The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 16 matchup between the Cowboys and Chargers.
Find a breakdown of every Week 16 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| LA Chargers | Rank | @ | Dallas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | Spread | -1.5 | ||
| 24.0 | Implied Total | 25.5 | ||
| 22.5 | 19 | Points/Gm | 29.1 | 4 |
| 20.3 | 9 | Points All./Gm | 30.0 | 31 |
| 64.6 | 6 | Plays/Gm | 65.9 | 2 |
| 56.4 | 2 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 62.2 | 19 |
| 5.2 | 20 | Off. Yards/Play | 6.0 | 3 |
| 4.9 | 6 | Def. Yards/Play | 6 | 29 |
| 43.09% | 20 | Rush% | 39.87% | 27 |
| 56.91% | 13 | Pass% | 60.13% | 6 |
| 41.52% | 12 | Opp. Rush % | 42.59% | 15 |
| 58.48% | 21 | Opp. Pass % | 57.41% | 18 |
- The Chargers are a league-best 6-1 (.857) in one-score games this season.
- The Chargers have scored a touchdown on 16.7% of their drives over their past six games, 28th in the league.
- The Chargers are averaging 79.2 fantasy points per game on offense (23rd) over that span after 104.9 per game (5th) prior.
- The Cowboys are allowing a league-high 111.5 fantasy points per game.
- The Chargers allow 77.3 fantasy points per game, 2nd in the league.
- The Chargers have converted a league-low 38.9% (7 of 18) of their red zone trips on the road into touchdowns.
- The Cowboys have allowed opponents to convert 72.2% (39 of 54) of their red zone trips into touchdowns (30th).
- Dallas averages 4.1 plays of 20-plus yards per game (6th) and a league-high 2.1 plays of 30-plus yards per game.
- The Chargers allow 2.6 plays of 20-plus yards per game, 2nd in the league.
Trust = spike production for that player
Quarterback
Dak Prescott: Prescott did not come out of a tough Minnesota matchup with points for gamers.
He threw for 294 yards on Sunday night, but his 60.5% completion rate was a season-low.
He did not throw a touchdown pass for just the third time this season.
Without a score on his ledger, Prescott ended the week as the QB25 (12.0 points), his lowest weekly finish since Week 1.
Prescott has run into a rough stretch here over the past two months, facing Denver, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Minnesota over his past seven games.
This is another potentially tough matchup, keeping Prescott as a fringe QB1/QB2.
The Chargers are allowing the fewest passing points (8.8 per game) this season, ranking fourth in completion rate (60.1%), fifth in yards per pass attempt (6.3), and second in touchdown rate (2.9%).
They have allowed multiple touchdown passes just twice this season.
This game is still indoors in Dallas, where Prescott has QB1 scoring weeks against the Eagles and Chiefs, so we do not have to run away completely.
Prescott has been efficient this season against zone coverage, completing 73.1% of his passes (3rd) with a 3.6% touchdown rate (4th).
The Chargers play man coverage at the second-lowest rate in the league (13.4%).
Justin Herbert: Herbert closed last week as the QB27 (10.4 points) in a tough spot at Kansas City.
We have not seen Herbert log a QB1 scoring week since Week 9, the last time Joe Alt took the field.
With Alt off the field, Herbert has thrown for 6.5 yards per pass attempt, a 4% touchdown rate, and a 3% interception rate, and has taken a sack on 10.5% of his dropbacks.
When Alt was on the field, Herbert averaged 8.3 Y/A with a 7.1% touchdown rate, a 1.9% interception rate, and a sack on 8.3% of his dropbacks.
To be fair to Herbert, he has faced the Steelers, Jaguars, Eagles, and Chiefs in four of the five games since Alt was lost for the season.
He was the QB21 (12.8 points) against the Raiders mixed in there to keep us honest, but if you are looking for a potential hall pass, that was when he broke his hand.
Even with Herbert getting some leeway for his injury and previous matchups, we are still letting this matchup lead the cart, which you always have to be cautious about.
I would still prefer to use Herbert as an upside QB2, but he has streaming appeal in 1QB leagues.
This game could still be driven by good quarterback play on both sides, and the total remains high.
Dallas continues to struggle defending the pass, and now that their run defense is better, it is even pushing teams to throw more.
Since their Week 10 bye, teams have thrown the ball 9.8% over expectations against Dallas, the highest rate in the league.
Before their bye, offenses were throwing the ball 1.6% over expectations, 16th in the league.
The Chargers have gone in the opposite direction.
Since Alt’s injury, they have gone more conservative.
Since Week 10, they have thrown the ball 2.3% below expectations (19th) after throwing it 6.8% over expectations prior (3rd highest).
We need the Chargers to flip recent tendencies, but they should attack Dallas at its weakest link.
The Cowboys are still allowing the most passing points in the league (19.1).
They just allowed 10.4 yards per pass attempt to J.J. McCarthy on Sunday night.
Dallas also allows the most rushing points (5.2 per game) to quarterbacks as an added lifeline for Herbert, who is averaging a career-high 3.4 rushing points per game.
Running Back
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Learn MoreMore Week 16 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Rams @ Seahawks | Thursday Night Football |
| Eagles @ Commanders | Saturday -- 5 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Bears | Saturday -- 8:20 p.m. ET |
| Chargers @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bills @ Browns | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Chiefs @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Dolphins | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jets @ Saints | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Giants | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bucs @ Panthers | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jaguars @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Falcons @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Lions | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Texans | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Patriots @ Ravens | Sunday Night Football |
| 49ers @ Colts | Monday Night Football |