Rank'Em: Listing Top 15 Cowboys So Far This Year

15. Anthony Brown – Whatever the reason is for his play through six games, Brown should be applauded. His critics might argue he leads the team in tackles because he's getting picked on a lot by opposing teams. Or maybe he's getting more attention because Trevon Diggs is locking down his side of the ball at a record pace. Either way, Brown has played well himself, getting three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

14. Cedrick Wilson – The Cowboys were always confident Wilson could step up in the absence of Michael Gallup (calf injury), but this offense really hasn't missed a beat with Wilson, who has plenty of versatility in his game. He's caught short passes, deep balls and everything in between. His fourth-down catch against New England last week saved the day and led to the Cowboys' comeback and overtime win.

13 – Osa Odighizuwa – Here's another guy who has stepped in nicely in place of an injured starter. When Neville Gallimore suffered a dislocated elbow in the preseason, the Cowboys weren't sure how the interior line would be affected. But Odighizuwa has been a pleasant surprise. He is tied for third in sacks with two and his two tackles for loss is tied for second among the Cowboys defenders.

12. Tony Pollard – For a backup to be this high on the list, it suggests two things. Either he needs to be starting, or his team has figured out a role that suits him well. And it seems like the latter, considering how well Ezekiel Elliott has played so far. But Pollard might be a big reason for that, providing a 1-2 punch off the bench that keeps defenses on its heels. Pollard entered the bye week ranked 10th in rushing and his 6.0 yard average leads all NFL running backs.

11. Dalton Schultz – When the season began, we all thought he would resume his role as the No. 2 tight end behind Blake Jarwin. Now, it's not only clear Schultz has claimed the starting spot to himself, but he could be headed for a Pro Bowl year . Schultz has reaped the benefits of this explosive offense and all its weapons. Schultz ranks second among NFC tight ends with 31 receptions. And of every player in the NFL with at least 30 catches, Schultz ranks first with an 83.8 catch percentage.

10. Jayron Kearse – This seems like a theme here, but Kearse is yet another player whose play has come out of nowhere. This one might be the biggest surprise on the entire team, considering he wasn't getting a ton of reps in training camp. But as Dan Quinn figured out how he wanted to use him, Kearse has suddenly become one of the key pieces to this defense. He's played safety, in the box at linebacker and has been a tight-end eraser at times. He's second on the team with 35 tackles after six games.

9. Amari Cooper – His numbers are down from last year, but his value might be even higher. Just by watching Cooper in the last few games, it's very clear that he's not 100 percent. He's battled through a rib injury, a hamstring injury and a few other minor setbacks as well. Yet, Cooper finds a way to make clutch catches to help his team. He did it in overtime against the Patriots and also had a clutch reception on the final drive to beat the Chargers. Fantasy owners might want more than his 62.1 yards per game, but if he can get healthy in the bye week, Cooper might be ready to take off for yet another big run at the end of the season.

8. Micah Parsons – As great as he's played, it's hard to see him ranked 8th on any list. But that's more of a credit to the rest of the players on here. Make no mistake, Parsons has been everything the Cowboys wanted – and much more. It's safe to say if NFL teams thought he could rush the passer from the edge, he wouldn't have gone to the 12th pick. The most impressive part of Parsons' game isn't just the ability to move around from different spots, but to do so as a rookie in just six games.

7. CeeDee Lamb – It took a few games into the regular season for us to see what we watched at training camp, which was basically a highlight catch every single day. After somewhat of a slow start, Lamb has come on strong with his best game of his career last week in New England, catching the game-winning touchdown. Lamb leads the Cowboys in just about every statistical category, from yards, catches and is tied for the most TD receptions.

6. Tyron Smith – He'd probably be higher on this list had it not been for a couple of penalties last week against the Patriots. Even with that, Smith has been borderline-dominant. A neck issue popped up last week but he played through that, although Smith had to leave last week's game with an ankle injury. But he returned in time to help lead the offense to the final two scoring drives. If Smith can stay healthy, he's headed towards another Pro Bowl selection.

5. Ezekiel Elliott – He heard the criticism all offseason. Zeke himself has described last season as unacceptable. So to his credit, he's come out in 2021 with something to prove and so far, he's done just that. Zeke is leaner, quicker, faster and more elusive, yet he's running with the same power. There haven't been any fumbles and he's leading the team with six touchdowns.

4. Randy Gregory – The Randy Gregory story has had many different chapters throughout his career, but his 2021 chapter is by far the most exciting. Gregory has been a game-changer and stepped up in the absence of DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong. Gregory changed the game last week in New England and he's showing that he's more than just a speed-rusher as he's added a bull-rush to his game this year. The only downside for the Cowboys is that with every play Gregory makes, it seems as if the price tag keeps going up, seeing that he's an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

3. Trevon Diggs – What? No. 3 on this list? Diggs is arguably the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year and on a pace that will shatter the Cowboys' season record for interceptions and perhaps even flirt with the NFL record of 14 picks. But he's third on this list because the two guys ahead of him have been just as incredible. But let's not overlook what Diggs has done in six games. He's picked off a pass in every game, and doing it when it counts. Of his seven interceptions, six have occurred in the second half.

2. Zack Martin – Football has changed dramatically over the years, but one thing that hasn't, is how much offensive linemen get overlooked. It takes a special player to buck that trend and, well ... Zack Martin is a special player. And the offense is much better when he's in there, evident by his absence in Week 1 against the Bucs when the Cowboys decided not to even test the stingy Tampa Bay interior line. Martin was out due to Covid-19 protocols but the Cowboys are undefeated since his return. In five games this year, Martin has twice been graded as the top player in the NFL by ProFootballFocus.com and he's received a Top 10 grade two other times.

1. Dak Prescott – He's a legitimate NFL MVP candidate, proving that he's worth every bit of the contract he signed in the offseason. Dak is the unquestionable leader of this team and his play has been off the charts. He said this offseason he wanted his numbers to go down, which meant the Cowboys would be winning in the second half and focused more on the run. That has happened somewhat but Dak's play to get them those leads, is a big reason why. He's not afraid to spread the ball around the yard and get everyone involved. Now, the big question is how quickly he can come back from the calf injury.