Will Dak hit the ground running in Dallas?
There appears to be a changing of the guard at the quarterback position of the Dallas Cowboys. During the team’s third preseason contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Tony Romo suffered a broken bone in his back on a hit from Cliff Avril and will likely miss the first half of the regular season. It’s as deflating as and disheartening as any injury could be for a team as the Cowboys went 1-11 without Romo in 2015. However, there is a glimmer of hope for the Cowboys and it comes in the form of Dak Prescott.
Start preparing for your draft now with our free Draft Simulator 
Prescott was Dallas’ fourth-round selection, 135th overall, in the 2016 NFL Draft and has done nothing but impress during his short tenure with the club. Early on in training camp, Kellen Moore suffered a severe ankle injury that ultimately landed the passer on the injured reserve list and will miss the entire 2016 season, yet the Cowboys stalled their search for a veteran backup quarterback in the wake of Prescott’s brilliant play in the preseason. In three exhibition contests, Prescott completed 39-of-50 passes (78%) for 454 yards and five touchdowns but did not throw an interception. He also showcased his athleticism rushing for 54 yards and two scores on the ground. The Cowboys are still in search for a veteran signal caller however Prescott will enter Week 1 as the starting quarterback.
Prescott has all of the tools surrounding him to ensure his success. At the wide receiver position, the Cowboys have Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams on the outside as well as the shifty Cole Beasley in the slot. Bryant is one of the league’s top wideouts who Prescott had already shown a rapport with tossing a pair of touchdowns to the Pro Bowler in preseason action. Williams is a solid compliment to Bryant and a deep threat on the offense who caught a 32-yard touchdown from Prescott in the preseason opener against the Rams. Beasley caught 8-of-10 targets for 74 yards in exhibition play through three games and is an asset on dink and dunk routes. At the tight end position, a sure-handed Jason Witten could be Prescott’s security blanket on the offense and a safe option for the rookie to utilize for check downs or to move the chains. If Brice Butler continues to emerge as a threat and the aforementioned players stay healthy, Prescott could thrive with these weapons in 2016.
Prescott will also have an impact on the running game and fellow rookie, Ezekiel Elliott‘s success. Despite the signal caller’s success in the preseason, he still has yet to throw a pass in a meaningful contest. Elliott was already expected to garner a substantial workload with Romo in the game, and now with a rookie behind center, his carries should increase even more. And why not? The Cowboys arguably employ the NFL’s best offensive lines that are an asset to both the running game and in pass protection. The stars are lined up for Prescott to succeed in Dallas, but the question remains, will he live up to his high expectations?
The Cowboys and Prescott have the schedule on their side. They own the easiest strength of schedule (SOS) based fantasy points allowed by each of a team’s opponents in 2015. In the chart below is Dallas’ first nine weeks of the season which is Prescott’s approximate timeline of games he is expected to start.
Green indicates a favorable top-eight matchup.
Red indicates a difficult bottom-eight matchup.
| Player | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 |
| Dak Prescott |
NYG
|
WAS
|
CHI
|
SF |
CIN
|
GB | BYE |
PHI
|
CLE |
With a favorable schedule, an arsenal of weapons and an elite offensive line, Prescott is primed for a productive stretch of contests in Romo’s absence. For fantasy football purposes, the rookie quarterback should be added in all scoring formats in the upcoming campaign. Prescott should be targeted in the latter rounds of the fantasy draft as a mid-range QB2, but as the season grows older and if his performance warrants it, he could develop into a borderline QB1.
Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | SoundCloud | Google Play | RSS
Anthony Cervino is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Anthony, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter @theRealNFLguru.
