Week 7 Monday Night Football Preview: Eagles vs. Cowboys

An NFC East showdown marks the end of Week 7. A wide open division should make for an exciting matchup, but the Eagles are dealing with major injuries. Fantasy managers will need to make some difficult decisions. Who can you trust in your lineup on Monday Night Football?

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Week 7 MNF Fantasy Preview

Dallas Cowboys (-4.5) at Philadelphia Eagles O/U: 44

Clear Starts: Dak Prescott, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens

Tanner McKee – QB, Philadelphia Eagles

It took some time to get going, but Tanner McKee had a respectable finish last week. The third-year QB has made three career starts now. McKee averages about 242 passing yards and has thrown four TDs to just a single interception. On Monday Night Football, McKee faces a Dallas Cowboys defense allowing the seventh most fantasy points to QBs. McKee certainly has the matchup and decent stats in his limited starts, but his status as a fantasy starter is questionable.

McKee scored 21.55, 15.35, and 14.75 fantasy points in his three starts. While upside has not been shown, that’s a solid floor in limited action. McKee has done well to take care of the ball and does get a great matchup. However, in most 10- or 12-team leagues, there are going to be better options on the waiver wire. You can start McKee as a QB2 if you’re dealing with a bye week or injury, but his main appeal would be in deeper leagues or 2QB/SF leagues. The Cowboys offense should keep the Eagles in pass-heavy situations in Week 7.

Saquon Barkley – RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Amongst all of the bad news for the Eagles offense, there are some positives. Saquon Barkley logged a full practice on Saturday and is officially questionable to play on Monday Night Football in Week 7. Barkley has played four games this season, but left early in two of those contests. When we have seen Barkley play a full game, his rushing work has been great. Barkley has two separate games of 15 carries, which he turned into 83 and 82 rushing yards. While Barkley’s receiving production has been abysmal, he does get a few targets per game, which helps your fantasy team. With injuries forcing DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks out this week, Barkley could even see a bump in receiving work.

For most fantasy managers, you had no choice this week. You either started Barkley and you’re hoping for a miracle, or you took the risk to bench him for someone else. Some fortunate managers may have both Barkley and fellow Eagles RB Dameon Pierce, but many managers will not be in that situation. If you have both, you simply start the one that starts. If you are just looking for reassurance on Barkley’s fantasy upside in Week 7, there is reason for optimism. The Cowboys allow the 10th most fantasy points to RBs. When healthy, Barkley gets a good workload and could have more upside without Jalen Hurts stealing valuable goal-line work.

The question is whether or not the offense can stay in enough positive or neutral game scripts to get Barkley the rushing work. While receiving work may come, it just may not be enough to replace a great rushing game. Tanner McKee and the Eagles are likely to condense the receiving workload, but it could also funnel to just a few key players like Dallas Goedert and Makai Lemon, which could leave others with scraps. Thankfully, McKee showed some promise in his limited starts. He has not turned the ball over much and has been able to lead an offense before. That was with much better Eagles teams, but not all hope is lost. The Cowboys defense ranks dead last in DVOA and could let Tanner McKee and the rest of the offense feast. Start Saquon Barkley if he plays in Week 7.

Makai Lemon – WR, Philadelphia Eagles

This could be Makai Lemon’s big chance. The 20th overall pick in the 2026 draft has had a slow start, but is ramping up. Lemon has drawn at least six targets in his last three games, but he still has room to improve. Lemon’s best receiving game was a five-catch, 43-yard game against the Jaguars. Lemon was third on the team in targets against the Panthers last week. DeVonta Smith led with 14, but he is out this week. Dallas Goedert was ahead of him with eight and should continue to see work. However, it looks like Lemon could be the next man up at WR with injuries plaguing the Eagles.

Tanner McKee should benefit all pass-catchers. McKee threw the ball 45 times as he attempted to come back against a powerful Panthers offense. The Cowboys offense ranks ninth in DVOA, just behind the Panthers, and should put pressure on the division-rival Eagles. However, things could look better for McKee and the Eagles pass-catchers. The Cowboys defense is dead last in DVOA and allows the sixth most fantasy points to WRs. Start Makai Lemon in Week 7 in what could be his best game of the season.

Ryan Flournoy – WR, Dallas Cowboys

While CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens dominate targets, Ryan Flournoy is offering fantasy value as a WR3. While Flournoy averages just 8.7 PPR points per game, he has scored 12 and 17 points in his last two games. That includes last week, when Flournoy drew a season-high nine targets. He only produced 40 yards on seven receptions, but he also got his first TD of the season. Even with this recent success, it is hard to trust Flournoy on a weekly basis. The Cowboys may be in a lot of shootouts thanks to a dreadful defense, but they feed Lamb and Pickens much more. Tanner McKee may be able to keep things competitive, but it will be difficult to project high volume for Flournoy even in pass-heavy situations.

One reason for optimism is the CB matchup. Flournoy has played more snaps out of the slot than all Cowboys receivers. Flournoy does split time between the slot and the outside, but he undoubtedly benefits the most here. Cooper DeJean is allowing a passer rating of 93.0 per Pro Football Reference. Flournoy certainly has the matchup. Whether or not he can take advantage and separate enough will have to be seen. Flournoy is a risky but high-upside WR3 in Week 7.

Darius Cooper – WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Much like Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper should benefit from injuries to DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. While Dallas Goedert and Makai Lemon could draw the lion’s share of work, there should be plenty of volume in a great matchup. The Cowboys allow the sixth most fantasy points to WRs. While Darius Cooper has just a single game with more than three targets, that number could skyrocket with him operating as the team’s WR2. Additionally, Darius Cooper is tied with Dontayvion Wicks for the most red zone targets on the Eagles. With Wicks out of the picture this week, Cooper could see even more looks in that area.

Cooper has been targeted just 15 times in six games, but he has already scored four TDs. With upside every week and a more condensed offense, this could be the week to start Darius Cooper. Makai Lemon and Dallas Goedert project to be safer starts but Cooper is a high-risk, high-reward play against a putrid Cowboys defense on Monday Night Football. In a pinch, he can get the job done.

Dallas Goedert – TE, Philadelphia Eagles

Injuries are plaguing the Philadelphia Eagles. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks will not play in Week 7. That opens the door for the other Eagles WRs to feast, but it may be even better for Dallas Goedert. Nearly 32 years old, Goedert is still producing like a TE1. Over his last two games, Goedert has drawn 17 targets. He turned those into 12 catches for 99 yards. That’s not elite production, but that’s still an average of double-digit PPR points. Goedert also caught four of five targets for 77 yards and two TDs in Week 1.

While Dallas’ defense ranks bottom-10 in most categories, they’re only allowing the 17th most fantasy points to TEs. That’s not a horrible matchup, though, and options will be limited for the Eagles. Additionally, Goedert operates out of the slot on 28.74% of his snaps per PFF. Options will be limited for Tanner McKee, and the veteran Goedert should get fed. While the matchup isn’t elite, the volume should be there. Start Dallas Goedert with confidence on Monday Night Football.

Jake Ferguson – TE, Dallas Cowboys

It’s time to be real about Jake Ferguson. After scoring 20.3 and 10.3 fantasy points in weeks two and three, Ferguson has done nothing for your fantasy football team. In his four other games, the Cowboys TE had just 14.9 total PPR points. Overall, Ferguson is the PPR TE26 overall and averages just 7.6 fantasy points. This week, Ferguson faces the 10th-ranked TE defense in fantasy.

Without TDs, Ferguson has nothing going for him in fantasy football. Despite two boom performances, Ferguson is only averaging 19.2 receiving yards per game. That’s his worst mark since his rookie year. Fantasy managers can try banking on a score or two, but Ferguson has only been targeted four times in the red zone. That’s tied for the 17th most among TEs this year. Neither target numbers nor yards per reception are exceptionally high. There is just not much more upside in rostering Ferguson compared to any other waiver wire TE. While Dallas’ passing offense has been great for their WRs, Ferguson has just not seen much work. Ferguson is waiver wire fodder at this point and should not be starting in your lineup for Monday Night Football.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!