SportsDay Insider analyzes the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers with sharp, brand-new angles for fantasy players and bettors. Dallas enters the final preseason game with roster questions that could ripple into Week 1 depth: backup quarterback, the defensive front, cornerback coverage, and potentially the offensive line. The hosts weigh which youngsters might rise if the stars are held back, and how depth at edge and secondary could influence sack and interception upside for fantasy rosters.

The Rangers are in a pivotal week without Josh Jung, a test of the organization’s acclaimed player-development pipeline. Jung’s absence is framed as a gauge for the system’s ability to feed premium talent into the lineup, while the hosts note the potential ripple effects on the rest of the batting order and fantasy at-bats as the week unfolds. The conversation blends scouting nuance with practical tips for identifying hot rostering targets during a Jung-absent stretch.

Across both clubs, the episode keeps a crisp tempo, tying preseason signals to real-season fantasy value and actionable sleeper picks, while grounding speculation in concrete roster dynamics and development stories that matter to fantasy players and bettors alike.

Texas Rangers face a pivotal sprint with 36 games left, still chasing playoff life after a 4-3 loss in Kansas City that underscored their road mystique and the inability to string a big inning. Back-to-back hits vanished in crucial moments, and a controversial replay review kept a run off the board. The club’s road record (85 losses since 2024) sits near the bottom, and 100 losses to teams at or above .500 in the last two years highlight the uphill battle ahead.

Lineup tinkering added another layer to fantasy considerations: Josh Jung on the bench, Wyatt Langford stepping into bigger at-bats alongside Corey Seager and Joc Pederson, with Luke Maile and John Rave influencing late-game dynamics for Royals. The Rangers must win multiple series this week—ideally 5-1 or better—to render the final stretch meaningful. Bruce Bochy and Chris Young framed it as a test of urgency, urging a stronger finish to unlock the roster’s ceiling.

Texas benches Jung with Cody Freeman at third in a critical four-game set in Kansas City, signaling the Rangers’ concern over Jung’s volatility and the offense’s regression. The move creates a potential bridge option for the next stretch, as Freeman (five MLB games) steps in during a high-leverage moment as the club fights to stay in a wild-card chase.

Jung’s rookie baseline (.266/.315/.467, OPS .781) has slid over the past two seasons, with swing-outside-the-zone rates climbing and the walk-rate dropping, yielding a fragile, strikeout-prone profile amid a broader Rangers power drought. Arbitration looms for Jung, adding pressure to prove he can stabilize during bad spells and drive in runs in the good times. Fantasy players should watch who gains the most at-bats at third and how Freeman’s late-season debut could shift lineup balance as Texas targets a winter reset.

The Chiefs series and the broader Texas offense narrative—poor road performance, struggles against lefties and four-seam fastballs—highlight season-long patterns that will influence offseason decisions. Heim and García have underperformed relative to their track records, while the team ponders deeper roster changes. For fantasy managers, the spotlight is on who seizes third-base time, how the lineup protection evolves, and whether Jung can retool his approach enough to justify his pedigree and arbitration trajectory.

Jacob deGrom faces Chris Bassitt in a Rangers-Blue Jays tilt as Texas visits Toronto. The Texas lineup leans on Wyatt Langford in the outfield, Josh Jung at third, Corey Seager at short, Marcus Semien at second, Pederson at DH, Smith in right, and Higashioka behind the plate with Carter catching. Tellez is listed at first as part of a deep, versatile order. The game time is 6:07 p.m. Central and the contest is a pick ’em, underscoring how tightly matched these clubs are.

Fantasy angles hinge on deGrom’s return and Langford’s rise, with Jung and Seager anchoring the lineup as high-ceiling producers. Bassitt anchors Toronto’s rotation, offering a window for pitchers to exploit aggressive Rangers' bats. Higashioka’s catching duties and Semien’s steady bat add veteran depth to an otherwise youthful Texas group, making this a compelling daily fantasy and betting canvas.

Texas Rangers offense has been a prolific generator of headlines, yet the runs haven’t followed. The club struggles especially against left-handed pitching and on the road, and the offense generally fails to build off early success. A key theme is disconnect and lack of in-game feel, with several players showing pronounced back-half slumps in production. Even with early game positives, the late innings slump is stark: the offense drops sharply as the game progresses and their run production dwindles. The club cites execution and focus as elements they’re chasing, and the numbers back up a pattern of missed opportunities and flat on-base presence late in games. For fantasy players, the signal is clear: matchup-driven rostering becomes crucial, especially when Rangers hitters face lefty starters away from home, and defenders of the Rangers bullpen might profit from pricing dips when the lineup is suppressed. The Phillies’ weekend sweep underscored the volatility and reminded fantasy managers to lean into specific platoon dynamics and bullpen leverage when Texas is on the slate.

On the individual front, several Texas bats show pronounced splits and changes in plate discipline. Josh Jung’s first three seasons show a big drop in on-base as pitchers adjust, Josh Smith faces a similar arc, and Kyle Higashioka’s OBP has fallen dramatically in late innings. Adolis García remains a power threat but his on-base performance has wavered midseason, while the defense-first backstop role has seen Higashioka’s numbers shrink, creating a nuanced fantasy landscape where early-inning production may not reliably translate into late-inning RBI opportunities. The Rangers’ top executives emphasize connectivity and adjustment as the path forward, making daily fantasy lineups more about in-game trends and opponent-specific data than raw season-long expectations.