Fantasy
9/25/22
6 min read
Monday Night DFS Showdown: Cowboys vs. Giants
The Cowboys are traveling to New York after their upset win over the Bengals. Cooper Rush looked comfortable running the offense, and Micah Parsons was unstoppable rushing the passer. They will be taking on a defense that will bring plenty of blitzes, and it will be up to Rush to find CeeDee Lamb down the field.
The Giants have started the year with two wins and have been aggressive on both sides of the ball. Brian Daboll has unlocked Saquon Barkley and done a great job limiting what Daniel Jones will do down the field. The Giants offensive line has given up 30 pressures so far this year, and they will need to figure out how to contain Micah Parsons in this one.
Vegas Line: Giants -1
Over/Under: 39
Notable Injuries:
Cowboys: QB Dak Prescott (Out), LG Connor McGovern (Out), WR Michael Gallup (Questionable), TE Dalton Schultz (Questionable), DT Quinton Bohanna (Questionable), LB Micah Parsons (Questionable), S Jayron Kearse (Questionable).
Giants: WR Wan’Dale Robinson (Out), CB Aaron Robinson (Out), WR Kadarius Toney (Doubtful), DL Leonard Williams (Doubtful), EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux (Questionable), EDGE Azeez Ojulari (Questionable).
Data to Know
Cowboys Offense vs. Giants Defense
- Cooper Rush has averaged 8.1 and 7.6 yards per attempt in both of his starts.
- In his five attempts vs. a blitz last week, he averaged 13.5 yards per attempt.
- Against Man coverage, Noah Brown and Ceedee Lamb saw four targets and combined for 110 yards.
- Tony Pollard also saw an expanded role in the passing game.
- If Dalton Schultz cannot go, Jake Ferguson will likely be the top Tight End option.
- Michael Gallup has made strides in recent weeks, and if he can go, it boosts this offense.
- Ezekiel Elliot has out-carried Tony Pollard 25-15 and has run more routes this season.
- The Giants will blitz and play man coverage, and it’ll be up to Dallas to find the mismatch before the pressure can get there.
Giants Offense vs. Cowboys Defense
- Daniel Jones is averaging 5.73 air yards per attempt, and that has been a significant boost to his completion rate, which is sitting at 71%
- The top three wide receivers in routes run are Sterling Sheperd, David Sills, and Richie James.
- James is getting targeted on 26% of his routes run and averaging 2.39 yards per route run.
- Shepard leads the team in targets and is the only WR with a touchdown.
- They haven’t seen much man coverage to begin the year, but against Zone Coverage, James and Shepard dominate the targets.
- Saquon Barkley has 191 yards after contact and has looked phenomenal to begin the year.
- He will make big plays if the offensive line can give him lanes.
- The Cowboys defense, like the Giants, will be very aggressive, and the key for the Giants is slowing down Micah Parsons.
2021 Data Provided by SIS
After 4 Weeks of data for 2022, I will update this as 2022 data; for now, I will highlight the differences inside the Data to Know Section.
Offensive Statistics and Tendencies
| Statistic | Cowboys | Giants |
| YPA vs. Zone | 8.2 | 6.2 |
| YPA vs. Man | 7.9 | 6.5 |
| YPA vs Blitz | 7.0 | 5.2 |
| % TGT to Wide | 30% | 33% |
| % TGT to Slot | 44% | 40% |
| % TGT to RB | 19% | 21% |
| % TGT to TE | 20% | 22% |
| YPC | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Gap Run % | 32.2% | 40.0% |
| Zone Run % | 66.0% | 55.0% |
| Red Zone Pass Rate | 61.3% | 61.0% |
| Red Zone Rush Rate | 38.7% | 39.0% |
Defensive Statistics and Tendencies
| Defense | Cowboys | Giants* |
| Zone Coverage % | 46.5% | 49.0% |
| Man Coverage % | 38.1% | 36.0% |
| Primary Coverage | Cover 1 | Cover 1 |
| Secondary Coverage | Cover 3 | Cover 3 |
| Blitz % | 16.6% | 18.0% |
| Stacked Box % | 26.2% | 19.0% |
| YPC | 4.47 | 3.80 |
*I am utilizing the Ravens' defensive data from last season as the Giants defensive coordinator is Don Martindale.
Cowboys vs. Giants: Multiplier Pool
- Saquon Barkley
- Leonard Fournette ran all over Dallas, and Joe Mixon was shut down. It’s tough to tell where their defensive front stands, but I do know Barkley has looked great to begin this year.
- Ceedee Lamb
- Lamb will see man coverage, and the Giants will bring a blitz in a lot of situations. Rush will have to give Lamb a chance down the field in this one.
- Ezekiel Elliott
- From a game theory perspective, if the Cowboys are winning, we will see a lot of Elliott.
- If I am playing him, it’s at the multiplier spot with Brett Maher and the Cowboys defense.
- Sterling Shepard
- Shepard is the best WR on this roster right now, and with how quick they want the ball out, he will likely see plenty of targets.
- Brett Maher
- There are not many scenarios where I recommend kickers at the multiplier spot, but both can kick 50+ yards, and with the state of these offensive lines, we could see a few kicks.
- Graham Gano
- Gano is another kicker comfortable kicking from 50+ yards and if Parsons is getting pressure, then we could see some long field goals for Gano.
Cowboys vs. Giants: FLEX Pool
- Cooper Rush
- Rush has looked comfortable and will have opportunities to make big plays if the offense can hold up.
- Daniel Jones
- Jones has the legs to get there on the ground, and with the attention to Barkley, I expect the Giants to test their discipline on RPOs.
- Tony Pollard
- Pollard looked good this past weekend after an underwhelming Week 1. I don’t believe Pollard out-touches Elliott in any games, and with his lack of pass protection ability, I can’t imagine him seeing a majority of third-down work.
- Noah Brown
- Brown impressed last weekend, and if Gallup and Schultz don’t go will need to step up.
- Richie James
- James has been impressive to begin the year and will be a quick target to get the ball to and avoid giving Parsons time to sack Daniel Jones.
- Cowboys DST
- Daniel Jones is getting the ball out quicker but has still been pressured on 30 dropbacks this season.
- Giants DST
- At home, getting first-round pick Kavyon Thibadeau back and playing a backup quarterback.
- Jake Ferguson
- Only a player in the absence of Dalton Schultz.
WATCH MORE: Former Pro Bowl NFL QBs Matt Cassel and Rich Gannon break down how Brian Daboll is putting the Giants' players in the best positions to succeed.
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