The Dallas Cowboys will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Ezekiel Elliott.
Is Ezekiel Elliott Playing in Week 9?
Elliott did not travel with the team due to disciplinary reasons. He will not be playing on Sunday.
We’ll continue to monitor the Cowboys’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Fantasy Outllook
Elliott held a 42.4% to 28.8% snap edge over Dalvin Cook (six catches for 12 yards in Week 8) last week. Maybe that hints that he is the slight percentage play moving forward should Rico Dowdle miss time. But that’s the lesser of two evils and would more than likely result in a situation where there isn’t a Dallas Cowboy ranked inside my top 30 at the position.
In playing, or even rostering, the veteran running back, you’re chasing a score. Elliott is averaging a red-zone touch per game, but with his yards per carry before contact set to decline for a third consecutive season, it’s clear that Father Time has taken his pound of flesh from the one-time elite fantasy asset.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 9
Elliott is projected to score 0 points.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
PFN Insights: Atlanta Falcons Defense
We always talk about striving for consistency in the NFL, and the Atlanta Falcons’ defense has found it by being consistently below average this season. They have not ranked above 18th on defense since Week 1 of the season. Their problems are numerous, and there is no sign that a fix is on the horizon unless they have some pre-trade deadline moves up their sleeves.
The most glaring issue is pressure. They rank 29th in pressure rate without blitzing and last in sack rate. That has resulted in them struggling against the pass, struggling on third downs, and ranking 26th in points per drive. Compounding the issue is that they are not particularly good against the run, either. This is a messy situation, and the Falcons feel like a house of cards ready to fold under a stiff breeze.
For more insight on all other team defenses, head to our PFN Defense+ Metric Analysis.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Week 9 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons Insights
Dallas Cowboys
Team: Strong second half? The on-field product is struggling right now, but this franchise does have back-to-back-to-back seasons with a four-game win streak in the second half of the season.
QB: Dak Prescott has been intercepted multiple times in three straight games, a first for him and the 11th time in the franchise has seen a QB do that. Only twice in their long history has it happened in four straight (Danny White in 1983 and Craig Morton in 1972).
Offense: In Weeks 1-4, Dallas allowed pressure 25.8% of the time, a rate that has spiked in their three games since (37.3%).
Defense: The Cowboys are 2-3 over their past five games. In three games against teams favored to make the playoffs over that stretch, they’ve allowed 105 points (35 points per game). In the other two games, there were 32 points total. They face playoff hopefuls in each of the next four weeks (Falcons, Eagles, Texans, and Commanders).
Fantasy: Jake Ferguson had zero air yards in Week 8 despite eight targets and has been held under 30 air yards in four straight. He’s an asset in PPR leagues, but the per-catch ceiling is low (zero touchdowns this season, nine catches for 34 yards over his past two games).
Betting: Dallas has covered each of their past five road dome games, as well as the past three cashing under tickets.
Atlanta Falcons
Team: In Week 8, the Falcons improved to 3-0 following a loss this season, winning those games by five points.
QB: Kirk Cousins’ 62.4% quick pass rate is his highest since 2018, his first season with the Vikings.
Offense: Atlanta converted 3-8 third-and-long situations (seven-plus yards) in Week 5 against the Bucs; since then, they are just 2-15 in such spots.
Defense: The Falcons have the lowest sack rate in the NFL (2.2%), and it isn’t close (Carolina ranks 31st at 3.6%). We’ve only had two sub-3% sack teams over the past decade (the 2018 Raiders and the 2020 Titans).
Fantasy: I’m not overreacting, but Drake London posted the lowest aDOT of his season on Sunday (6.7 yards) with his second-lowest on-field target share (18.8%). Shorter routes typically correlate with more volume, not less, so this is at least something to monitor.
Betting: The Falcons are just 1-4 ATS at home this season, and they were fortunate to get that one (Week 5’s comeback win over the Bucs in overtime as a 2.5-point favorite).
