In the battle over the Lone Star state, the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys both find themselves in need of a win. Houston has lost 3 of their last four, while Dallas is looking for any good news this season. Nico Collins should be 100% healthy, and there are several other players who are poised to have strong games here.
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys Start Em’
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud (Draft Kings Price 6.7K, FanDuel Price 8.2K)
Stroud has struggled for the past few weeks, but let’s be analytical about this. Stroud was missing Nico Collins for the past five weeks, and Stefon Diggs went down due to injury as well. He also has had to deal with an offensive line that struggles with pass blocking. With Collins returning, Stroud is set up to have a big comeback game, and the Cowboy’s defense tends to give up lots of points to strong offenses (e.g. Detroit, Philadelphia, etc.).
Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb (Draft Kings Price 8.3K, FanDuel Price 8.5K)
Lamb may not putting up the huge numbers fans expected of him going into the season, but he still demands a huge target share in this offense. Even in the losses to Atlanta and Philadelphia, he got 12 targets and 10 targets respectively. Lamb should be Cooper Rush’s best friend going into this game, as he is the most reliable receiver in this offense.
Houston Texans RB Joe Mixon (Draft Kings Price 7.7K, FanDuel Price 9.3K)
Throughout this rough patch for the Houston Texans, the bright spot has been Joe Mixon’s play. In the past five games, Mixon has only missed the 100-yard mark once (against Detroit). Mixon is also getting several touches a game in the passing game. Look for Mixon to be used early in the game to wear down that Cowboys defense.
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys Sit Em’
Dallas Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson (Draft Kings Price 4.9K, FanDuel Price 6.3K)
While Ferguson can get some occasional clutch yards for the Cowboys, he does not perform well for fantasy purposes. First of all, he hasn’t recorded a single touchdown all year. Secondly, he is extremely inconsistent, going from 71 yards against Atlanta to 27 yards against Philadelphia. Considering that the Texans have a pretty good defense, Ferguson just isn’t worth the investment for this game.
Houston Texans TE Dalton Shultz (Draft Kings Price 4K, FanDuel Price 5.4K)
Speaking of tight ends, Shultz also hasn’t performed well fantasy-wise. Shultz doesn’t have a touchdown to their name this season either and has a season-high of 66 yards. This period of time without Collins or Diggs on the field should have been his best opportunity, and Shultz didn’t receive too many more targets, so there is little reason to play him now that Collins is back.
Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliot (Draft Kings Price 4.6K, FanDuel Price 5.5K)
So far this season, Elliot has been beaten out on carries thanks to the arrival of Rico Dowdle. Even as a backup, Elliot gets goal line carries, so in theory he could be worth a start. The issue is that, with his snap numbers declining, he might struggle to break free against a competent Texans defense. Dowdle isn’t really worth a start either, though, because he hasn’t reached the endzone at all this season.
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys Lock
Houston Texans WR Nico Collins (Draft Kings Price 7.9K, FanDuel Price 8.7K)
In Week 11, C.J. Stroud will be reunited with Nico Collins and it feels so good. Collins was setting up to be the wide receiver 1 on the year before he went down with his leg injury. The Cowboys pass defense is susceptible to the long ball (although not as much now that Micah Parsons is back), and Stroud should be dialing Collins’ number often in this matchup.
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys Fade
Dallas Cowboys QB Cooper Rush (Draft Kings Price 5K, FanDuel Price 6.5K)
It’s hard to have faith in Cooper Rush considering Trey Lance is right behind him. Yes, Lance threw an interception when he saw game time against Philadelphia, but he still has considerable upside as a quarterback. Houston’s pass defense is also so potent that they could probably make easy work of Rush or Lance. It’s just that, if Rush has a really bad game, fans might call for Lance to get on the field.
