Dak Prescott

Fantasy Upside
Dak Prescott enters 2020 hungry for a long-term contract and surrounded by the best weaponry of his career. This comes after posting his best season to date in 2019. Prescott amassed 4,901 passing yards (second in the league) and 30 touchdown passes (fourth in the league) last season, his first under Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore. He tacked on another three touchdowns on the ground to finish as the second-best quarterback in fantasy. Prescott will face stiff competition to repeat a second-place finish among quarterbacks, but he will once again be a surefire QB1. In addition to the counting stats, Prescott has become a more efficient passer as he has grown older. He posted 8.2 yards per attempt in 2019, the best of his career, and good enough to finish fifth among quarterbacks. And all of that is before mentioning that in 2020 he will be playing with the best group of skill-position players he has ever had. Prescott already has an established rapport with Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup emerged as an exciting second option last season. The Cowboys bolstered their passing game even more during the offseason by adding arguably the best wide receiver in this year’s draft, Ceedee Lamb, to Prescott’s arsenal. Prescott is poised for another strong season and should be one of the first five quarterbacks drafted this summer.

Fantasy Downside
The fact that the Cowboys have a new head coach in Mike McCarthy means that there is more uncertainty surrounding Prescott than there normally would be for a consensus top-five fantasy quarterback. While Moore is expected to retain play-calling duties, McCarthy will surely make some tweaks to the offense. This is not all bad for Prescott. Aaron Rodgers only played one season under McCarthy where he was healthy for 16 games and threw less than 500 times. However, McCarthy is a known proponent of the West Coast offense, known for placing an emphasis on short, quick passes. This philosophy conflicts with where Prescott thrived last season when he finished second in the NFL in completion percentage on deep passes (48.7%) on the second most deep pass attempts in the league (78). McCarthy would be wise not to abandon Prescott’s deep passing in favor of his preferred West Coast scheme. A reduction in deep passing is not enough to tank Prescott’s outlook as a fantasy player, but it could mean a reduction in his yardage and touchdown totals.

2020 Bottom Line
Prescott projects as a quality QB1 in all formats due to his passing proficiency, rushing upside and strong supporting cast. Even if Prescott experiences some regression in his yardage or attempt numbers, he should have a solid weekly floor and the Cowboys’ abundance of offensive talent should lead to him posting strong fantasy numbers yet again.