this point.

Goodson has emerged as the Cowboys’ RB2 this season, and rushed 12 times for 77 yards in Week 9’s win over the Colts. He played through the knee injury he suffered in the second quarter. The fact that he played through the injury suggests this isn’t anything too serious, but it’s not uncommon to see players be sidelined in the following weeks once the adrenaline has worn off and the game is over. We’ll likely get a clearer timeline for his return in the coming days, but for now, it looks like Israel Abanikanda and/or Jashaun Corbin will be promoted from the practice squad, with Javonte Williams being the only healthy back on Dallas’ roster.

Spann-Ford played much of the game in the absence of Jake Ferguson, the latter of whom departed with a scary looking knee injury in the third quarter, and still managed only three targets in a game that saw alpha wide receiver CeeDee Lamb amass 16 targets on 34 Dak Prescott pass attempts. The secondary options in this offense are not worthy of weekly fantasy considering, of which Spann-Ford is one. He is not a streaming option ahead of a Week 10 meeting with the 49ers.

Flournoy had just one catch for seven yards until the final drive of the game, where he caught a 46-yard pass on the first play of the drive to instantly place the Cowboys into the red zone while trailing by three points. A Javonte Williams touchdown and Caleb Downs interception on the subsequent possession would be enough to send the Cowboys to 4-5 with a win. Fantasy managers must be left disappointed with the outing considering George Pickens was unable to go with a hamstring injury. Flournoy will be a shaky FLEX option in Week 10 against the 49ers, regardless of the status of Pickens.

Lamb’s day was inches from being one of the top fantasy outings for any player this season, with the talented veteran unable to get his second foot down in the end zone in the third quarter, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a field goal. Even so, Lamb has now seen double-digit targets in each of his previous four games and five of his last six, averaging 13.8 targets per game in that span. His production in Week 9 also marked the third time this season in which Lamb has gone for more than 150 yards, handily leading the league in targets while trailing only Jaxon Smith-Njigba in yardage. Lamb and the Cowboys get a more difficult matchup against the 49ers in Week 10, where Lamb will remain an elite WR1 at home.

Williams notched his second 100-yard game of the season, tacking on a fourth quarter score with less than two minutes remaining to push his fantasy production into RB1 territory. Week 9 also marks the third straight week in which the Cowboys utilized a new-look, run-heavy game plan, this time utilizing Tyler Goodson to soak up carries behind Williams. Williams has now seen 20 or more carries in three straight and will remain a volume-based RB1 in a difficult matchup against the 49ers at home in Week 10.

The two teams played to a maddening field position battle through the first three quarters in what was one of the least disciplined games in recent memory, including a multitude of penalties on key downs, two turnovers, and a missed field goal from the Cowboys. A poor fourth quarter saw the Colts snatch the lead with a late field goal, but a 46-yard deep connection with Ryan Flournoy on the play of the subsequent possession allowed the Cowboys to take the lead with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. A Caleb Downs interception ended the game, allowing Prescott and the Cowboys to escape with a win to send them to 4-5 as they chase the Giants in the NFC East. Up next is a home test against the 49ers in Week 10, where Prescott will remain a back end QB1.

The term “questionable” is a vast understatement based on the replay, although the veteran tight end did walk off the field under his own power. The replay and initial reaction from Ferguson did not look good. Expect an update from the team following the game. Ferguson caught both targets for 21 yards and a touchdown prior to departing.

Goodson saw solid work early against the Colts, effectively rotating drives with starter Javonte Williams before injuring his knee in the second quarter. He was deemed questionable to return by the team after amassing 44 yards on seven carries, but returned to rotate in with Williams in the third quarter, adding an additional 33 yards after the break. Goodson could carry viable FLEX value if the Cowboys continue forward with a run-heavy approach, as they have the previous three games.

Ferguson entered the weekend listed as questionable after being unable to practice until Friday, where he logged a limited appearance. That was apparently enough for the veteran tight end to play through the ailment, although Brevyn Spann-Ford could be more involved than normal.