The Week 3 matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys features two teams dealing with injuries to starting quarterbacks. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.
Fantasy football projections, Week 3: Bears-Cowboys featuring Alshon Jeffery, Dez Bryant, Ezekiel Elliott, more
We break down the Week 3 matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys.
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Chicago Bears
Jay Cutler is trying to get over ligament damage in his right thumb. He is really pushing the coaching staff to play on Sunday against the Cowboys, but he may not be able to. If Cutler can’t play, it means Brian Hoyer will draw the start. Hoyer is not worth fantasy consideration, so running back Jeremy Langford is probably the best bet to produce in Dallas this week. Langford scored his second touchdown of the season against Philadelphia last week. It saved his fantasy day given that he amassed just 34 total yards on 12 touches in the game. Dallas is a little bit better defensively than Philadelphia but the Bears are going to be limited on offense if Hoyer is calling the shots. A more conservative game plan usually means more running out of the backfield.
Perhaps Alshon Jeffery can string together some big plays to help out his teammate. Jeffery missed practice on Thursday with a knee ailment, so he also may not be able to play this week. On the plus side, if he does play, he is averaging 100 yards a game through two weeks this year. He’s really the only must-start fantasy option on the Bears’ roster, and Chicago is going to need all of the help they can get to steal a road win in Dallas this week.
Dallas Cowboys
Is Dak Prescott the real deal? Perhaps in reality he is, but he’s not yet a fantasy threat. The main threat in Dallas’ passing game is, as always, wide receiver Dez Bryant. Bryant caught seven of 12 targets for 102 yards in Washington last week, and, although he has yet to catch his first touchdown pass, is a good bet to do so against a Bears team playing on a short week. Bryant always has been a beast, but his own injuries and injuries to his quarterback sometime hamper his production. It looks like he’s finally getting on the same page as Prescott. Week 3 would be as good a week as any for Bryant to corral his first touchdown of the season.
Ezekiel Elliott, on the other hand, scored the second touchdown of his NFL career last week. He finally managed to show off some of the talent that led to him being a highly touted draft pick in the spring. His 3.3 yards per carry average on the season could use a boost, but the good news is he is getting lots of opportunities. Elliot has 41 carries through two games. None of his teammates are going to take away touches in the backfield and it’s only a matter of time before his true talent is realized.
