The Cowboys’ 2020 season — head coach Mike McCarthy’s first at the helm — quickly crumbled due to extremely poor defensive play and Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. With Prescott back, an impressive array of weapons around him and the prospect of an improved defense, optimism reigns in Big D as the new campaign approaches. The Game Day is here to preview some of the best Cowboys prop bets for 2021.
Cowboys Prop Bets 2021: Best Dallas Odds + Betting Picks
Cowboys Prop Bets 2021: Team Bet Picks
Dallas Cowboys Over 9.5 Wins (-110)
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The Cowboys managed to limp to 6-10 last season despite Dak Prescott‘s devastating ankle injury, numerous absences at various points along the offensive line, a seemingly unmotivated Ezekiel Elliott and a sieve of a run defense that often took the rag-tag offensive group out of its preferred game plan.
All of those issues have been addressed in one form or another this offseason, as the team’s key pieces have gotten healthy and the franchise added standout Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons via the draft. Dallas has also now had a full season under Mike McCarthy and his staff, and with a strength of schedule that ranks second-to-last (.452 opponent winning percentage) partially due to a division full of question marks, banking on at least a 10-7 record from a talented ‘Boys squad isn’t an overly risky bet to make.
Dallas Cowboys To Win NFC East (+400)
Speaking of that shaky division, a healthy Cowboys team may be about the most reliable thing going for the NFC East in the 2021 season.
The Eagles could well prove to be Dallas’ stiffest competition for the division crown, but they’ll be counting on a quarterback going into his first full season as a starter in Jalen Hurts and a receiver corps long on speed but a bit short on experience and size.
The Giants have plenty of questions to answer as well, as Daniel Jones has yet to solidify himself as an above-average NFL starter and Saquon Barkley is coming off a serious knee injury.
Finally, Washington has its own transitional situation at quarterback and has potential depth issues at running back and receiver.
Dallas Cowboys To Win NFC Championship (+1300)
This is naturally a longshot bet, but at this price, it’s not the most far-fetched idea to take a flier on the Cowboys pulling off a sizable upset and taking the conference crown in the process.
Dallas’ offensive firepower can arguably stack up at quarterback, running back and receiver with the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers if good health prevails for the Cowboys. In fact, that could be true of any NFC squad Dallas is compared to, especially if McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore find the right formula in the backfield with Elliott and Tony Pollard.
The defense is naturally much more of a question mark, but that may be primarily limited to the front seven/rush defense. And with respect to that, a healthy linebacker corps of Parsons, Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch — plus a motivated Randy Gregory opposite DeMarcus Lawrence at defensive end — could have a big impact and play a key role in pushing Dallas to unexpected heights.
Oct 4, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) runs the ball in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Cowboys Prop Bets 2021: Player Bet Picks
Dak Prescott Most Regular-Season Passing Yards (+450)
Prescott had already thrown for over 400 yards in three of four games before going down with his devastating ankle injury in Week 5 last year, and that was without the benefit of a preseason or even normal training camp to get prepared. CeeDee Lamb was also a wide-eyed rookie who’d been subject to those same disadvantages ahead of his first NFL campaign, but like position mates Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, he was already demonstrating impressive chemistry with Prescott.
With all three pass catchers back and talented tight end Blake Jarwin also returning from last year’s season-ending knee injury, Prescott will once again have plenty of talented targets to boost his yardage totals with. That’s not even factoring in what should be an improved offensive line, and by extension, more potent ground attack that should help keep defenses honest.
Dak Prescott Most Regular-Season Passing Touchdowns (+1000)
Building on the previous prop, this wager also stands out for its potential viability and price. Granted, Prescott has never thrown for more than 30 touchdowns in any season thus far in his career, but he also will be playing with what should qualify as his most dangerous group of pass catchers yet in 2021.
The Cooper-Gallup-Lamb trio could prove virtually uncoverable as a group on many plays, especially if Jarwin’s knee is back to full strength and he consistently stretches defenses down the seam. Then, while Elliott and Pollard will naturally have their chances near the goal line, both backs are also above-average receivers, which could naturally work to Prescott’s advantage with respect to this prop.
McCarthy had Prescott passing at an NFL-high 68.6 percent clip through the first four weeks of last season, and although part of that was necessitated by game scripts that were byproducts of the team’s porous defense, the sixth-year quarterback should still see above-average passing volume.
Dak Prescott Over 32.5 Passing TDs (-105)
Having just broken down the case for a boatload of Prescott passing scores, there’s not necessarily a lot to add here to justify rolling the dice on this wager. Prescott would need to average roughly two touchdowns per contest to exceed this number if he does play all 17 games, something that would be very much within his reach given his weapons and the Cowboys’ aggressive passing attack.
