Fantasy Football Player Notes

Despite playing hurt and losing Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb gutted out 15 games en route to a WR8 finish and WR9 in points per game (14.2). He caught at least four passes in all but one game, marking his third straight season with 100-plus receptions.
Lamb played seven games with Prescott to start the season, in which he was generally effective, averaging 15.6 fantasy points per game (18 expected fantasy points per game).
Without Prescott, Lamb crawled to a WR12 finish from Weeks 9-16.
Even so, Lamb is still the No. 1 guy in Dallas and flashed his elite ceiling before injuries derailed the Dallas offense.

George Pickens heads to Dallas with plenty of real-life upside, but fantasy managers should tread carefully based on the Steelers' hit rate of moving on from "polarizing" WRs before it's too late. While he flashed WR14 production during a six-game stretch with improved QB play in 2024, Pickens remains a volatile, big-play specialist who doesn't command high target volume. Pairing with Dak Prescott is an upgrade, but in a system where CeeDee Lamb dominates touches and Dallas just extended KaVontae Turpin, Pickens' role isn't guaranteed to be stable. His ADP will likely climb, making him a potential fade in 2025.

Last year, it was tough to watch Javonte Williams. The injuries have seemingly robbed him of his special tackle-breaking sauce. The Broncos kept trotting him out there weekly without a better option to take his place. Williams finished as the RB36 in fantasy points per game. He will be in the conversation, if not the favorite, to be the Cowboys' starting back this season, with only Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue realistically competing with him for the job. I don't know if Williams has the juice anymore to hold off those players, but he will be given the opportunity to do so. Last year, Williams ranked outside the top 34 backs in explosive run rate, missed tackles forced per attempt, and yards after contact per attempt (per Fantasy Points Data). Williams makes the most sense with Zero RB builds this season, as he could buy time for a fantasy star to emerge from your bench to take his place in your starting lineup.

Blue fell to the fifth round of the NFL Draft as he was swimming in a ridiculously deep running back draft class. The former Longhorn displayed some three-down big play ability in his final collegiate season. He ranked 26th in elusive rating, 35th in yards after contact per attempt, and 25th in yards per route run (per PFF). It's not hard to envision Blue having a role in the backfield immediately in Week 1, considering the lackluster players surrounding him on the Dallas Cowboys' depth chart. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders' best football looks to be behind them. Blue could be the passing down back from Day 1 with an avenue to become the team's lead back quickly.