Week 2 Dallas Cowboys fantasy picks: Is TE Ferguson in or out against Saints?

Ahead of Sunday’s home opener for the Dallas Cowboys against the New Orleans Saints, Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson has been ruled out with a knee injury that he suffered in the team’s week one win over the Cleveland Browns.

The injury was assessed as a sprain which could be viewed as a best-case scenario for Ferguson who initially thought it was an ACL injury when he heard an initial “pop” on the tackle that forced him out of the game. While there was some confidence during the week that he could give it a go, Ferguson did not participate in any of the team’s practices and will officially be sidelined because of injury for the first time in his young career.

In addition, the Cowboys will be without second-year tight end John Stephens Jr. who has yet to touch the field in his career after tearing his ACL ahead of his rookie year and battling a hamstring injury that has kept him out through the first two contests of this season.

That leaves the starting tight end role to 2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker who is expected to get the bulk of the opportunities and responsibilities on Sunday afternoon.

“It’s an opportunity,” Schoonmaker said. “I’ll really be able to put my best foot forward and take advantage of it. Really step up and make the most of what I’ve been given and execute at the highest level that I can.”

“I just think he’s a jack of all trades right now,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think he’s done a really nice job. He’s growing his overall game but there’s definitely things he needs to focus on and needs to tighten up.”

The rest of the tight end room includes rookie undrafted free agent signing Brevyn Spann-Ford and practice squad elevation Princeton Fant. Spann-Ford was active for his debut last Sunday against the Browns, but he was only tasked with blocking responsibilities. Fant, who was elevated from the practice squad twice during his rookie season in 2023, has yet to record a catch in an NFL game.

“I know that those guys in the room, they can do that job,” Ferguson said earlier in the week. “They are healthy right now. If I can’t go, they’re going to get the job done.”

In addition, the Cowboys have used fullback/running back Hunter Luepke in some tight end sets going back to training camp in Oxnard and in week one against Cleveland. Heading into week two, the second-year do-it-all man out of North Dakota State is the team’s third-leading receiver with 18 yards on two receptions.

“I think a guy you probably got to put in the front of the line is Hunter,” McCarthy said earlier in the week. “I think some of the things that we did with the tight ends and Hunter, just trying to change the look on some things, I thought those guys did a good job.”

The remaining inactives for the Cowboys include cornerback Andrew Booth, offensive tackle Matt Waletzko, quarterback Trey Lance, linebacker Buddy Johnson and wide receiver Ryan Flournoy.