Monday has delivered a slight range of outlooks on the return timeline for Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb. The wideout did suffer a high left ankle sprain in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the Bears, and he's now expected to miss at least the next two games.
What They're Saying
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport: "The Cowboys to not plan to place WR CeeDee Lamb on IR with his high-ankle sprain, source said, giving him a chance to return prior to four weeks. He'll miss at least the next two games and is considered week-to-week after that."
ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer: "Lamb could miss 3-4 weeks with a high left ankle sprain."
2025 Fantasy Football Impact
Dallas gets the Packers at home in Week 4 and then visits the Jets in Week 5. We'll see if Lamb has a chance to return for a Week 6 visit to the Panthers. But it seems like Week 7 would be a more realistic target for his earliest return date.
His timeline doesn't get any help from the bye, which sits in Week 10.
WR George Pickens and WR Jalen Tolbert climb in target distribution while Lamb is out. But they'll also have to deal with more coverage attention than they would with Lamb in the lineup.
WR KaVontae Turpin saw a career-high 66% snap share in the Chicago game. That produced just three targets and a carry, but he figures to run as Dallas' primary slot WR while Lamb's out.
Other Winners & Losers
TE Jake Ferguson figures to see the most target benefit as the main middle-of-the-field operator. He loaded up on targets (13) in the game Lamb left.
QB Dak Prescott is bound to take a hit with his dominant lead WR missing.
We haven't seen Prescott go more than one game without Lamb in the lineup to date, so it's difficult to project the impact. But the QB's already struggling a bit with the lagging quality of his pass protection and his pass catchers.