Two years into his career with Dallas, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb still seems to be holding back. That’s not to say he hasn’t been productive – his numbers prove otherwise – rather he hasn’t reached his potential as an elite receiver.
His rookie season in 2020 was special, as he hauled in 74 receptions for 935 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per target. Based on those numbers, 2021 was supposed to be his breakout campaign, but he was overshadowed by younger receivers and later draft picks than him, notably Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Lamb tallied a respectable 79 receptions (#20 among WR) 1,102 receiving yards (#14) and six touchdowns (#20).
The Cowboys finished last season as the #1 overall offense, and as a part of that Lamb saw a 20.4% target share, 24.3% air yards share, and 21 targets of 20+ yards. It’s worth noting that this offense also had Amari Cooper on it, which ate up some of Lamb’s targets. This season, Lamb is going to WR1. 2021 was also his first season where he played the majority of his snaps outside of the slot, and he’s certainly going to see even more downfield work this season.
Health & Draft Analysis – Cowboys fans may have been disappointed by him last season, but this year I’d expect things to go differently. He’s shown solid improvement in two seasons, and with the WR1 spot no longer held by Cooper, Lamb is going to prove his worth. The Cowboys love to air the ball out, and with RB Ezekiel Elliot appearing to plateau lately, the pass attack is going to be Dallas’ bread and butter in 2022. Lamb did deal with an ankle sprain in Week 8, and a concussion in Week 11 of last season, but there hasn’t been an injury concern since. To me, he is a low risk, moderate-to-high reward player who is a sleeper Top 5 WR this year.
