All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith had surgery Tuesday (Sept. 8) on a thumb ligament and was placed on injured reserve, expected to miss four to six weeks, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. The issue had bothered him and affected his grip strength; fourth-year guard T.J. Bass replaces him.
Fantasy take
Tyler Smith was the Cowboys' best interior run blocker in 2025 (79.8 PFF run-block grade, top-five among guards), and their run game leans left, so his absence lands hardest on Javonte Williams, who was most efficient on inside-zone runs that the Cowboys ran more than any team in the league. That's a blocking-quality question, not a volume one; Williams's touch share doesn't change, and Prescott's passing production is only exposed if T.J. Bass struggles enough to affect protection, where Dak's 2.82-second average time to throw last year gives some margin. In standard formats none of this reprices the skill players by itself over a 4-6 week window.
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