2026 Team Previews: Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys 2026 Preview
All ADP data is courtesy of Fantasy Pros.
** = target in drafts at this ADP
Drafted Everywhere
CeeDee Lamb, WR (ADP: 12, WR5): The Cowboys are an offensive powerhouse, and they made consistency a priority when they moved on from Mike McCarthy when Brian Schottenheimer took over. Things stayed stable, and that’s the outlook heading into 2026. Lamb had a bit of a down year by his standards, but still finished with 75 receptions, 1,077 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games. It’s a very far cry from what we’ve come to expect from Lamb, and it does seem like his absurd 2023 season might be the peak for him as he settles into a regular Top 7-8 WR for fantasy as opposed to Top 3, but it doesn’t change that he’s a full-field threat in a high-scoring attack with a prolific QB throwing the ball. Drafting Lamb this high doesn’t leave much room for value, but it is an appropriate place to take him.
George Pickens, WR (ADP: 26, WR10): Pickens is the far more interesting player of the two monster WRs on Dallas. I predicted Pickens’ outburst last season here, when I banged the drum that there wasn’t a more perfect match of skills and role in that offseason. Dallas was crying out for a dominant outside receiver that would allow Lamb the freedom to roam and dominate, and Pickens arguably overtook him as the lead dog. Pickens had made leaps in his game prior to landing in Dallas that were overshadowed by his immature antics. That always looms over him, but on the field he’s an incredibly special outside X receiver.
Zone isn’t his strong suit, but we’ve talked a lot about how outside specialists can be big time contributors without that club in their bag. They do it by posting 75.8% success rates vs. man (84th percentile) and 78.9% success rates vs. press (88th percentile). 24.6% of Pickens’ routes were go routes, which seems unfortunate until you see the 63.2% success rate he posted on them. There’s not a below average success rate in Pickens’ entire tree, as he became reliable at every level. His final numbers were career-highs by a mile; we’re talking 93 catches, 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. His previous highs in those categories were 63 receptions, 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. Pickens’ 2025 was a fully realized version of what he can be, and that’s clearly a Top 10 WR as long as he keeps his head on straight. He’ll play 2026 on the franchise tag, and I’m sure he’s aiming for a long-term deal, so a best behavior Pickens seems like a very valuable player. He’s going as a WR1 for fantasy, so other people believe too. Pickens’ second/early third round ADP is beautiful because it allows for him to be a value WR1 while you spend the first round capital on RB.
Javonte Williams, RB (ADP: 31, RB16): Williams was a player I dogged last offseason, and he took my skepticism and stuck it where the sun don’t shine. Simply put, Williams was a DAWG. He rushed 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns while adding 35 receptions, 137 receiving yards and two touchdowns for seasoning. His rushing yardage was ninth in the NFL and these were the names ahead of him: James Cook, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Bijan Robinson, De’Von Achane, Kyren Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Christian McCaffery. He was elite in 2025, and while Williams isn’t the flashiest of RBs, he showed he was effective, that there were zero issues near the goal line, and he continues to have little to no serious competition for workload aside from giving him a breather. Williams is a rock solid pick.
**Dak Prescott, QB (ADP: 91, QB8): Prescott was undervalued last season, and I was a proponent of him as a major value. These days, with the emphasis on rushing QBs, pocket passers who can reliably get to 4,000 passing yards and 35 touchdowns are new bargain. Prescott didn’t hit 35 touchdowns (30), but he did throw for 4,552 yards so the point stands. Despite that, his ADP has not moved much from the time Dallas’ preview was written last season so he will be right back on my value list. It must be noted that the path to his final numbers can get rocky at times, and in 2025 he did turn in four games with 10 or fewer fantasy points. Those performances can lose you games, so be wary, but it’s built into the price. He also scored 18 or more points nine times, and went for 25+ three times. Dak can keep up with the big boys, and will be comparable at season’s end with Joe Burrow who goes 40+ picks earlier.
Interesting Players
Jake Ferguson, TE (ADP: 109, TE13): If you need a boring TE who will be fine, Ferguson is your guy. You’d think with the WR talent in Dallas he’d recede, but he caught a career-high 82 passes last year for 600 yards and eight touchdowns. That yardage won’t get much better, but even if he sees the touchdowns regress, as is likely, a TE who can catch 80+ balls is valuable. His 82 receptions tied for the third-most in the NFL at the position, and there’s room for more with an injury to Lamb or Pickens. He’s boring, but considering the cost of elite TEs, I think this price makes more sense.
Deep Cuts
Ryan Flournoy, WR (ADP: 265, WR82): It’s very hard for Flournoy to shine on this team with two Top 10 fantasy receivers in front of him, plus a big time RB and a strong TE. With that said, Flournoy did have pockets of time in which he had to elevate his role, and he did well with those chances. He produced 40 catches, 475 yards and four touchdowns in 2025 and exploded for 114 yards vs. the Jets in Week 5 and 115 yards with a touchdown vs. the Lions in Week 14. I can’t recommend drafting him because his usage will be sparse, but if there was an injury to Pickens or Lamb, I’d make it a priority to add him. There’s a little Jauan Jennings potential here.
Jaydon Blue, RB (ADP: 244, RB70): Blue did zip as a rookie, and appeared to get beat out for the backup job by Malik Davis. This handcuff fight can play out over the summer, but I’m not going to be comfortable drafting any Cowboys RB besides Williams.
Malik Davis, RB (ADP: N/A): Davis is undrafted, which makes sense considering how much Williams dominated the snaps. Davis did run ahead of Blue, however, and earned 52 carries that turned into 250 yards and two touchdowns. I’d be quicker to add Davis than Blue if a Javonte injury occurred.
KaVontae Turpin, WR (ADP: N/A): Turpinis an electrifying player despite his size, and is someone I could see earning FLEX consideration if he had enough opportunity. At his size plays and touches need to be schemed up for him, but he is dazzling enough to make that worthwhile. He won’t get these opportunities enough in Dallas, but I couldn’t leave a player this gifted completely out of the preview.