rpaolinelliThe Dallas defense was poised to be the top-scoring defense in fantasy football again in Week 4. The unit topped the NFL in Week 1.
Then the Seattle Seahawks said “Hold my beer” on Monday night against the Giants.
Still, two defensive touchdowns, a pick-six, two sacks, and holding the opponent to just three points was a solid outing.
The Cowboys remain as the top-scoring defense in fantasy football through the first four weeks of the season.
They lead by a comfortable margin.
DaRon Bland and Leighton Vander Esch were the top Cowboys defensively, each scoring a touchdown against the Patriots.
Bland cracked the Top 10 in scoring for the week in Individual Defensive Players leagues.
His two picks, and a touchdown, were seventh-best.
Micah Parsons remains the Cowboys’ top overall scorer in IDP leagues.
Khalil Mack’s monster game against the Raiders was the best of the week.
The Chargers linebacker racked up six sacks on Sunday against his former team.
If you had him on your roster and started him you likely won your game. Send him a thank you note.
If he’s still available in your league, go grab him.
Cowboys’ Offense
Dallas’ offense is not looking like a fantasy juggernaut this year. For Cowboys fans that may be good news.
For fantasy owners, not so much.
Dak Prescott is taking a more conservative approach.
Again, good for the team but not good for your fantasy team.
Prescott is averaging 227 yards and one touchdown per game — which doesn’t translate into a high fantasy score.
Tony Pollard has had one 100+ yard game rushing.
Pollard is averaging 78 yards per game and has just two touchdowns.
Hunter Luepke has the only other rushing touchdown for the Cowboys.
Rico Dowdle has a receiving touchdown, the only one among the running backs.
The news is little better for the Cowboys’ receivers. CeeDee Lamb leads the group with 309 yards and one touchdown.
Michael Gallup (165 yards, 0 TDs) and Jake Ferguson (147 yards, 1 TD) are the only other two in triple digits.
Tight end Luke Schoonmaker has the other receiving touchdown.
Cowboys’ Defense
Bland, now thrust into a full-time starting role, leads the Cowboys with three interceptions. He’s also scored two defensive touchdowns.
Linebackers Damone Clark (22) and Vander Esch (20) are the top tacklers.
Parsons (4) and Osa Odighizuwa (3) lead the team in sacks.
Bubba Tracks Down A Trade
No one appeared before the Trade Judge this week.
So I sent out my bailiff, Bubba J. Bonecrusher — he once scored seven touchdowns in the first quarter against Polk High — to round up a case.
He found one posted on Twitter/X.
An owner sent Packers’ receiver Romeo Doubs, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick.
In return, he gets Bills’ receiver Stefon Diggs.
The owner’s thinking is he has a chance to win now.
And he’s willing to mortgage a little bit of his team’s future to do so.
Overall, I like the trade.
He’s getting a solid WR1 that should bolster his scoring on a weekly basis.
The other owner is getting a receiver that could be a solid player for the foreseeable future.
He’s also landing a couple of valuable draft picks.
It’s a nice trade that works out well for both teams. Best of luck to both owners!
If you have a trade you’re considering, or if there’s been a trade in your league that has you seeing red, let me know about it.
Send the details to me at this e-mail address: fantasytradejudge@yahoo.com.
My Week In FFL
As a fantasy owner of three teams, I delegate a lot of authority to my GM.
I may have to fire the guy.
Unlike a certain NFL owner, we all know and love, I won’t put up with my incompetence much longer.
These are the same three teams I had last year. Last season they lost a combined 16 games — over the entire 14-week season.
This year they’ve already lost 11 games in just four weeks.
To be fair, one team has faced the league’s top-scoring team each of the first four weeks. Hard to win games that way.
While the Fiction are snake-bit, the Reapers are just plain bad.
I still don’t know how they won even one game this year.
The Penmen have suffered from the coach consistently picking the wrong starters. But they did rally for a win this week.
At least that’s a good sign going forward. I hope.
If you’ll excuse me, I have to hit the waiver wire.
The Records:
- Grim Reapers 1-3
- Scribe’s Penmen 1-4
- Pigskin Fiction 0-4
All-time regular record (since 1989 – and yes, I keep track of such things): 610-487-7 (.556).
I’ve got 26 division titles and 12 league championships under my belt. What? You think I only religiously keep track of records for the Cowboys?
