2016 Fantasy Football Team Preview: Dallas Cowboys

 

2015 Fantasy Recap

The Dallas Cowboys had an awful 2015 season from both a fantasy and reality perspective. From quarterback Tony Romo breaking his clavicle not once but twice and star wide receiver Dez Bryant breaking his foot at the beginning of the season, fantasy owners of these Cowboys were doomed. The one lone bright spot from this 2015 squad was the resurgence of Darren McFadden, who rushed for over a 1,000 yards and was a nice addition to our squads. Aging tight end Jason Witten was only reliable a few weeks of the season when Romo was healthy. Let’s hope that Dallas stays healthy in 2016 because if they do they’ll be a juggernaut among the fantasy world!

Key Additions and Losses

Additions:

• Ezekiel Elliott
• Alfred Morris

Losses:

• None

QuarterBack Fantasy Outlook

For now, Tony Romo is healthy for Dallas and will be ready to go come Week 1, which gets me super excited. With this fantastic Cowboys offensive line and an even better running game, Romo should flourish this year within this offense. I could easily see him having a Carson Palmer like return where he puts up similar numbers to his great 2014 season. For fantasy purposes, he most likely won’t be a QB1 but he will provide solid stats in the right matchup. With only one real cold weather game coming in Week 17, Romo has a super easy schedule this season that will benefit you guys a ton. Also, he’ll be a player that you can take late in your fantasy drafts this year because most people will be scared of his treacherous injury history.

Grade: B-

 Running Back Fantasy Outlook

Ezekiel Elliott is primed to be the Cowboys starting running back for Week 1 and should be a hot commodity for the fantasy community for the 2016 season. Elliott was by far the most explosive player coming out of this year’s draft, rushing for over 1,800 his last two seasons at Ohio State. He has first-round fantasy credentials and will be a Top-10 running back this year in my opinion. Dallas does have solid running backs in newcomer Alfred Morris and last year’s hero in McFadden but I just don’t see them having a major fantasy impact this year.

I’m feeling a DeMarco Murray like 2014 season from Ezekiel this year, which means he should be on your radars when mapping out your upcoming draft strategy. He’ll rush for well over a 1,000 yards and catch a ton of balls within this Cowboys offense that is designed for a bruiser back like Elliott. Just think about what guys such as Joseph Randle and McFadden did in this offense last season. Now, visualize just what Elliott has the potential to do, so he’ll without a doubt be the best player to draft come this 2016 fantasy season.

Grade:  A

Wide Receiver Fantasy Outlook

As long as Romo stays healthy, Dez Bryant will flourish for our fantasy lineups! In 2014, he put up monstrous stats, catching 88 passes for 1,320 yards and 18 touchdowns. I see similar numbers coming for this season from Bryant, who is healthy and primed for big things. He’ll be good for 1,200+ yards and at least 15 scores once again, making him one of the top overall fantasy options in 2016. Outside of Bryant, there isn’t a ton of relevant fantasy players at wide receiver. Yes, both Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley are awesome options in reality but, for the fantasy world, they just don’t cut it. So, outside of Dez, I wouldn’t consider any of these other receivers as a fantasy option for this season.

Grade:  B

Tight End Fantasy Outlook

The tight end situation in Dallas isn’t a stellar one from a fantasy standpoint. As much as I love Jason Witten, he just isn’t the same player that he was from a few years ago. These days, Witten is super touchdown reliant in order to score his owners fantasy points. He’ll be a nice bye week filler and can flourish in the right matchup but you shouldn’t be able to rely on him as your every week starter at the position. Dallas does have a couple of young options in Gavin Escobar and rookie Rico Gathers but they won’t play a factor for fantasy purposes in 2016.

Grade: C+

Defensive Fantasy Outlook

For the first four weeks of 2016, this Cowboys defense may be rather ordinary but once both Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence return from their suspensions, this D-Line could be scary. Dallas’ linebackers are top of the line with Sean Lee, Rolando McClain and rookie Jaylon Smith if he somehow is able to play this season, so they’ll impact this defense tremendously. The one question mark for Dallas is their secondary, though. Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne have been nothing short of busts for the Cowboys and may hold this defense back. With guys such as Orlando Scandrick, who is returning from a knee injury and Byron Jones, there are flashes of brilliance in this secondary, though. I’m expecting at worst a Top-15 caliber fantasy season from Dallas but the sky is the limit if the stars align.

Grade: B-

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