Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions

Game Time: Sunday, November 17 at 1:00pm ET

Spread: Lions +6

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott – He played exceptionally well on Sunday night against the Vikings with 397 yards and three touchdowns. He did have one interception, but it was on the last play of the game. That is the second consecutive game where Dak has thrown three touchdowns. With Randall Cobb getting hot, Prescott now has at least four reliable options he can throw to. He will be a dynamite play in Week 11 against a Lions pass defense that just allowed three touchdowns to Mitchell Trubisky of all people! Prescott should be nearly a lock for 300 passing yards and a minimum of two touchdowns. 

Ezekiel Elliott – The Vikings made a point to shut Elliott down, and it was one of his worst games of the year as he had just 47 yards on 20 carries Sunday night. There aren’t many teams that are capable of holding Zeke down, so there is absolutely zero reason to panic here. The Lions allow nearly 130 yards per game on the ground, and Elliott is a lock for 100 yards and a touchdown. 

Amari Cooper – He was one of the best plays in Week 10 as Cooper caught 11 of his 14 targets for 147 yards and a score. Not too bad for a guy who was a question mark if he would even play. He has scored in consecutive weeks, and has been one of the most consistent receivers of the season. He will likely see a lot of Darius Slay on Sunday, but he is a must play in any scenario. Cooper has a floor of 75 receiving yards in this one, and likely will score for the third straight week. 

Michael Gallup – After three straight disappointing games, Gallup was back on the fantasy radar with 76 yards and a touchdown. You wouldn’t have thought of him having a great game against a strong Vikings defense, but with Trae Waynes not playing, it certainly helped Gallup succeed. The Lions have one good corner and then a bunch of average players in their secondary, and Gallup will be a WR3 or a flex play in Week 11. 

Randall Cobb – He does have six catches in back to back games, and he surprised everyone with 100 yards and a touchdown Sunday night. It is hard to believe that the Cowboys pass game will support three fantasy relevant receivers, but with a matchup against a weak Lions defense it could last another week. Cobb could be flexy on Sunday if you are in desperate need for a receiver with four teams on bye. 

Jason Witten – Witten is only included here because of four teams being on bye and how inconsistent tight ends have been. He did have only two catches on Sunday, but he has racked up at least seven fantasy points in every game but two this season. Seven fantasy points is clearly nothing to get excited about, but the way tight ends have been, many of us will sign up for a consistent seven points every week. It is a scary situation, but Witten has low end value for that reason. 

Detroit Lions

Jeff Driskel – He was a last second substitution for Matthew Stafford , and considering he was playing the Bears, he didn’t do half bad. Driskel threw for 269 yards and a touchdown, although it did take 46 attempts to get to those numbers. He obviously isn’t someone you should count on in fantasy unless you are in a dire situation in a two quarterback league, but he played well enough that we don’t have to fade all of their weapons this week. 

J.D. McKissic – With Ty Johnson leaving the game with a concussion, McKissic had 36 rushing yards and had six catches for 19 yards. He is far from anything exciting, but it appears that he will be in for a start in Week 11. McKissic will have some flex value in PPR leagues as he is a very adept pass catcher out of the backfield. If he can pull out 50 rushing yards on 15 carries and five or six catches, it could be a decent day for him. The Cowboys are a legit defense though, and McKissic isn’t going to lead you to any fantasy wins. 

Kenny Golladay – It wasn’t a banner day for Golladay, but he still was more than adequate with 57 yards and a touchdown. The tough part of that was he was targeted nine times, but it only resulted in three catches. Of course, having a quarterback change on Sunday morning isn’t good for the fantasy value. Considering the circumstances, you can’t be too upset with Golladay’s afternoon. Considering Stafford’s injury you have to figure that Driskel will be in there again, and facing a tough Cowboys secondary won’t be easy. Golladay is still a WR2 for Week 11 and should be able to match last week’s stats at the very least. 

Marvin Jones – Taking the dud game against the Giants out of the equation, Jones is having himself quite the stretch. He had five catches for 77 yards on Sunday, and that is now his third game in four tries of topping 75 receiving yards. He also does have 27 catches over the last four weeks, and looked like the favorite target of backup Ryan Driskel. This week is a tough matchup against a solid defense, likely with a backup quarterback, but Jones appears to be a great WR3 again for this Sunday. 

T.J. Hockenson – He has had 13 targets in the last two weeks, although that has added up to only six catches and just over 100 yards. Many are still hoping Hockenson can provide some magic still like he did in Week 1. He hasn’t scored since Week 4, and he only has one game with more than three catches since that first game. The Cowboys just gave up two touchdowns to Kyle Rudolph on Sunday night though, and Hockenson could be a sneaky play in Week 11. 

Summary: The Lions weren’t likely to win this one with Matthew Stafford , they have almost no chance without him. Jeff Driskel was decent in his start, but he isn’t a real NFL quarterback. The Cowboys are going to be highly motivated coming off a loss to the Vikings on Sunday night, and the Lions just always seem to find a way to lose. That was is likely to be Ezekiel Elliott who will look to run wild after Minnesota bottled him up all game. Detroit gives up over 130 yards per game on the ground, so they should more than accommodate Elliott wanting to dominate. This one shouldn’t be all that close. 

Prediction:  Cowboys 31, Lions 20