NFL News & Analysis

Immediate fantasy football takeaways from NFL Week 3 Monday Night Football

Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) reacts after running back Ezekiel Elliott (not pictured) scored a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 41-21 on Monday Night Football to finish off Week 3. Dallas dominated time of possession in the first half, allowing both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard to reach double-digit carries. A pick-six to start the second half gave the Cowboys an insurmountable lead.

PFF's fantasy football recap focuses on player usage and stats, breaking down all the vital information you need to achieve fantasy success in 2021.

Table Notes
  • Snaps include plays called back due to penalties like offensive holding or defensive pass interference. The other three stats have these plays removed.
  • Targets may differ from official NFL sources. The most likely discrepancy would be from a clear thrown away pass, where the NFL may give the target to the nearest receiver, while this data will not.
  • Carries are only on designed plays. Quarterback scrambles won’t count for the total number of carries in the game.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

  • Ezekiel Elliott: 17 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD, (3.4 yards after contact per carry), 3 receptions, 21 receiving yards
  • Dalton Schultz: 6 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD (35% threat rate)

Philadelphia Eagles

Snaps Routes Run Targets

Carries

WR

DeVonta Smith

57 47 6

0

Jalen Reagor

50 42 8 0
Quez Watkins 38 32 2

0

Greg Ward

16 13 1 0
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside 4 1 0

0

TE

Dallas Goedert 34 25 4

0

Zach Ertz

30 29 6 0
Jack Stoll 4 1 0

0

HB

Miles Sanders 35 26 4

2

Kenneth Gainwell

18 14 4 1
Boston Scott 4 4 2

0

Total

58 48 37

5

 

Dallas Cowboys

Snaps Routes Run Targets Carries

WR

Amari Cooper 65 32 4

0

CeeDee Lamb

65 30 3 1
Cedrick Wilson 29 13 4

0

Noah Brown

22 7 1 0
Simi Fehoko 4 0 0

0

TE

Dalton Schultz 52 20

7

0

Blake Jarwin

43 20 2 0
Jeremy Sprinkle 9 0 0

0

HB

Ezekiel Elliott 53 24 3

17

Tony Pollard

29 8 1 11
Corey Clement 3 0 0

3

Total

76 32 25

39

Sell high on Ezekiel Elliott: There has been plenty of talk about Elliott and Pollard's roles in the Cowboys offense after Pollard outscored Elliott in each of the first two games by fantasy points. The Cowboys relied on both running backs, with Elliott having a big advantage scoring two touchdowns. In previous years, this would be the kind of game where he would have run for over 150 yards. He will still be a fantasy starter going forward but not the top-five running back he was at times drafted as. His trade value will be higher now than most weeks.

Buy low on Miles Sanders: The Eagles couldn’t get anything going on offense for most of the game. Their first seven drives were all five plays or less and ended in interceptions or punts. They spent all but one of those drives playing from behind, which led them to abandon the run game before they could try to establish it.

On the bright side, Sanders played in the vast majority of offensive snaps prior to garbage time after playing in two-thirds of offensive snaps the first two weeks. He will be just fine in other weeks where the offense is playing better and/or the game script isn’t significantly against them.

Add Dalton Schultz in deeper leagues: The Cowboys tight ends had split playing time in the past, but Schultz had a slight lead in this game. Dallas used more two tight end sets both due to their lead and Michael Gallup being out. His two-touchdown game should make him a waiver wire add in deeper leagues. If he can maintain a lead in snaps and pass routes when the Cowboys return to using more three-receiver sets, he could be a target in all leagues.

Sell high on Dallas Goedert: Goedert surpassed 50 receiving yards for the first time with Jalen Hurts as his quarterback. He only caught two passes in the game, but they were big plays. Zach Ertz had more routes run and scored one of the Eagles' two offensive touchdowns. He will remain unreliable in fantasy starting lineups the rest of the season, with more lows than highs.

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