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Fantasy playoffs are here and Dart, Tuten, and Jefferson are must-starts

Fantasy playoffs are here, and Joe Rivera and Jacob Camenker give your their list of must-start players ahead of Week 15.

The Dallas Cowboys‘ win on Thanksgiving over the Kansas City Chiefs gave them a winning record for the first time this season.

A week later, a loss ot the Detroit Lions knocked them down to 6-6-1 entering the final month of the season.

Dallas’ offense had another standout performance against the Lions with 417 total yards. Quarterback Dak Prescott and company are one of the top offenses in the NFL this season, especially through the air. They enter Week 15 as the No. 1 passing offense in the NFL.

The other side of the ball hasn’t held up nearly well enough. Dallas ranks second-to-last in points allowed and last in passing yards allowed entering Week 15.

The Cowboys’ offense will keep them in games down the closing stretch of the regular season. Their next step in a push for the postseason starts in primetime with a “Sunday Night Football” matchup at home against the Minnesota Vikings.

Will the Cowboys make the playoffs in a competitive NFC? Here’s a look at the standings, playoff picture and our prediction.

NFC East standings

Dallas sits just one game behind the Eagles in the loss column entering Week 15 and split their season series against the defending champions. They’re still in contention for the division title.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-5, 2-2 NFC East)Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1, 3-1)Washington Commanders (3-10, 1-1)New York Giants (2-11, 1-3)Cowboys schedule

Dallas has one of the easiest final four weeks of the season in the NFL. Tankathon ranks the Cowboys’ final four weeks as the fifth-easiest by strength of schedule in the league. Only one team on their remaining schedule has a winning record: the Los Angeles Chargers.

NFC playoff pictureLos Angeles Rams (10-3; NFC West leaders)Green Bay Packers (9-3-1, NFC North leaders)Philadelphia Eagles (8-5; NFC East leaders)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6; NFC South leaders)Seattle Seahawks (10-3, wild card No. 1)San Francisco 49ers (9-4, wild card No. 2)Chicago Bears (9-4; wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Detroit Lions (8-5); Carolina Panthers (7-6); Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1); Minnesota Vikings (5-8)

Eliminated: Atlanta Falcons (4-9); Arizona Cardinals (3-10), New Orleans Saints (3-10); Washington Commanders (3-10); New York Giants (2-11)

Cowboys playoff prediction

It’s becoming more likely that the Cowboys’ chances at a playoff berth has to come through winning the division. They’re at 0.500 entering Week 15 and farther behind the wild-card teams than Philadelphia atop the NFC East.

But the Eagles may have an easier schedule to close the season than the Cowboys do. They have one game against a team with a winning record, Buffalo, on the road. The rest of their opponents (Las Vegas, Washington twice) have a combined five wins.

Dallas needs the Eagles to go 2-2 at best over their final four games to contend for the division crown. That’s not impossible but a big ask for a Raiders team potentially in line for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a Commanders squad potentially without Jayden Daniels down the stretch to get a win.

We don’t see Philadelphia falling flat like that. As much as the Cowboys’ offense will provide fireworks, they’re in too deep a hole to get out of in four weeks. Dallas will improve record-wise from 2024 but will miss the playoffs once again.