The Week 8 matchup between the Washington and the Dallas Cowboys pits two bitter rivals against one another that always seem to put on quite a show. We've got the fantasy projections for you courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 8: Washington-Cowboys featuring DeSean Jackson, Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray
We break down the Week 8 matchup between Washington and Dallas.
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Washington
With quarterback Kirk Cousins struggling to take care of the football last week, coach Jay Gruden decided to turn to Colt McCoy midway through the game. He looked pretty impressive in his season debut, which could mean a big game from wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson is one of the fastest players in the NFL and seems to have found his groove in a Washington uniform. Although he's a boom-or-bust talent in fantasy leagues because he's a downfield receiver by nature, this week could be a boom as Washington will likely play from behind against the team that many consider to be the best in the NFC.
When Washington does decide to run the ball, they will turn it over to Alfred Morris. Morris is definitely struggled of late. In the last three weeks he’s averaging fewer than 3 yards per carry, so although he still gets his fair share of rushing attempts, fantasy owners may have to wonder whether it’s time to start looking elsewhere to fulfill their needs at running back, especially this week against a Cowboys squad that’s not only playing at home, but also looking like a real Super Bowl contender these days.
Dallas Cowboys
Running back DeMarco Murray hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, even with the Cowboys' coaching staff admitting that he could probably use a break every once in a while and maybe not get so many carries. A break is unlikely to come anytime soon given the MVP-like performances that Murray has been stringing together all year long. He set an NFL record last week by becoming the first running back in history to rush for at least 100 yards in the first seven games to start a season. Murray only needs 87 rushing yards against Washington to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark on the year. Not too bad considering its only Week 8.
Murray's outstanding play this season has opened things up for quarterback Tony Romo. While that means Romo probably won't throw for as many yards on a regular basis throughout the rest of the season as he usually does, his fantasy owners will likely be happy to see him turn the ball over less often than he has in past years. The Cowboys offensive line is one of the best in the league and Washington boasts one of the NFL's worst defenses. Those two factors combined should equal a steady bit of fantasy production from Romo.
