FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Micah Parsons Situation Gets Weirder

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Sun, Aug 24 2025 5:05 PM UTC

Cowboys Edge Micah Parsons was on the sideline but not in uniform for Friday's preseason finale. He, of course, has yet to join his team on the field while seeking a contract extension. According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Parsons was the only player not wearing a jersey. More interestingly, he laid on a medical table behind the team bench early in the third quarter, as the offense was driving. That's only interesting because it sounds like Cowboys leadership isn't happy about it.

What They're Saying

HC Brian Schottenheimer: "Without talking to Micah, I need to figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it. So, until I talk to him, I'm obviously not going to talk about it."

Archer: "Schottenheimer said the team will handle a decision about Parsons' future internally."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

I'd guess we don't see any meaningful punishment for such a silly -- at worst -- action. But Schottenheimer's hesitation here is notable because he has remained positive on Parsons throughout the summer standoff. Perhaps we're seeing a worsening of that already tenuous relationship.

There's also a back issue to watch. Parsons has reportedly dealt with back tightness since at least June. Schottenheimer said the player had an MRI Friday that came back "pretty clean."

That's good news. "Totally clean" would be better news, though.

The Cowboys open less than two weeks from now on that initial Thursday night in Philadelphia. Even if Parsons returns to practice this week, it's tough to expect him to be ready for full duty in Week 1. And, of course, we don't yet know if Parsons plans to carry his protest into the regular season.

I've decreased his projected playing time for the first three games. If you're wondering whether you should target or avoid Parsons in your IDP drafts, that honestly comes down at least as much to your personal risk-aversion as fantasy evaluation.

We know he ranks among the top producers at the position whenever on the field. That's why Parsons is holding out for a contract that treats him as such.

We can all only guess how soon he'll be that guy in 2025.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.