Lamb's first four NFL seasons were marked by steady improvement, including a surge forward in 2023 when he scored 403.2 PPR points, the third most ever by a wide receiver. His momentum finally slowed last season, with Lamb dropping back to his 2022 rate of scoring (17.6 PPR average), although it took bad luck to push him down to what was still a high level, finishing eighth among WRs in both total PPR points and points per game. He might've finished as high as second or third, if not for the Week 9 game at Atlanta in which QB Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury and Lamb an AC joint sprain. The shoulder injury cost Lamb snaps in a couple other games and eventually led the Cowboys to shut him down for Weeks 17-18, although he first proved capable of putting up solid numbers with a backup quarterback, averaging 6.9 catches for 76.3 yards in the seven games both he and Cooper Rush started. Prescott should be ready for Week 1, but there's tougher competition for targets following a May trade for WR George Pickens. For all his merits, Lamb isn't on the same level as Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase as a downfield threat, which means he'll need to continue piling up cheap, easy receptions to get back toward his 2023 status as a tip-top WR1.
