Cowboys' Cooper Rush: Next man up with Prescott out
Rush is expected to step in as Dallas' starting quarterback beginning with Sunday's game against the Bengals, as Dak Prescott is likely to miss 6-to-8 weeks after undergoing surgery Monday to address a fractured right hand, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Prescott exited in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' season-opening 19-3 loss to Tampa Bay after suffering the injury when he struck the outstretched hand of Buccaneers defender Shaquil Barrett while attempting a pass. Rush stepped in to finish the contest, completing seven of 13 passes for 64 yards while taking two sacks. Once Prescott officially is placed on injured reserve in the coming days, Rush -- who was elevated from the practice squad Sunday -- is expected to be formally added to the 53-man roster. Will Grier is another candidate to be promoted from the practice squad to provide depth at QB, but during Prescott's absence, expect Dallas to look outside the organization to add at least one more quarterback to the 53-man roster or the practice squad to restore numbers at the position. Over 11 contests (but only one start) during his six-year NFL career, Rush has been a capable game manager with a 60.3 percent completion rate (38-for-63) for 7.7 yards per attempt, three touchdowns and one interception, but he doesn't present much of a threat as a scrambler and is likely to preside over a run-heavy offense led by Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Rush's fantasy appeal will be limited to two-quarterback and superflex formats, and he may be only a low-end lineup option even in those formats while he's serving as Dallas' starter.
