Sleepers on the Dallas Cowboys

Photo: USA Today Sports

As we race toward August, Footballguys.com will look at one team per weekday with our quick-hitting Team Sleepers feature, where we check out the players we think will surprise this year.

Go Deeper: See in-depth projections for every Cowboys player here >>>

This is a weekday series that will stretch through July 30. If you like this and want another, come back the next workday. Another will be here.

Sleepers We Are Targeting on the Cowboys

We asked the Footballguys staff to identify a player they believe will outperform their current draft price.

• RB Ezekiel Elliott - 6 votes
• WR Brandin Cooks - 2 votes
• RB Rico Dowdle - 1 vote
• The backfield: Dowdle and Elliott - 1 vote
• LB Eric Kendricks - 1 vote
• WR Jalen Tolbert - 1 vote
• EDGE Sam Williams - 1 vote

Reasons Ezekiel Elliott Could Be a Sleeper

• Chad Parsons: The starting running back for Dallas has requisite value for touchdowns alone, and Elliott is trusted as a pass protector to be the primary passing-down option. 
• Jason Wood: Elliott is obviously not the bellcow he was during his first stint in Dallas. However, the Cowboys did absolutely nothing else to address the position in the offseason, putting Elliott back in a position for 250+ touches. If he stays healthy, he'll demolish his ADP.
• Corey Spala: Elliott currently has no competition to be the lead running back in the offense. It is safe to assume another 200+ touch season is on the horizon, potentially approaching 300 if the stars align.
• Andy Hicks: This isn't 2016-2019 Elliott, but he will still be keen to push his hall-of-fame credentials with solid production. He has little competition to be the chief ball carrier.
• Hutchinson Brown: After Rhamondre Stevenson was injured, from week 13 to 18, Elliot put together 15.2 PPR fantasy points per game. He was on a 17-game pace of 87 receptions. He's a solid pass catcher, a good pass blocker, and very well could lead this lacking Dallas backfield this year.
• Julia Papworth: We know Elliott is older (29, to be exact), but a world exists where he falls into the endzone multiple times and makes drafters look silly for not taking him at the end of the tenth round. He will share the backfield with Rico Dowdle, so he might make his hay on volume alone.