The Dallas Cowboys are set to host the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a game that has been marked by high scoring and fantasy football players should be curious about some of these sleepers for both teams, including Dak Prescott. Who do you want your team to draft?
The NFL season in 2021 begins with three games on Thanksgiving Day, as is customary. The clash between the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders is one of the games set for Thursday, but we are not here to go down the game. We’ve gathered here to discuss a Dallas Cowboys fantasy football sleeper who might make the difference between winning and losing your Week 12 game. In fantasy football, there are no certainties, and numerous winners have undoubtedly taken risky plays that led them to the top of their respective leagues. Will Cedrick Wilson be your go-to sleeper this week to help you over the hump?
Cedrick Wilson’s Most Recent Form
The Cowboys have had a lot of ups and downs recently, and Wilson’s past few Dallas games have been quite boring. Wilson was targeted five times and caught two catches for 28 yards in a 30-16 defeat to the Denver Broncos on the road in Week 9. In the next game, against the Atlanta Falcons at home, he was limited to one offensive play. The Cowboys won by a score of 43-3. Wilson was listed as doubtful for that game due to a shoulder issue, which explains why he received so little playing time. There’s also the reality that Michael Gallup made his comeback to the game after missing Weeks 2 through 9.
Nonetheless, Wilson squandered a fantastic opportunity to put up solid statistics. He may have profited from the extended garbage time against the Falcons’ Swiss cheese pass defense if it hadn’t been for his damaged shoulder. Wilson rebounded back in the next game, catching four passes on seven targets for 36 yards in a 19-9 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Why Cedrick Wilson is a fantasy football sleeper in the Cowboys’ Week 12 matchup against the Raiders on Thanksgiving Day
In the Cowboys’ system, there are just too many mouths to feed, and Wilson isn’t one of the team’s top priority in the passing attack. Wilson’s upcoming Thanksgiving Day battle against the Raiders might be one of those weeks when he puts up pretty good statistics by his season’s norms. To begin with, the Cowboys will be without one of the biggest of those tongues, wide receiver Amari Cooper. Wilson, a former Alabama Crimson Tide wideout, is on injured reserve/COVID-19, which has forced him to miss the Kansas City game – the same game in which he had disappointing fantasy PPR stats. Cooper had 65 targets in nine games, second on the squad behind CeeDee Lamb. Cooper’s seven targets per game will have to be absorbed by the Dallas receiving corps, which includes Wilson.
Lamb was unable to complete the Kansas City game due to a concussion, allowing Wilson to run almost 90% of his routes out of the slot in that game. Lamb seems to be on track to be ready in Week 12, but even if he is, who knows whether he will be at full strength when he goes up against Las Vegas’ cornerbacks. Wilson might get an increase in targets if he struggles early, and he could wind up as Dak Prescott’s No. 2 target behind Michael Gallup.
Wilson managed to put out a 16-256-3 stat line during Gallup’s eight-game absence. One of those scores came on a red-zone target, which is noteworthy, at least in terms of his prospects to score fantasy flex gold in Week 12. This is due to the Raiders’ defense’s inability to prevent opponents from scoring touchdowns in the red zone. In fact, Las Vegas has the second-worst red-zone touchdown rate in the NFL.
Prescott and the Cowboys’ air attack, which has averaged 37.5 pass attempts per week, might keep up their high-volume passing game and have greater success versus the Raiders since Las Vegas. Given how little interest Las Vegas seems to have in blitzing opposing quarterbacks, Prescott will have more time in the pocket in this game. (With a 13.1 percent blitz rate, the Raiders are lowest in the NFL.)
On that point, here’s a highlight from Wilson from the Cowboys’ Week 4 home victory against the Carolina Panthers.
CEDRICK WILSON WITH THE SPIN MOVE, DAK WITH HIS FOURTH TD. pic.twitter.com/HbMNgMT19g
October 3, 2021 — The 60FPS & GIF Guy (@IHaveFourBalls)
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