Week 16 versus Washington Football Team
Another quiet week for Prescott Week 15. It is troubling until you see his home matchup against the Washington Football Team on a shorter than short week. WFT played an evening game on December 21 and now gets to play a Sunday early game on the road. Only six defenses allow more schedule-adjusted fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than Washington. Week 16 is ‘Get Right Week’ for Dak and the Cowboys' offense.
Week 15 at New York Giants
Prescott turned in his second sub-double-digit fantasy performance in his past six games. He had one such occurrence in the six games prior to Dallas’s bye week. The offense did not click in Week 14 and faces a similarly tough test in a road game against the Giants. What the Giants lack in QB pressure they make up for in secondary talent. Prescott will have to utilize whichever running backs are active in the passing game to offset some of the issues his receivers could face. Prescott’s upside is in a shootout-like performance as he has not needed to throw the ball as much when Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are healthy. 200-plus passing yards should be expected, but his upside is capped by injuries in the backfield and inconsistent play by his offensive line.
Week 14 at Washington Football Team
It took over 10 weeks, but Dak Prescott’s efficiency has altered two of his performances in a short period of time. There is a common theme with Prescott posting two mediocre performances - YPA below 6.0 yards. He has failed to reach that threshold in two of the past three games and has one touchdown and three interceptions to show in those contests. Prescott travels to face Washington for the first time in 2021. Only one team is worse than WFT according to schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA). Dak should have a healthier trio of wideouts after Amari Cooper showed signs of life coming back from COVID-19 Week 13. Look for Prescott to spread the ball around Week 14 as the Cowboys look to stifle Washington’s still-feared front four.
Week 13 at New Orleans Saints
The Cowboys' offense has been on the field for at least 70 plays twice in the past four weeks and has over 40 pass plays in two games over the same time frame. That has also led to two 25-plus fantasy point outputs for Dak since returning from injury despite a revolving door of wide receivers. Amari Cooper (COVID-19) remains questionable, but the return of Michael Gallup and multiple full practices from CeeDee Lamb put the Cowboys in an excellent spot against the pass funnel defense of the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans has allowed four 25-plus fantasy point performances in their past five games, including to dusty Matt Ryan. The Dallas offensive line is healthy, and the Saints defensive line has injury question marks, all the reason to trust Prescott on a non-traditional Thursday night game with one week’s rest.
Week 12 versus Las Vegas Raiders
Kansas City frustrated Dak Prescott in Week 11 with a lot of pressure. Prescott has a similarly tough matchup in Week 12 with Yannick Ngakoue, Maxx Crosby, and the Las Vegas Raiders coming to Jerry World. Prescott could also be without his top two receivers as Amari Cooper (COVID) is out, while CeeDee Lamb (concussion) is very questionable. A receiving group led by Dalton Schultz, Cedrick Wilson, and Michael Gallup is far from ideal. This could be a week where Dak finishes as a borderline QB1 at best compared to his projected top 5-10 weekly status.
Week 11 at Kansas City Chiefs
We love to see Dak Prescott thriving. He torched the Falcons defense and is rewarded with a road matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Only five teams allow more schedule-adjusted points to opposing quarterbacks than the Chiefs. Their defense allows a 66% completion average, as well as 266.8 passing yards and 1.7 touchdowns per game. Dak should surpass both totals with a healthy receiving corps and two running backs with receiving floors.
Week 10 vs Atlanta Falcons
Prescott looked rusty in Week 9. Plain and simple. He had more incompletions than completions for the first time since Week 14 of 2016, his rookie season. Expect Prescott to bounce back against the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta ranks 28th in aFPA against opposing quarterbacks and allows 2.13 passing touchdowns per game. Dak has top three potential at QB Week 10.
Week 9 versus Denver Broncos
The hope is that Dak Prescott suits up in Week 9 after a week off and wins for the Cowboys. As good as backup Cooper Rush was in Week 8, Dak is better suited for handling the Denver Broncos defense. The Broncos are 6th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks but have seen a dip in play at the cornerback position, and are without Von Miller who is now with the Rams. The Cowboys' offense continues to get contributions across the board, making it one of the more dangerous to face. A healthy Prescott is a QB1 at home Week 9.
Week 8 at Minnesota Vikings
The bye week came at the right time for Dak Prescott. A calf injury sustained in Week 6 would have made him truly questionable for a Week 7 game but it appears it will not be an issue when Dallas travels to Minnesota. The Vikings are also coming off their bye, which puts both teams at even standing minus more severe injuries. Minnesota is 8th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed (aFPA) to opposing quarterbacks and has allowed one to top 300 passing yards. That one instance was Kyler Murray and Arizona, the only other offense the Vikings have faced that is as electric as Dallas. Context matters and Dak is very much in play as no worse than a top 10 option at the position Week 8.
10/29 Update: Prescott is truly questionable for Sunday night. Cooper Rush would start in Prescott's place.
Week 6 at Patriots
Dak took a “step back” by only completing a touchdown once every seven passes compared to once every three the week prior. Prescott faces his third top 10 team in aFPA against the QB in New England. The last time Prescott faced a similar matchup on the road, he finished with 238 passing yards and one interception against the Los Angeles Chargers. Considering the Chargers do not have a real home-field advantage, Prescott may have his toughest matchup in New England against a good defense and loyal fanbase. Prescott is 4for4’s eighth-ranked quarterback for Week 6.
