Ryan Flournoy — Week 1: Third and Ten, Seventeen Plus Fifteen
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 14
Flournoy was targeted four times and caught two for 22 yards; the 17-yard catch on third and ten at the New York 49 with 5:42 left in the game drew a 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty and set up the touchdown on the next snap. It was worth plus 3.3 expected points, the most on any Dallas play that counted, in a 28–20 loss to the Giants.
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28 to 14, Giants, five 42 left in the fourth quarter, third and 10 at the New York 49. Dak Prescott threw short left to Ryan Flournoy, who was pushed out of bounds at the 32, 17 yards, and Jevon Holland's hit drew 15 more for unnecessary roughness. First and 10 at the 17. +3.3 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — the most on any Cowboys play that counted, and 3.9 points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. Javonte Williams caught the touchdown on the next snap.
The line: four targets, two catches, 22 yards, one first down, +2.5 expected points on the targets — second on the team behind CeeDee Lamb's +5.6 — and a longest of 17. Two targets before halftime, two after. The other catch was five yards short left on second and 10 with a minute seven left in the half, on the possession that ended with the interception. The two incompletions were both short left: second and four with nine seconds left in the half, and first and 10 with six 53 left in the third. One third-down target, one conversion. 11 of his 22 yards came after the catch.
Four targets were fourth on the team. Prescott threw eight times to Lamb, six to George Pickens, five to Williams, four to Flournoy, two each to Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford, one each to KaVontae Turpin, Luke Schoonmaker and Jonathan Mingo, and four throws with no receiver credited. 13 percent of the throws with a receiver's name on them went to Flournoy, per the weekly stat file. 17 pass plays each half; his targets went two and two.
Back in June the preview leaned underpriced on Flournoy — the 70-second receiver at pick one 87, a floor call at a floor price built on 56 targets repeating — and named the September target share against a 10 percent baseline and the red-zone looks as the things to watch. Sunday was 13 percent on four targets, no look inside the 20, and the single most valuable play the Dallas offense ran. The ceiling the preview described ran through somebody else's absence, and nobody was absent: Lamb and Pickens took 14 targets between them. One game does not settle a share; it did clear the floor the call was built on. The Cowboys are home to Washington on Sunday the twentieth.
_Data via nflverse._
When Ryan Flournoy's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
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