Sleepers on the Dallas Cowboys

As we race toward August, Footballguys.com will look at one team per weekday with our quick-hitting Team Sleepers feature, where we check out the players we think will surprise this year.

Go Deeper: See in-depth projections for every Cowboys player here >>>

This is a weekday series that will stretch through July 30. If you like this and want another, come back the next workday. Another will be here.

Sleepers We Are Targeting on the Cowboys

We asked the Footballguys staff to identify a player they believe will outperform their current draft price.

• RB Ezekiel Elliott - 6 votes
• WR Brandin Cooks - 2 votes
• RB Rico Dowdle - 1 vote
• The backfield: Dowdle and Elliott - 1 vote
• LB Eric Kendricks - 1 vote
• WR Jalen Tolbert - 1 vote
• EDGE Sam Williams - 1 vote

Reasons Ezekiel Elliott Could Be a Sleeper

• Chad Parsons: The starting running back for Dallas has requisite value for touchdowns alone, and Elliott is trusted as a pass protector to be the primary passing-down option. 
• Jason Wood: Elliott is obviously not the bellcow he was during his first stint in Dallas. However, the Cowboys did absolutely nothing else to address the position in the offseason, putting Elliott back in a position for 250+ touches. If he stays healthy, he'll demolish his ADP.
• Corey Spala: Elliott currently has no competition to be the lead running back in the offense. It is safe to assume another 200+ touch season is on the horizon, potentially approaching 300 if the stars align.
• Andy Hicks: This isn't 2016-2019 Elliott, but he will still be keen to push his hall-of-fame credentials with solid production. He has little competition to be the chief ball carrier.
• Hutchinson Brown: After Rhamondre Stevenson was injured, from week 13 to 18, Elliot put together 15.2 PPR fantasy points per game. He was on a 17-game pace of 87 receptions. He's a solid pass catcher, a good pass blocker, and very well could lead this lacking Dallas backfield this year.
• Julia Papworth: We know Elliott is older (29, to be exact), but a world exists where he falls into the endzone multiple times and makes drafters look silly for not taking him at the end of the tenth round. He will share the backfield with Rico Dowdle, so he might make his hay on volume alone.

Reasons Brandin Cooks Could Be a Sleeper

• Ryan Weisse: The WR2 in this offense should not be going off the board as the WR50 in fantasy football. Cooks was a top-20 wide receiver in the second half of last season.
• Bob Harris: By all accounts, Cooks was on the same page with Dak Prescott during OTAs and minicamp this year, and their connection particularly stood out on deep balls. With questions about the run game, expect plenty of passing and look for Cooks, available in Round 12, to hit stride in his second season in Dallas.

Reasons Rico Dowdle Could Be a Sleeper

• Phil Alexander: The only running back on the Cowboys with above-average burst and a palatable age is the one you want to take a chance on. I would still hesitate to push all in on Dowdle because the top running back in Dallas might not be on the roster yet.

Reasons The Backfield: Dowdle and Elliott Could Be a Sleeper

• Ben Cummins: This backfield projects as a fruitful timeshare. Both are good investments at current cost.

Reasons Eric Kendricks Could Be a Sleeper

• Kyle Bellefeuil: Kendricks will be reunited with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who he found steady success playing for earlier in his career while in Minnesota. Kendricks is poised to operate Zimmer's defense and is a solid value coming off the board as a backend LB3.

Reasons Jalen Tolbert Could Be a Sleeper

• Jeff Haseley: The former third-round pick showed some promise at times last year. Another year of experience could be enough for a mini-breakout that could warrant fantasy consideration.

Reasons Sam Williams Could Be a Sleeper

• Tripp Brebner: The Cowboys let Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler leave with Dan Quinn to Washington in part due to the development of Sam Williams. The third-year defensive end should emerge as the team's fantasy ED2 after Micah Parsons in 2024.

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