Our prediction for the Dallas Cowboys offensive and defensive impact player last week didn’t quite pan out as we hoped. George Pickens had a solid game, however, not all that impactful. The same can be said for Quinnen Williams on the defensive side of the ball. We’re hoping our predictions for this week’s impactful players will come to fruition.
This may not be a must-win game for the Cowboys, but if they lose, next week’s will definitely be a must-win. In order to avoid that they need their star players to step up and help sway the game in their favor. Below are the players who we believe will make an impact this week on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Offense – LT Tyler Guyton
Tyler Guyton’s strong play through the first three games of the 2026 NFL season has been one of the biggest surprises for the Dallas Cowboys this year. He’s already faced some the best pass rushers in the entire league and has more than held his own against each one of them. We fully expect him to do the same against Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter in this Week 4 matchup with Houston Texans.
The Cowboys best chance of winning this game is probably airing it out to take advantage of the Texans 26th ranked pass defense, which means protecting QB Dak Prescott is paramount. The Cowboys will have to give some help to right tackle Terence Steele who has struggled in pass protection.
So when Anderson or Hunter is rushing from Prescott’s blindside, he will have to depend on just Guyton neutralizing arguably the best pass rushing duo in the entire league. We believe No. 60 will do just that, which is why he’s our offensive impact player this week.
Defense – CB Joey Porter Jr.
Unless he’s not healthy, there’s no reason why Joey Porter Jr. shouldn’t play some this week against Houston Texans. He may not completely understand what his role is in Christian Parker scheme, but in the little amount of time he’s been here after arriving via trade this week he should know enough to play, especially in man-to-man. After all, it’s not as if the Cowboys have a lot of choice after all the injuries they’ve sustained that has decimated their secondary.
Not only do we believe No. 25 will play with just a few days to get up to speed against the Texas this week, but we also predict he’s going to be the Cowboys defensive impact player in this interstate matchup. The best way for Parker to potentially use his new defensive weapon is to have him shadow the Texans best playmaker, Nico Collins. Porter pretty much shut him down in their last meeting and could do so once again this week.
