An NFC East matchup between the plucky 2-0 Giants and the resilient 1-1 Cowboys is the final game of Week 3. The game’s spread is small, indicating bettors and linemakers expect it to be close. They also expect it to be a low-scoring affair with a total of under 40 points. Further, a lack of high-salaried talent creates a unique showdown slate for roster construction. Tonight’s primer will whittle the player pool and offer suggestions for roster construction.
Check out our top player prop bet picks for Monday Night Football 
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
An NFC East matchup between the plucky 2-0 Giants and the resilient 1-1 Cowboys is the final game of Week 3. The game’s spread is small, indicating bettors and linemakers expect it to be close. They also expect it to be a low-scoring affair with a total of under 40 points. Further, a lack of high-salaried talent creates a unique showdown slate for roster construction. Tonight’s primer will whittle the player pool and offer suggestions for roster construction.
Check out our top player prop bet picks for Monday Night Football
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Game: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Spread: NYG -1.0 Points
Over/Under: 39.0 Points
Cowboys Analysis: Cooper Rush has played competently in two career starts. Last year, he torched the Vikings for 325 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Then, last week, Rush had 235 passing yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions against the defending AFC champion Bengals. He's not a world-beater, but Rush can keep the offense and its weapons afloat. So, he's an acceptable selection on Monday night.
In addition, according to Football Outsiders, the Giants are 21st in pass defense Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA). So, Big Blue's below-average pass defense is good for Dallas's pass catchers. CeeDee Lamb is Dallas's top pass-catching option. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), he led the team in targets (10), receptions (seven) and routes (33) in Week 2. Lamb also added a rush attempt for six yards. He's the most exciting and highest-ceiling choice on the Cowboys.
Still, Noah Brown was their most productive receiver in Week 2. He led the way in receiving yards (91) and caught the team's only touchdown reception. Brown was also second in receptions (five) and routes (32). However, he might face additional competition for targets since Michael Gallup is expected to play after practicing all week.
Sadly, the Cowboys might be without their starting tight end, Dalton Schultz. He has a PCL sprain and is questionable to play. Though, there's a chance.
If Schultz is out, Jake Ferguson will be a chalky choice on DraftKings at the minimum salary. But he'll also have a more prominent role in the offense.
Ferguson hasn't been targeted, but he's run 12 routes, aligning in the slot four times. The rookie was also productive in the preseason, catching all seven of his targets for 76 yards. Finally, according to PFF, Ferguson had their ninth-highest receiving grade and 25th-highest Yards Per Route Run (1.73 Y/RR) out of 97 tight ends in FBS with at least 25 targets last year.
Tony Pollard is the most explosive running back on the Cowboys. Sadly, volume is the king for running backs, and the Cowboys won't stop feeding washed-up Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard has the dynamism to pay off on a limited workload. Still, he needs a big play to pay off his salary, which is too expensive for his role.
Meanwhile, Zeke has played 62% of Dallas's snaps and has run 37 routes versus 28 for Pollard. He's comically had only one run for 10-plus yards and forced one missed tackle on 25 attempts. Zeke is lousy, but Dallas has inexplicably fed him 25 rush attempts for 105 yards and pumped him four targets. Big Blue's run defense is 22nd in DVOA. Further, the Cowboys can win, giving them a good game script to pound the rock. As a result, Zeke is a volume and matchup-driven suggestion.
The utility of Dallas's defense is entirely reliant on Micah Parsons playing. He's listed as questionable with an illness. Parsons had the most sacks (4.0) through the first two weeks and is a game-wrecker. In addition, Trevon Diggs is in the secondary and led the league in interceptions (11) last season. Finally, according to StatHead, Daniel Jones has had the fourth-highest sack rate (7.99%) among quarterbacks with at least 400 pass attempts since 2020.
KaVontae Turpin is primarily a returner. So, there's an appeal to stacking him with Dallas's DST in GPPs to double dip on points on the chance he scores a return touchdown. The USFL MVP returned a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in the same game in the preseason.
Turpin has also played a few offensive snaps, running two routes and rushing once for three yards. So, he has some gadget usage potential and the explosiveness to make the most of limited touches. It's most likely Turpin doesn't help DFS squads, but he's a reasonable contrarian pick.
Giants Analysis: Big Blue's offense runs through Saquon Barkley. He's had the second-highest snap share (83%) among running backs this year. Additionally, Barkley's run the fourth-most routes (55) at the position through the first two weeks. New York's bell-cow back is averaging 19.5 rush attempts, an NFL-high 118.0 rushing yards, 4.5 receptions and 23.0 receiving yards per game and reaching paydirt once. As a result, Barkley's the most exciting choice on tonight's showdown slate.
Daniel Jones has attempted only 55 passes in two games. He's thrown three touchdowns and one interception while averaging an underwhelming 182.0 passing yards per game. However, Jones has added fantasy value with his legs, rushing for 46 yards on 16 attempts. So, Jones is a rock-solid choice, even with his low passing volume.
Sterling Shepard and Richie James are the best passing-game options. Shepard has been good in his return from last year's season-ending Achilles injury. He leads the Giants in routes (57) and targets (12). Shepard has parlayed his role atop the passing attack into eight receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. As a result, Shepard is one of the best values on the slate.
James has been highly efficient for the G-Men. He's fourth on the club in routes (46), tied for second in targets (11) and first in receptions (10) and receiving yards (110). James has primarily played the slot, aligning there on 40 of 49 passing snaps.
Tanner Hudson is a nifty value selection. His salary is substantially lower than Daniel Bellinger's, despite Hudson running more routes (35) than the rookie's 26. Bellinger scored a 16-yard touchdown on his only reception. Meanwhile, Hudson has had two receptions or 22 yards on three targets. The 27-year-old tight end has been used sparingly in his career. However, he's flashed passing-game utility in the preseason. According to PFF, Hudson has had 42 receptions for 493 yards, 2.19 Y/RR and four touchdowns on 56 targets in 14 preseason contests. Thus, Hudson is a useful pick.
Final Thoughts: Barkley should be the centerpiece of showdown rosters. A lineup including five Cowboys and only Barkley from the Giants is an option. Although, a balanced lineup isn't a bad move either. Finally, gamers in GPPs should consider firing a bullet on a Zeke, Dallas DST and Turpin stack. Again, if Turpin has a return touchdown, the DST will also get six points. Further, suppose the Cowboys have a good game script. In that case, that's ideal for Zeke's rushing outlook and the defense's opportunity to pile up sacks and turnovers while pinning their ears back to get after Jones in obvious passing situations.
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
