The Cowboys might be the easiest team to figure out when it comes to their Fantasy value. They have three potentially elite players in Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant and Dak Prescott, and those are the only players from Dallas who will be drafted in the majority of leagues.
Sure, you might see a Cole Beasley here or a Jason Witten there. Darren McFadden is also an option as a handcuff for Elliott. And it's not fair to rule out Dan Bailey at kicker -- but he's a kicker.
The focus for the Cowboys in Fantasy and reality will be on Prescott and Elliott building off their amazing rookie seasons in 2016, and Bryant has to show his performance from the NFL playoffs last year is a sign of things to come after two frustrating seasons due to foot and knee injuries.
We're confident in Elliott and Bryant, and hopefully Prescott won't regress. But Elliott could be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick, at least in standard leagues, and Bryant is also back as a potential first-round selection. Prescott, if he's drafted late, should still be considered a low-end No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in most formats.
The reason we're not so optimistic about Beasley, who had a career year in 2016, or Witten, who is a perennial No. 1 Fantasy tight end (although his stats are misleading) is because their production isn't consistent enough to trust. They are better off as waiver-wire additions -- if they prove us wrong -- about their draft value.
For Beasley, who had career highs in receptions (75) and yards (833) last season and tied his career best in touchdowns (five), the majority of his production came when Bryant was dealing with a knee injury. Beasley scored at least seven Fantasy points in a standard league in six of his first 10 games, but he was at five points or less in each of his final six outings, which is when Bryant appeared back at full strength.
Beasley is locked in as the slot receiver for the Cowboys -- he's still better than fourth-round rookie Ryan Switzer from North Carolina in 2017 -- between Bryant and Terrance Williams, but he's a player who is likely better for his team than Fantasy owners. And you can say the same thing about Witten as well.
His ability to block and still be a viable pass catcher is great for Dallas. And he even managed to finish as the No. 13 Fantasy tight end in standard leagues last year with 69 catches for 673 yards and three touchdowns on 95 targets.
But his weekly consistency is awful since he scored five Fantasy points or less in a standard league in 12 games last year. And that type of production isn't likely to improve since he's 35 and getting slower by the day.
Witten can still be a low-end starting tight end in deep PPR leagues since he has at least 64 catches and 670 yards in 13 seasons in a row, but his value is limited in standard formats since he's now scored only three touchdowns in two years in a row and three times in his past five seasons. Unlike Elliott, Bryant and Prescott, Witten is no longer a player to covet in most Fantasy leagues.
Could he be No. 1 overall?: Ezekiel Elliott
You know how great Elliott is. And, perhaps more importantly, you know how great the Dallas offensive line is with Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Travis Frederick and La'El Collins, even though Doug Free (retired) and Ronald Leary (Denver) are gone. Elliott dominated as a rookie in 2016 with 322 carries for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns and 32 catches for 363 yards and one touchdown in 15 games (he sat out Week 17 to rest for the playoffs). Elliott finished as the No. 2 Fantasy running back in standard leagues and scored double digits in Fantasy points in every game he played, including seven games with at least 20 points in standard formats. The question is not if he's a first-round pick or even a top three overall selection, especially in standard leagues, because he's earned that right. The question is if he's better than Le'Veon Bell or David Johnson, which is his competition for the No. 1 overall spot. Now, Bell and Johnson are better than Elliott in PPR leagues because Elliott isn't at their level yet as a receiver and won't be involved as much in the passing game. But Elliott could easily lead the NFL in rushing yards for the second year in a row, and he's a candidate for 2,000 yards. And he could score 20 rushing touchdowns. If those things happen or come close then Elliott will likely finish as the best Fantasy running back in 2017. It's up to you if you want him ahead of Bell or Johnson, but he's not getting past the third overall pick in standard leagues and likely No. 5 overall in PPR.
Is he back?: Dez Bryant
Fantasy owners should use Bryant's performance in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs last year against Green Bay as a statement game that he's back to being an elite Fantasy receiver. He had nine catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 12 targets against the Packers, and he's expecting to play at that level again this year following two years of dealing with foot and ankle injuries. "I always tell my family that adversity reveals true character," Bryant said in an interview with CBS Sports. "I feel like I showed that. I showed who I am, and I showed who I'm about. I'm going to be there for my team." Bryant was actually better than most people give him credit for in 2016 when he had 50 catches for 796 yards and eight touchdowns on 97 targets in 12 games (he missed three games with a knee injury and barely played in a meaningless Week 17 game), and he was the No. 19 Fantasy receiver in standard leagues. That's a good starting point, but our expectations are higher after he had three years in a row of at least 88 catches, 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns before suffering a broken foot in 2015. But he feels back to 100 percent with his health, and he has established a rapport with Prescott now that Tony Romo is retired. We expect Bryant to continue playing at a high level, and he's worth drafting in Round 1 in all formats this year.
Is he for real?: Dak Prescott
I'm not expecting Prescott to be a flop in his second year as the starter for the Cowboys. I'm just worried about him living up to last year's expectations when he finished as the No. 9 Fantasy quarterback in standard leagues with 3,667 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and four interceptions and 282 rushing yards and six touchdowns, which tied Tyrod Taylor for the most rushing touchdowns of any quarterback last year. Early Average Draft Position data shows Prescott being selected as high as the No. 9 quarterback – ahead of guys like Kirk Cousins, Ben Roethlisberger, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota – and that could be a mistake. While he did score at least 20 Fantasy points in 10 of 15 complete games (he barely played in a meaningless Week 17 outing), and his production was higher when Bryant was healthy, there's a risk of regression. I'm OK with waiting on Prescott as a low-end starting option, but he's not worth drafting as a top 10 quarterback this year.
