The Worksheet, a fantasy football overview by Rich Hribar, breaking down everything you need to know for the Week 5 Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams Sunday afternoon game.
| Dallas | Rank | @ | LA Rams | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | Spread | -4.5 | ||
| 20.5 | Implied Total | 25 | ||
| 17.8 | 27 | Points/Gm | 17.5 | 29 |
| 15.5 | 3 | Points All./Gm | 23.5 | 18 |
| 60.3 | 21 | Plays/Gm | 62 | 17 |
| 66.8 | 26 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 61 | 8 |
| 5.2 | 20 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.7 | 31 |
| 4.6 | 4 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.6 | 16 |
| 43.15% | 12 | Rush% | 33.06% | 31 |
| 56.85% | 21 | Pass% | 66.94% | 2 |
| 41.20% | 15 | Opp. Rush % | 38.93% | 9 |
| 58.80% | 18 | Opp. Pass % | 61.07% | 24 |
- Games involving the Cowboys are averaging a league-low 33.3 combined points per game, 31st in the league.
- Dallas has allowed a touchdown on 9.1% (4-of-44) of opponent possessions, second in the league.
- 62.5% of the Dallas scoring plays have been field goals, the highest rate in the league. League average is 41.7%.
- 25.5% of the passing plays against the Cowboys have resulted in a first down or touchdown, the lowest rate in the league.
- The Rams have nine passing plays of 20 or more yards, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL. In 2021, they had the third most passing plays of 20 or more yards (3.9 per game).
- The Cowboys are second in the NFL in pressure rate (39.5%) defensively while the Rams are 31st (20.1%).
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: Stafford has kicked off the season as the QB30, QB11, QB26, and QB28 for fantasy scoring. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in back-to-back games, his lone two games with the Rams in which he has not thrown a touchdown. It is the first time he has gone two games in a row without a touchdown pass since 2016.
The Cowboys have allowed 9.3 passing points per game, the fourth fewest in the NFL. They have faced Carson Wentz and Daniel Jones the past two weeks but opened with Tom Brady and Joe Burrow.
We also know the Cowboys can rush the passer, something they did in 2021 that has spilled over to start this season. Stafford has already been sacked on 9.6% of his dropbacks after a 4.8% rate in 2021.Stafford has been pressured on 32.4% of his dropbacks (13th highest) after a 26.2% rate in 2021 (third lowest).
The implied total for the Rams is suggesting that we have some blind faith in Stafford getting there this week despite his struggles, but even if gamers are continuing to stick with him here, he is only just knocking on the door of being a QB1 option.
