Who Should I Start? Ryan Flournoy or Jalen Royals

Sunday, April 12, 5:39 AM

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy had some fantasy-relevant moments as a sixth-round rookie out of Southeast Missouri State, namely a six-catch, 114-yard outing in his first career start, filling in for the injured CeeDee Lamb. Unfortunately for Flournoy, when the Cowboys are at full health, the path to consistent fantasy contribution is obstructed from all sides. George Pickens was one of the biggest breakouts of 2025, and he appears slated to return for at least one more year on the franchise tag. Jake Ferguson was one of the most targeted tight ends in the league, and Lamb topped 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth straight year, despite missing three games. Impressively, Flournoy did lead the Cowboys in targets and receptions in a wild Week 14 loss to the Lions that saw him finish the game with 115 yards and a score in a week where Dallas had its full complement of pass catchers. Such flashes should not be unexpected from the big-bodied receiver in year two, but until the depth chart ahead of him thins out, Flournoy will be hard to trust with any sort of reliability outside of best ball formats.