2020 Dynasty/Fantasy Week 7: Game Analysis: Football Team 25, Cowboys 3
I take notes during the live watch. I re-watch the game on tape looking for hidden clues to report on. Here are my notes/takes on what I saw and how it related to FF 2020. I write anywhere from 1,000-3,000+ words on each game, and I must move fast to get to all of them through the week…so, please forgive any typos/grammar.
I almost forget that Washington went right down the field for a TD first series, the short TD that was called back with a penalty, moments later, on 4th & goal from the 1-yard line Dallas stuffed the play. Washington rammed it down their gullet from the opening drive…Dallas is lucky this score wasn’t worse than it ended up for them.
Whatever the score coulda/shoulda been, it was bad…bad…bad things for Dallas. If I claimed the Dallas Cowboys were the single worst team in the NFL this very second, worse than the Jets – you could not really fight back on it too hard. This Dallas situation has gone from bad to worse to now ridiculous. I’m betting against Dallas like I did the Jets the first several weeks of the season. It’s that bad. This was one of the worst games an NFL team has played this year…right up there with most every Dallas game quarters 1-3 this season and whatever the Patriots did Week 7.
Everyone has theories and consternation but this is Jerry Jones’s fault for hiring Mike McCarthy and Jerry is never going to change so the problem isn’t going to get fixed, it just looks better with Dak Prescott as the window dressing. There is no fixing this Dallas issue of 2020. Dallas will either lose out or maybe pick up a win somewhere along the way. It’s really bad right now…and do you think they’ll be coached up to playing better?
Washington has a chance to win the NFC East. The best defense in the division…which means they have a chance. I still bet on Philly to take it, but WFT has a chance. We project the FTs with 5-6 wins. Six wins could win the division maybe.
Fantasy Player Notes…
-- Who is Ben DiNucci (2-3 for 39 yards, 0 TDs/0 INTs)? Is there hope with him?
No.
Not at all.
You’re wasting time even asking.
An undersized, stare down the first-read thrower with no real arm strength/arm whip on his throws. He’s the classic butt-kissing, yes sir/no sir, run the plays called head coach’s wet dream of a career 3rd-stringer that the O-C loves…studious, like a coach in the QB room. Gets to work early, stays late. Yada, Yada.
There’s just one problem with all the great employee attributes – he sucks as an NFL prospect.
Week 7 = Start the Eagles defense. Sell the Dallas offense.
Now, before you do all that…
I bet DiNucci is so bad that I bet Garrett Gilbert (recently grabbed off the Browns practice squad) is in finishing this game, and that Gilbert provides a minor spark and people start wondering if Dallas should just go with Gilbert for the ROS.
SuperFlex players – consider grabbing and sitting on Gilbert in deeper roster leagues. He may play from Week 9 on with all the Dallas weapons, Gilbert looked decent in the 2018-2019 preseason, had a decent run in the AAF in 2019. He’s not bad. He is exponentially better than DiNucci…and better than 2020 Andy Dalton. Dallas might even cut or trade Andy Dalton ahead of the trade deadline because ‘why keep him’?
I’m not saying Gilbert is going to be special or anything…just better than DiNucci or Dalton. He might provide a little spark to the team too.
-- The Dallas WRs in this game…
Amari Cooper (7-80-0/7)
CeeDee Lamb (0-0-0/5)
Michael Gallup (0-0-0/2)
I told you last week was the best hope to sell CeeDee hot. Now, you’re stuck.
Gallup is droppable in most redrafts. Lamb might be soon. Amari is a solid WR2 ROS.
If Dalton can get back ahead, it helps all of them to some degree…a lot of junk time coming. Gilbert might have a moment too.
-- The FT’s got up and just ran it out, which is smart…30 combined carries for Gibson-Barber. Thus, J.D. McKissic’s (5-35-0, 2-16-0/2) pass catching talents were not needed. He’s still a viable RB3 hope week-to-week in PPR.
-- McKissic might be a better PPR RB ahead than Ezekiel Elliott (12-45-0, 1-6-0/2)! My, how the mighty have fallen.
You almost just have to ride it out in FF with Zeke…he’s in a David Johnson-like situation – a lot of touches, bad O-Line, hope he gets in the end zone somehow. Since Week 4, Elliott is the #15 PPG RB in PPR…and falling. He’s an RB2 ahead. If you can trade him like an RB1…go for it. He’s not a zero…just not ‘Zeke’ anymore.
If Tony Pollard (8-16-0, 1-6-0/1) was shoved into the starting lineup…he’d have the same problems with the O-Line, QB play, head coach, etc.
-- Logan Thomas (4-50-1/4) is a viable TE for FF on matchups, and this was a good one…and he scored. End of story.
-- Because the Dallas offense is collapsing…don’t get stuck riding Greg Zuerlein (1/1 FG) out of habit. There has to be better options.
-- Cole Holcomb (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 PD) may have turned his career arc around with his performance here. He started showing the total linebacker menace he could be with his high-end speed and tackle-ability in this game.
I want to wait to see his snaps, if he starts this week before getting anymore excited. I’ve been burned here before with false starts.
-- I‘m holding the WSH-DST through their Week 8 bye in several cases. They are a sacking machine of a unit but get this schedule ahead the next 4 weeks. Noted in terms of most sacks allowed by the team’s offense…
Week 9 = NYG #8
Week 10 = DET #15
Week 11 = CIN #1
Week 12 = DAL #7
I’ll take that stretch. Then I leave them in Weeks 13-15 with at PIT, at SF, SEA.
Snap Counts of Interest:
34 = McKissic
33 = Gibson
23 = Barber
37 = Zeke
19 = Pollard
39 = Holcomb (70%)
