Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders Matchup Breakdown For Week 2 Fantasy Football

• Spread: Cowboys -4.5
• O/U: 50.5
• Score Prediction (from the Fantasy Life NFL Betting Model):  DAL 28, WAS 23

Washington Commanders Fantasy Preview

Washington struggled to get the offensive engine turned over in Week 1, though the combination of Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis had a bunch to do with it. Matchup’s going to significantly soften against Dallas, who just gave up nearly 400 yards on the NFL’s second-worst EPA/play (-0.29) to an unproven Giants’ offense. Can anyone say get-right spot?

It all begins and ends with Jayden Daniels, who still managed +17.5 fantasy points in a “down” game. After hearing nonstop complaining about his play, I went and gave his Week 1 tape my full attention. Criticism’s fair, though somewhat misplaced in my humble opinion. 

For starters, staring down a secondary comprised of Riq Woolen, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean is no small task — they’re going to make lots of good quarterbacks look pedestrian this year. Face facts.

Next, I came away mostly encouraged with Daniels’ usual poise and willingness to hang in the pocket while progressing through reads. Again, an extremely tough Eagles’ D that covers well, as they collapse the pocket, won’t make achieving a single first down easy … for anyone. The worst part of Jayden’s game would have to be deep ball accuracy, which should progress back to norms in time. Remember, this is his first NFL start in a long time. Show patience; it’s a virtue.

Contrary to popular belief, Terry McLaurin’s early absence wasn’t to get in cardio. He worked in a decent mix of crossers, hitches, outs, and flares — the long ball just wasn’t there. F1 should be fine and considered a solid buy-low target. 

Stefon Diggs balled out in his Commander debut (4-55-1), earning a team-high 9 targets mostly from the slot in a massive 36% target/route showing. Love the consolidated target tree — this WR room’s going to post some massive games.

An injury to Chig Okonkwo opened up routes and opportunities for rookie WR Antonio Williams, who made the most of them. Volume’s going to be a question going forward, but should absolutely be monitored as the dust settles on the Commanders' pass-catching rotation. Funny how quickly a first-year player can leap into the fantasy conversation …

• Start: Jayden Daniels (QB5), Terry McLaurin (WR25), Stefon Diggs (WR30), Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB29)
• Sit: Rachaad White (RB41)
• Sleeper: Antonio Williams (WR91)

Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Preview

Why can’t we have nice things? After tireless discussions about Dallas’ offense starting with a cupcake matchup in Week 1 on its way to breaking fantasy in 2026, the thing GMs are left wondering is what the heck happened. Javonte Williams smashed (12-41-1; 5-31-1) as the undisputed bellcow, but despite allowing a measly 30.6% pressure rate with just one hit plus zero sacks, Dallas racked up all of 244 yards from scrimmage (sad trombone sound). Ewww.

In fact, Dak Prescott’s 175 passing yards is the lowest total accrued in a game he finished since the back end of 2023. Yuck. Only one way to go from here, right? Watching the tape back, obviously the word disappointing comes to mind, though my main takeaway’s two-fold. First, rookie LB Arvell Reese played fantastic for a debut in a mixed role — and maybe more than anything else was the Giants’ ability to control the clock. It’s a small sample, but a 5:14 average time of possession per drive is completely insane. Natural regression will be the Cowboys’ friend.

Dak looked good enough to my eye, often looking smooth despite the low target depth to avoid taking hits. Multiple drops killed a few drives in the crib, though the finger of blame does point back to Prescott — an errant throw while back-pedaling in full retreat got picked, leading to a NYG touchdown with twenty seconds left in the half. Not smart from the usually sound Prescott.

Say what you will, the narrow route and target tree make every Cowboy pass catcher startable, regardless of output in a floor game. I’d extend that same label to WR3 Ryan Flournoy in deeper leagues as well — he ran 26 routes, operating as DAL’s main slot WR. Keep an eye on Jake Ferguson also, who ran triple the routes as Brevyn Spann-Ford, yet earned the same two targets. I’d be on the lookout for a replacement ASAP.

• Start: CeeDee Lamb (WR5), George Pickens (WR8), Javonte Williams (RB9), Dak Prescott (QB4)
• Sit: Jake Ferguson (TE18)
• Sleeper: Ryan Flournoy (WR63)

Next Week’s Bold Headline, Today

• Nothing like a shootout to get the fantasy juices flowing. Both teams hang +30 points on the scoreboard, reminding everyone why so many of these players went inside the top-100 overall.
• Stefon Diggs is one of the big steals in every PPR draft, acting as Daniels’ high-probability safety blanket underneath.