Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb gave fantasy football managers a reason for concern when he was listed as limited in practice with an ankle injury. Was his appearance on the injury report just the Cowboys demonstrating caution or something more concerning?
Let’s take a look at whether Lamb is playing in Week 12, and what fantasy managers should do with the Cowboys WR.
Is CeeDee Lamb Playing in Week 12?
Fantasy managers can breathe a sigh of relief because Lamb looks set to play in Week 12, barring a pregame incident or issue. The Cowboys WR was listed as an estimated limited on Monday as the Cowboys did not actually practice to open the week. However, he was back to a full participant on Tuesday and was not listed on the Cowboys’ final injury report on Wednesday.
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It never seemed that Lamb was at serious risk of missing the Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Commanders. Reports out of Dallas were that both Mike McCarthy and Lamb were not concerned he would miss time when asked on Tuesday. Lamb told the media, “I’m straight, I’ll be out there.”
Of course, we cannot rule out Lamb hurting himself in pregame warmups. But entering Thanksgiving morning, Lamb looks set to play and be part of the offense as usual this week. Fantasy managers should have no major concerns about putting Dallas’ wideout in their lineups as they usually would.
Can Fantasy Managers Trust Brandin Cooks or Michael Gallup?
If you have Brandin Cooks or Michael Gallup on your roster but not Lamb, then the thought of Lamb being out might actually have got your hopes up for a big performance from the other Dallas WRs. Neither have been consistent fantasy options this season, playing the WR2 and WR3 roles in this Cowboys offense that has a number of playmakers.
The 2023 season has seen Cooks average his lowest fantasy points per week since his 2019 season with the Los Angeles Rams. At 6.5 fantasy points per game in non-PPR scoring, Cooks has been a tough player to start in 12-team leagues or shallower in 2023. What has made it even harder has been the inconsistent nature of how the points have been produced.
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Cooks’ season so far in non-PPR looks like this: 2.2, 1.7, 2.7, 1.3, 11, 11.2, 0.7, 23.3, 4.2. For the first four games, he became a bench warmer, then suddenly posted an 11-point game. He goes on and repeats that the following week when few will have been convinced it wasn’t just an anomaly the week before. Then when people think he is back, he posts 28.2 fantasy points in three weeks, with over 75% of those coming in a single game.
With all 32 teams playing in Week 12, chances are you do not need to use Cooks this week. Typically, this will mean he has a monster game against the Commanders while sitting on benches. Unfortunately, Cooks is one of those start-and-hold-your-nose-type receivers. Eventually, he may pay back the faith, but there will be some rough weeks getting that payback.
Things have been even rougher for Gallup’s fantasy managers. The WR3 has averaged just four fantasy points per game and hit double-digits just once in standard-scoring leagues. He has only gone over five fantasy points in three of his 10 games. With Lamb active, Gallup is only really an option in deeper leagues.
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