The Dallas Cowboys are heading into Week 4 with a 1-2 record, coming off a frustrating loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil. They now face a Houston Texans team that is 0-3 but has plenty of talent on both sides of the football.
There are a few players and position groups worth keeping an eye on Sunday, but four stand out in particular. Here is this week’s buy/sell list.
Buy: WR CeeDee Lamb
It is getting harder to come up with reasons not to buy CeeDee Lamb right now. Through three games, Lamb has caught 20 passes for
309 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 15.5 yards per reception. He has also been targeted 25 times, giving him an 80% catch rate and making him one of the most consistently involved players in the Cowboys’ passing game.
More importantly, Lamb has shown that he can produce regardless of what the Cowboys’ offense asks him to do. He had 69 yards and a touchdown against the Giants, exploded for 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington and then added 112 yards against Baltimore. That last performance came in a game where Dallas was dealing with an unusual international environment and eventually lost despite putting up 415 total yards.
Now Lamb gets a Houston defense that has allowed opponents to move the ball through the air while also dealing with an offense that has struggled to keep games under control. The Texans have allowed 326 yards per game through three weeks, and their defense has been much more effective at creating pressure than forcing turnovers.
Houston also has Derek Stingley Jr., which makes this a legitimate matchup for Lamb rather than a situation where he should simply be expected to dominate because of the opposing secondary. Dallas needs its best offensive player to continue being its best offensive player, and there is little reason through three weeks to believe Lamb is slowing down.
If Houston focuses too much attention on him, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson and the rest of the passing game should have opportunities. If Houston chooses to play Lamb straight up, Dallas has already shown that Prescott is willing to keep feeding him. Lamb has been too productive and too involved to not buy right now.
Sell: QB Dak Prescott
Selling Dak Prescott this week does not mean expecting him to play poorly. It is more a reflection that this is probably one of the more difficult environments Dallas’ quarterback has faced so far this season.
Prescott has been very good through three games. He has completed 73 of 105 passes for 730 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, giving him a 69.5% completion rate and a 107.2 passer rating. Those are excellent numbers, and they are a big reason Dallas has been able to score 29.3 points per game despite its 1-2 record.
The problem is that Houston presents a much different challenge than the defenses Dallas has faced recently. The Texans have already recorded 11 sacks through three games, which ranks fourth in the NFL, while Dallas has allowed only three sacks. Houston’s ability to generate pressure without needing to completely abandon coverage is what makes this matchup particularly interesting for Prescott.
Will Anderson Jr. has been at the center of that pass rush, and Houston also has Danielle Hunter and other experienced pieces capable of creating pressure from different spots.That means Prescott may not have the same time to operate that he has enjoyed during portions of the first three weeks.
The other reason to sell Prescott this week is simply that the Texans’ defense is good enough to force Dallas into some uncomfortable situations. If the Cowboys fall behind early, Houston’s pass rush could become even more important because Dallas would have fewer opportunities to lean on Javonte Williams and the running game.
Again, this isn’t a prediction that Dak is going to have a bad game. It is simply a recognition that the combination of Houston’s defensive front and the Texans’ ability to pressure the quarterback makes this a week where Prescott may have to work considerably harder for the same level of production he has produced during the first three games. If he still puts up 300 yards and three touchdowns, so be it. But this feels like a week to temper expectations, even if Lamb has a great game, that could be the only avenue for consistent production against a still fierce defense.
Buy: CB Joey Porter Jr.
There is obviously some projection involved here because Joey Porter Jr. has not played a game for the Cowboys yet or any game in 2026 for that matter. But sometimes a team makes an addition that changes the way you view an entire position group, and this feels like one of those moves.
Dallas acquired Porter from Pittsburgh on Wednesday in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. The 26-year-old corner has 41 career starts across 47 games, along with 165 tackles, 31 pass breakups and three interceptions in his first three seasons.
The Cowboys did not make this move because they were satisfied with their cornerback room. They made it because injuries and inconsistent play had created a legitimate problem on the outside, with Cobie Durant dealing with a hamstring issue and Shavon Revel appearing on the injury report with knee and ankle concerns.
Porter should immediately give Dallas something it has been missing: a proven outside corner with the size, physicality and experience to handle quality receivers without requiring the defense to constantly manufacture help.
And, frankly, the talent gap between Porter and what Dallas has had available at corner makes this an easy buy. That does not mean Porter is guaranteed to walk into Houston and shut down Nico Collins or whoever else the Texans put across from him. He has had only a few days to learn Christian Parker’s defense, and communication is particularly important for a secondary that has already had its share of issues.
But Porter is talented enough that he should be able to make an impact even while learning the finer details of the scheme. The Cowboys don’t need him to become an All-Pro on Sunday. They need him to be better than what they had available before the trade, and given Porter’s experience and track record, there is a strong reason to believe he can be.
Sell: Cowboys pass rush
This unit is becoming increasingly difficult to defend. Through three games, the Cowboys have recorded two sacks. That’s it. Two sacks in three games is tied for 30th in the NFL, while Houston has already produced 11. Dallas also has zero interceptions, meaning the defense has not been creating many negative plays through either pressure or takeaways.
The Cowboys knew coming into this season that the pass rush would be one of the biggest questions on the roster. Rashan Gary was brought in to help replace some of the production lost when Micah Parsons was traded, while Donovan Ezeiruaku and the rest of the young edge group were expected to develop into meaningful contributors.
Three games into the season, that group has not done enough. This isn’t simply about the sack total, either. Sacks are obviously the most visible measurement of a pass rush, but a defense can still be effective without piling up sacks if it consistently pressures quarterbacks, forces hurried throws and creates opportunities for the secondary.
Dallas has not consistently done that, and that becomes particularly concerning against Houston because C.J. Stroud has thrown for 794 yards through three games without an interception. The Texans have struggled to turn those passing yards into enough points, but Stroud has shown that he can make defenses pay when he has time to operate.
The Cowboys have just acquired Porter, which should eventually help the secondary. But that move could also expose an uncomfortable truth about the defense: better coverage only helps if the pass rush eventually gives the secondary enough time to take advantage of it. Houston has already shown it can pressure the quarterback. Dallas has not. Until that changes, the Cowboys’ pass rush is a huge sell.
