Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks Competing For WR3 Role
Dallas Cowboys wide receivers Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks are both candidates to open 2024 in the third slot on the depth chart behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Both players have showcased their talent during OTAs and are pushing to make the WR3 competition interesting this summer. In terms of the players' specific skill sets, Archer wrote, "Brooks was able to work through traffic well, especially on tight throws on slants. Tolbert worked all three receiver spots and was able to make plays at all different levels." There's clearly a path for both receivers to get involved this season, and Dallas has shown that its WR3 can have bursts of fantasy relevance in the past. Perhaps Tolbert or Brooks could be a late-round sleeper in redraft leagues this year.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb's absence at voluntary organized team activities this offseason has opened up opportunities for the team's young receivers such as Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick in 2022. Tolbert has the chance to take the No. 3 role behind Lamb and Brandin Cooks this year after the Cowboys released Michael Gallup in the offseason and didn't address the position with a known commodity in free agency or early in the draft. The 25-year-old had only 22 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns last year, but he showed improvement from his rookie season in which he caught just two passes for 12 yards and was inactive for nine games. Tolbert is heading into the 2024 season with more confidence and more trust from quarterback Dak Prescott, which could make him a sleeper to target late in deeper fantasy leagues.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert looks like he has added muscle this offseason, according to Nick Harris of DallasCowboys.com. The 25-year-old is expected to have a more significant role behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks this season, and his added bulk could help him take a step forward. After catching just two passes in just eight games as a third-round rookie in 2022, Tolbert caught 22 passes for 268 yards and two scores in 2023. After the team moved on from Michael Gallup this offseason, his path to the WR3 role is more clear. It's also worth noting the Cowboys will have to replace 67 targets vacated by Tony Pollard after he signed with the Tennessee Titans at the start of free agency, so there could be more targets up for grabs in the short and intermediate areas of the field for Tolbert.
Jalen Tolbert Expected To Have Bigger Role For Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, who worked as the team's No. 4 wideout in his second season in 2023, is expected to have a bigger role in 2024 alongside CeeDee Lamb and veteran Brandin Cooks. Tolbert essentially split offensive snaps with Michael Gallup last year, but Gallup is now in Las Vegas. In 17 regular-season games (six starts) last year, Tolbert caught 22 of his 36 targets for 268 yards and two touchdowns after recording just two receptions in his rookie campaign in 2022. The 25-year-old former third-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of South Alabama won't necessarily be worth drafting in standard-sized fantasy leagues this fall, but if Lamb or Cooks go down with an injury at any point, Tolbert would become a popular waiver-wire pickup.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert scored a touchdown in a Week 18 win over the Washington Commanders. Tolbert was only targeted three times but make two catches for eight yards including a three-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to open the scoring in the first quarter and give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. Tolbert showed some flashes this season but played mostly in a bit role on offense, putting up a total of 22 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert made two catches in a Week 16 loss to the Miami Dolphins. One of Tolbert's catches was a big play for a 45 yard gain, with the other a much more pedestrian six-yard gain. It gave him two catches on two targets for 51 yards total, leaving him in second place on the team for receiving yards on a day that any Cowboy not named CeeDee Lamb struggled to do anything offensively. Tolbert has had some best ball league value this season, but has been nowhere near consistent enough to have any standard league value. That's unlikely to change in Week 17 when the Cowboys play a Saturday game against the Detroit Lions.
Dallas Cowboys wide receivers Brandin Cooks (illness) and Jalen Tolbert (illness) are active for Week 15 versus the Buffalo Bills. Both players had been listed as questionable but were trending in the right direction ahead of kickoff. Cooks is a fringe WR3/FLEX option in what should be a competitive game versus Buffalo. Meanwhile, Tolbert remains off the fantasy radar.
Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert Questionable For Week 15
Dallas Cowboys wide receivers Brandin Cooks (illness) and Jalen Tolbert (illness) are both listed as questionable for Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills but are expected to be available on Sunday. Cooks missed practice on Thursday and Friday, while Tolbert was able to get in a limited session on Friday after sitting out Thursday. The Cowboys expect both wideouts to be feeling better by Sunday's showdown against the Bills in Buffalo. Tolbert is off the fantasy radar completely but Cooks has been much more involved in Dallas' passing attack after a slow start to his first year in Dallas. Buffalo hasn't been a great matchup for opposing wideouts from a fantasy perspective this year, but the Bills defense is pretty banged up and could be without standout safety Micah Hyde (neck) for the rest of the year. Cooks will be a WR3/flex option for fantasy managers in Week 15.
Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert Should Be Fine For Sunday
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn't sound concerned about the availability of wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert and cornerback Stephon Gilmore for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills after all three players missed practice on Thursday due to illness. A bug must be going around Dallas' locker room right now, but all three players should be feeling much better by the time they kick off Sunday in Buffalo. Following a slow start earlier this year in his first season in Dallas, the 30-year-old Cooks has become much more involved in the offense. He has scored in two of the last three games (five TDs total in 2023) and has 10 catches for 154 yards on 14 targets in the last three weeks. Cooks will be a WR3/flex in a good matchup this weekend against a banged-up Bills defense.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert scored his first touchdown of the season during a five-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The 24-year-old posted 49 receiving yards and a touchdown while catching three of his five targets. Tolbert has served as a nice outlet that can get separation when CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson are taking the attention of the defense. He's been very inconsistent which makes him harder to trust in any fantasy format, but he could be a sneaky play in DFS lineups during matchups like this one in Week 9. Tolbert and the Cowboys will face off against the New York Giants in Week 10.
