Dallas Cowboys

The Athletic's Jon Machota writes that Dallas Cowboys second-year wide receiver Jalen Brooks could be ready for a much bigger role in 2024 behind receivers CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson. Brooks and quarterback Dak Prescott showed good chemistry throughout training camp this summer, particularly on the deep ball. One of Brooks, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin or Ryan Flournoy will likely be an important No. 4 pass-catcher for the Cowboys this year, and Brooks might have the best shot to be that guy for this team. The 24-year-old former seventh-round selection last year out of South Carolina played in seven games in his rookie season and caught all six of his targets for 64 yards without finding the end zone. As of right now with the start of the regular season just days away, Brooks is merely one to watch in most fantasy leagues.

The Athletic's Jon Machota thinks that Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle should be the favorite to lead the team in rushing attempts and rushing yards in 2024. The fifth-year back made the most of his opportunities in training camp and was the team's most explosive RB while showcasing an ability in the passing game to be a complete back. With Tony Pollard gone this year, Dowdle will be working alongside veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook. "The more you can do, the better," Dowdle said. "When you can catch out of the backfield, run routes and also run the ball well, it's hard to take you off the field. I want to be a three-down back." The 26-year-old probably has the most upside of the trio, but he's going to need to be extremely efficient out of the backfield to become anything more than a weekly RB4/flex option while sharing touches with Elliott and Cook in Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle will play fewer special teams snaps as the team prepares to give him increased looks out of the backfield in 2024, head coach Mike McCarthy told the media. Dowdle is projected to operate alongside Ezekiel Elliott atop the Cowboys' running back room this season. While Elliott may technically open the year as the starter, Dallas feels very confident in Dowdle's ability to be a three-down back and plans to get him very involved this year. With an ADP of 127, he's currently being drafted 43rd among all running backs in fantasy football. He has legitimate FLEX value down the stretch and could sneak into the RB2 tier in the event that Elliott misses time.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb recently agreed to a lucrative contract extension with the team. He hadn't been practicing during the stand-off. However, it appears Lamb is still in better shape than ever, with head coach Mike McCarthy stating that the wideout looks "jacked," referring to a noticeable increase in muscle mass from the end of last season. The 25-year-old had a monster season in 2023-24, amassing career-highs in catches (135), targets (181), receiving yards (1,749), and touchdowns (12). While the contract dispute was concerning for fantasy managers, it didn't cause his fantasy stock to drop in most leagues. With that said, Lamb will probably see more attention than ever during fantasy drafts after the latest update regarding his physique.

Veteran running back Dalvin Cook signed with the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad on Wednesday and is eager to contribute in any way he can to the team's offense in 2024. "Obviously I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to come in and help a great organization to win football games," Cook said. "And as I look around and I look at the running back room, it's a bunch of guys that I can go in there and run the football with. Although he has plenty of experience as a bell-cow RB in the NFL -- he averaged 18.5 carries per game in his last four seasons with the Vikings from 2019-22 -- but he started just one game with the New York Jets in 2023 and had 67 carries for 214 yards rushing. Cook's first goal is to work his way up to the active roster from the practice squad to eventually add depth alongside Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Dallas also has second-year back Deuce Vaughn, so Cook will be part of a committee if/when he joins the active roster.