Patriots vs. Cowboys Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard, CeeDee Lamb, Mac Jones, Rhamondre Stevenson

Welcome to our Patriots vs. Cowboys fantasy football start 'em, sit' em matchups analysis article for Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season.

Read our matchups analysis, player breakdowns, and lineup recommendations for the matchup and set those winning lineups. Good luck RotoBallers!

New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys

Spread: Cowboys -6.0
Implied Total: Patriots (19) vs. Cowboys (25)
Pace: Patriots (1st) vs. Cowboys (25th)
Patriots Off. DVOA: 20.0% Pass (13th), -9.0% Rush (19th)
Cowboys Off. DVOA: 21.0% Pass (12th), -4.1% Rush (12th)
Patriots Def. DVOA: 1.3% Pass (13th), -14.6% Rush (12th)
Cowboys Def. DVOA: -39.7% Pass (3rd), -2.4% Rush (20th)

Matchups We Love

Tony Pollard (RB, DAL)

Dallas overlooked the Cardinals as heavy favorites and wound up paying the price for it. While they trailed the entire way, Pollard still managed 23 rushing attempts for 122 yards. The disappointing part was three receptions for a loss of one yard, along with Rico Dowdle coming in to steal his receiving touchdown. Pollard leads the league in carries, averaging nearly 21 per game. Plus, he's tied for fifth in targets. Despite the massive workload, there is still an opportunity for touches behind him. Dowdle turned seven touches into 49 yards and a score, which could make him intriguing as a flex option in matchups like this where they are favored to win.

Tony Pollard breaks through for the big gain 😤pic.twitter.com/mmbemj4hSt

— Cowboys Nation (@CowboysNationCP) September 24, 2023

Matchups We Hate

Dak Prescott (QB, DAL)

Prescott followed up a better day against the Jets with a setback against Arizona. He was outside the top half of the league in passer rating and completion percentage, despite an inferior opponent. In fact, he was bested by the signal-caller across the field, Joshua Dobbs, in most statistical categories. New England remains a solid pass defense, pushing Prescott outside the top 15 again.

Patriots Passing Attack

The weather combined with the matchup made for a difficult day in New York. Mac Jones played mistake-free football with zero turnovers and no sacks, allowing the rushing attack to get the win. Dallas has been more vulnerable against the run, but their pass defense remains elite. They've allowed the third-lowest EPA per dropback to their opponents, rank third in pass defense DVOA, and fifth in passing yards allowed per attempt. The one area they've given up fantasy points is against tight ends, which keeps Hunter Henry in play as a streamer.

Other Matchups

Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, NE)

It's easy to look at the box score, see 16 carries for Ezekiel Elliott, and assume this backfield returned to a timeshare, which would be a mistake. As mentioned above, the weather forced them to lean on the ground game, resulting in 40 rushing attempts.

"Last year, he's getting over two yards after contact... this year he's at 0.2"@_AndrewCallahan breaks down why Rhamondre Stevenson has looked so 'off' this season compared to last year 🤔 pic.twitter.com/njzpma2PLd

— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) September 26, 2023

Additionally, nine of the 16 carries Elliott had were in the fourth quarter when they were trying to close out the game and Stevenson had already done his damage. Stevenson still had three more rushing attempts and three more targets. They'll need to lean on him again as their best player.

Jake Ferguson (TE, DAL)

Ferguson was a focal point again, tying for the lead in targets. He's now tied with Travis Kelce for the eighth-most this season. It's a valuable role in this offense with Prescott at the helm. The Patriots appear good against tight ends, but they've faced New York, Miami, and Philly thus far. Only Dallas Goedert is a quality tight end and it was his strange goose game. Don't be afraid to lock Ferguson in.

CeeDee Lamb (WR, DAL)

Something that was a bit unusual against the Cardinals was the wider distribution of volume. Lamb, Ferguson, Michael Gallup, and Brandin Cooks all earned seven targets. It does correlate with Cooks' return to action, but it seems like more of an anomaly. New England will almost certainly try to slow down Pollard, knowing that their chance of success is better against Prescott and the receivers. I'd anticipate a bounce-back game from Lamb. Gallup would be the No. 2 receiver to look to, but he's in the flex range.

Notable Injuries

None

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