The Cowboys playing the Commanders seems like an open-and-shut case. The Cowboys have won seven games this season and the Commanders just four. But, if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that the Commanders are anything but predictable. There are plenty of opportunities to take a flyer on some DraftKings DFS bargains from Washington.
But Sam Howell, facing a defense that has recorded 33 sacks, looks like a big red flag. Only four teams have made more sacks than the Cowboys and nobody has been sacked more than Howell. He’s hit the deck 51 times already, he’s on pace to be sacked 79 times in 17 games. The current single-season record is David Carr’s rookie season when the Texans decided not protecting a young quarterback was a good idea. Carr was sacked 76 times in 2022 but they only played 16 games in the regular season in the olden days.
Howell doesn’t just lead the league in sacks though, he’s also attempted and completed more passes than anyone else, quite the dichotomy. He’s completed 29 more than Josh Allen in second and thrown 60 more than Allen! Unsurprisingly he also leads the league in passing yards, by 76 from C.J. Stroud, who is second.
Back to Thanksgiving, the Commanders have the worst defense in the league in terms of allowing touchdown passes and they are 21st for the number of rushing yards they have allowed. So, it’s a good day to be the Cowboys offense. The Cowboys have the second-best pass defense in the league and the 15th-best run defense. Not many weaknesses for the Commanders to exploit there then.
DraftKings DFS Thanksgiving Afternoon Bargains
The Excitement Machine DraftKings DFS Pick – KaVontae Turpin
He’s the most fun Cowboy to watch since the James Gang went their separate ways. He’s catching 75% of his targets in 2023 too. Plus, he’s cheap, he’ll only cost you $1,200 on the DraftKings DFS slate too. And, according to DraftKings, he’ll be lining up against an opponent ranked 30th in the league, are you sold yet?
Turpin is likely to match up with Danny Johnson if he gets on the field. Johnson has allowed 12 completions on 18 attempts so far this season and a passer rating of 131.0! If Mike McCarthy really wants to make the Commanders’ Thanksgiving miserable, he should spread out the offense and let Dak cook.
The Emerging Rookie Pick – Luke Schoonmaker
And if he does that, Schoonmaker will undoubtedly continue the upward trend he began last week against Carolina. Schoonmaker was a second-round pick, but he’s been a bit lost in the Cowboys tight end mix so far. But with Peyton Hendershot on IR and even the Panthers knowing Jake Ferguson is one of the most targeted red zone threats in football, Schoonmaker got a rare chance to catch a touchdown last week. And what a catch it was, he just managed to separate from the defender covering him, but he was lined up by the safety as he hauled it in.
Schoonmaker has caught four of his five receptions in the last four games. And last week he averaged 11.5 yards per touch. Against a Commanders defense who have allowed 52 receptions and five touchdowns to tight ends this season, there should be plenty of opportunities for both Ferguson and Schoonmaker.
The “Maybe This Time” DraftKings DFS Pick – Deuce Vaughn
This game just screams “garbage time” and Vaughn is somewhat of a garbage time expert. Against the Giants in Week 10, he caught one pass and took it for 11 yards (might want to try that more often guys). He is teeny-tiny though so he can struggle to run the ball between the tackles, he only averages 1.8 yards per carry. But he averages 4.8 yards per catch when they throw it to him out of the backfield
Only the Bears have allowed running backs to score more touchdowns than the Commanders have this season. So maybe this is the game where Vaughn ends his touchdown drought?
Vaughn is just $800 on the DraftKings DFS slate. He’s averaging just 2.1 points per game, but he hasn’t played a defense as generous as the Commanders all season. Plus at that price, any points are good points.
The “Really Tempting Fate” DraftKings DFS Pick – Joey Slye
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Jerry World is a bit of a kicker’s paradise. They don’t have to battle the elements (unless the sun is blazing through that god-awful window). Only six Commanders players average more points per game than Slye’s 7.4. And he’s just $4,600 on the DraftKings DFS this week. It seems unlikely the Cowboys’ defense will allow a lot of touchdowns this week, but Slye hasn’t missed a 50+ yard field goal this season. And he’s only missed two between 40 and 49 yards.
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