The Worksheet, a fantasy football overview by Rich Hribar, breaking down everything you need to know for the Week 1 New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys Sunday afternoon game on September 6, 2019 at 4:25 pm ET.

 

  • In 2018, Saquon Barkley set a rookie record with 13 games of 100 or more yards from scrimmage.
  • Barkley led the league in runs that failed to gain positive yards (61) as a rookie, but also led the NFL in runs of 20-plus yards (16) and had four touchdown runs of 40 or more yards.
  • In the three-game sample with Odell Beckham out of the lineup last year, Barkley faced eight or more defenders in the box on 33.3 percent of his carries, opposed to 19.5 percent prior. 
  • In 15 career games with Beckham inactive, Evan Engram has averaged 4.4 more fantasy points (13.3 per game) and 1.3 more receptions (4.7) on 2.2 more targets (7.8) for 21.5 more receiving yards (59.1) per game.
  • The Giants averaged 6.2 yards per play on the road last season, which trailed only Tampa Bay (6.4) and Kansas City (7.4).

Trust (spike production for that player)

  • Saquon Barkley: He was the RB13 or higher in 14 games last season with double-digit points in every game he played. The Giants went out and upgraded their offensive line this offseason and with Golden Tate out, there are still plenty of targets to get forced to Barkley. Even as a road dog, his floor is safe while having upside to be the top-scorer at his position.
  • Evan Engram: His splits without Beckham on the field speak for themselves while the absence of Tate makes him at worst the 1A option in the passing game, if not the lead horse. Engram was the TE3 and the TE4 in his two meetings versus the Cowboys a year ago, catching 12-of-15 targets for 148 yards and two touchdowns. 

On the Cusp (proxy of a player’s average)

  • Ezekiel Elliott: Just returning to the team from a summer in Cabo, it’s unlikely that Elliott plays the 83 percent of offensive snaps that he played a year ago. Two year ago, Le’Veon Bell held out up until six days prior to Week 1 and handled 72 percent of the snaps and 13 touches. Elliott handled 25.4 touches per game a year ago, so even in a reduced setting, I believe he’ll still touch the football at least 15 times as a home favorite against a run defense that ranked 21st in the league a year ago. Elliott’s return knocks Tony Pollard down to ancillary FLEX status, but really is more of just a dart that gets a larger workload than normal in Week 1 due to Elliott’s late arrival and is no lock to get any scoring opportunities.
  • Dak Prescott: This is still a very good spot for Prescott to hold QB1 scoring output, but with Elliott coming back to the team just four days prior to the game and key members of the offense in Amari Cooper, Tyron Smith and Zack Martin all fighting through various ailments this preseason, it’s taken a little bit of shine off a great situation.  Prescott posted a 14:3 TD:INT ratio at home last season with 8.0 yards per pass attempt.  If Elliott doesn’t play, don’t look too deeply into Prescott’s splits with and without Elliott on the field as the initial games also included games that Smith also missed. In his past four games played without Elliot, Prescott has thrown nine touchdowns to two interceptions, posting two top-5 scoring weeks.
  • Amari Cooper: With the Cowboys a year ago, Cooper put up 80.6 yards per game and 9.5 yards per target, but still remained an all-or-nothing fantasy option, posting fewer than 40-yards receiving in four of those nine games in Dallas. One of those games included a five-catch, 31-yard performance against the Giants in Week 17, but that also came on the strength of 11 targets. The unknown element in play is that Cooper is playing through plantar fasciitis which caused hm to sit out the entire preseason, leaving him as a volatile WR2 option.
  • Sterling Shepard: Shepard’s splits without Beckham on the field aren’t as consistent as Engram’s, but his overall increased usage has held steady. Shepard received 26.3 percent of the team targets without Beckham on the field last season, opposed to 17.4 percent prior a year ago. With no Tate in the lineup, Shepard should find a stable floor through overall volume to be in play as a WR3, but he’s never scored inside of the top-30 at his position in six career games versus the Cowboys.

Bust (down-week production for that player’s standards)

  • Eli Manning: The last time Manning was a QB1 versus the Cowboys was Week 12 of the 2014 season. He’s been the average QB23 over his eight games since.

If You Must (intriguing bench option or deeper league play) 

  • Michael Gallup: Building off a strong finish to his rookie season when he had at least 50 yards receiving or a touchdown in each of his final four games of the season, Gallup received 50 percent of Prescott’s targets this preseason. Gallup is in play as a WR4 option entering the season with upside to make a jump alongside Cooper or elevate higher if Cooper’s foot issues become more of a concern.
  • Jason Witten: Death, taxes, and Witten versus the Giants. There’s still a very low floor here with marginal upside even with a touchdown, but we at least have to acknowledge Witten’s lore versus the G-Men. The last time we saw Witten on the field, he averaged a career-low 8.9 yards per reception and 6.4 yards per target with just 35 receiving yards per game. But even then, he still scored in each game against the Giants that age-35 season. Witten’s lore against the Giants is an odd one, but he’s been a top-12 scorer in eight of his past 11 games against the Giants pre-retirement.
More Week 1 Fantasy breakdowns from The Worksheet :
GB at CHI | KC at JAX | ATL at MIN | TEN at CLE | BUF at NYJ | BAL at MIA | WAS at PHI | LAR at CAR | IND at LAC | CIN at SEA | SF at TB | DET at ARI | NYG at DAL | PIT at NE | HOU at NO |