Buy/Sell Cowboys players in Week 5 versus Steelers
Which Cowboys do you think will show up on Sunday ngiht?
The Cowboys head into their Week 5 matchup against the Steelers with few reliable strengths on the roster. The road to Dallas’ current 2-2 record is full of inconsistency, including from their stars, so it’s hard to say what to expect from them in Pittsburgh. However, the matchup does present some opportunities for certain players over others.
BUY
QB Dak Prescott
The Steelers have had it relatively easy so far when it comes to opposing quarterbacks. They got Kirk Cousins in his first game as a Falcon, Bo Nix in only his second game as a pro, and saw Justin Herbert and Anthony Richardson get injured over the last two weeks. Even with that, they gave up a healthy 246 passing yards to Nix and 239 yards to the combination of Richardson and Joe Flacco.
Given that, Dak Prescott should be able to move the ball through the air in this game. While WR Brandin Cooks is now on IR for at least four games, he hasn’t been helping the passing game lately. Some would argue that more targets for Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin will make the Cowboys’ offense less predictable and more explosive.
WR Jalen Tolbert
As just mentioned, Tolbert stands to get an uptick in production with Cooks out. Just last week, Pittsburgh allowed Indy’s WR2 Josh Downs to get 82 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. This was despite Michael Pittman having 113 yards of his own, so if the Cowboys can find and keep a rhythm going it could be a good day for Tolbert and the passing game as a whole.
DE Marshawn Kneeland
Forced up the depth chart after injuries to Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, the rookie has a great chance to shine in his first start. Pittsburgh’s allowed QB Justin Field to be sacked at least twice in every game this year, and he went down four times last week against the Colts. While Kneeland is like Lawrence, more of a run-stopper than pass rusher, he’s flashed enough of the latter ability that he could take advantage of opportunities.
It also helps Kneeland this week that the Steelers haven’t been that dangerous on the ground. RB Najee Harris is averaging just 3.4 yards on his rushes so far this year. Pittsburgh can do some trickery with Fields’ running ability, but so far this year they haven’t been a team that can just run you over at will.
SELL
RB Rico Dowdle
Last week was Dowdle’s best game so far this season; a 4.2 average on his runs and his first touchdown. But the Steelers have been brutal against opponents’ running backs in 2024, currently ranking third-best in total yards allowed and second in yards per carry. While they did give up 88 yards and a score to Jonathan Taylor last week, Dallas’ rushing attack has barely been able to get going against even mediocre defenses.
Defensive Backs
Pittsburgh has had 557 passing yards over the last two games. Fields has quickly forged a good working relationship with WR George Pickens, who’s been solid all year and went off last week for 113 yards on seven catches. Throw in Dallas’ pass-rushing concerns with Parsons and Lawrence out, plus health issues for Trevon Diggs and Caelen Carson, and things don’t bode well for the Cowboys’ secondary on Sunday night.
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