Giants fans weren't the only ones hoping New York would win in Philadelphia last night. So were fantasy teams with key Dallas starters like Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant and Dak Prescott. With Dallas having locked up the No. 1 seed in the NFC, there are no more team goals for the Cowboys to play for.
This mailbag Q&A at DallasCowboys.com deals with the issue of resting starters. The consensus seems to be that Dallas will rest starters in Week 17 against Philadelphia -- but not Week 16 against Detroit.
"I really don’t expect much to change for the Monday night game against Detroit," comes the response (not, of course, a Cowboys official, but the team website writer). "The Cowboys are already most of the way through their preparations, and they don’t want to start taking it easy three weeks before the playoffs start. I think the Philly game could be a different story. I would guess you’ll see guys with injury concerns sit out, and any starters that do play might take a seat by halftime."
I think the writer's guess is accurate; that Dallas will play to win the Detroit game, to keep the winning momentum going, and then hold starters out of a totally meaningless Week 17 game against an eliminated foe. The NFL and other teams would frown on the Cowboys holding starters out of the Lions game, which has playoff implications for various NFC playoff hopefuls.
Not that Dallas needs to care -- they've got to think about Dallas first -- but their first playoff game isn't until the weekend of January 14-15. To hold starters out of the Monday game would have them going a month between meaningful games, which is an awful long layoff.
Dallas does have the goal of helping Ezekiel Elliott set the rookie rushing record. He needs 258 yards the next two weeks to get it. Seems unlikely he'll play enough to get it, but if he has a big Week 16 and breaks a 60-yard touchdown run at some point, maybe.
I think starters will play throughout against Detroit. We'll see if there's any talk to that effect the next couple of days from Jason Garrett or Jerry Jones. Week 17, though; don't count on it.
--Andy Richardson