Should the Dallas Cowboys rest their starters against the Giants?

With their upcoming Week 17 matchup against the New York Giants now all but meaningless, should the Dallas Cowboys rest their starters?

The Dallas Cowboys won the NFC East on Sunday and clinched a playoff spot with a 27-20 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Heading into the final week of the season, the Cowboys are in an interesting position.

Dallas will have to decide whether or not to rest certain key players against the New York Giants in Week 17. Here are my two theories on how the Cowboys can handle this situation.

#1 – Sit players to keep them fresh for the playoffs

This path allows for players like running back Ezekiel Elliott, offensive tackles Zach Martin, Tyron Smith, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and other essential players to get their bodies right for the first playoff game.

The only downside is, by resting important players, the unit could lose any sort of rhythm heading into the postseason. This usually affects offenses more so than defenses. And with the recent lackadaisical performances by the offense, one could argue they need as much in-game practice as possible.

However, many of the players that would rest against the Giants are veteran players that have not necessarily been the reason behind the offense’s struggles.

The one player that may be in the biggest need of a type of “bye week” would be Ezekiel Elliott. Approaching 400 total touches, Zeke could certainly benefit from the rest. Over the last four weeks, Elliott has put the offense on his back and taken a beating for his team.

And for all the fans that care about his rushing title: According to NFL.com, Elliott currently leads the NFL in rushing with 1,434 yards. The closest player who could challenge him is Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley, who is now 183 yards behind Elliott. Gurley sat out of the Rams Week 16 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with a knee injury.

Martin has struggled with a nagging knee sprain for weeks, per DallasCowboys.com.  And although he was just healthy enough to pad up and play against Tampa Bay, he is far from 100 percent.

Also Tyron Smith needs rest. Smith has been dealing with back problems for what seems like years at this point. He is not healthy. Just look at all the holding penalties called against him in the last few games. Smith is too skilled and matured in his technique to have sloppy plays this late in the year.

Lawrence and fellow defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford would be the two main defenders to take a break this week. The former has been dealing with a shoulder injury all year long while we are still unsure what the current status is on Crawford. After taking a blow to the head/neck area against the Bucs, he was carted off the field, and driven to a local hospital.

According to DallasCowboys.com, here’s what general manager and owner Jerry Jones told the media about Crawford during his postgame interview …

"“Everything checks out really good. We’re really pleased with the initial MRIs, all the examinations, [Crawford] went on to the hospital and had those examinations. I won’t have the (playing) status for next week, but we are real pleased with what we’ve gotten so far. And doesn’t seem to have structural issues at all.”"

It is safe to say that whatever the true nature of Crawford’s injury, he probably will not even fly with the team to face the Giants.

2. Playing the game with all hands on deck

Besides looking good for fantasy football matchups, this option allows the offense to have one last try at finding rhythm before the offense. The defense has been playing at an elite level, they have won games with very little offensive contributions. Come playoff time, it certainly would be nice if the offense could actually score in the redzone.

Also, the offense in particular has many young players in this system. Left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, rookie wide receiver Michael Gallup, and maybe even the new stud Amari Cooper are all new to this system. Obviously, they have yet to mesh as an offense.

One could argue Cooper is such a cerebral, proven player that he does not need any practice before the postseason. But what if giving off time to Gallup would get him out of his rhythm? Can the team really take a hit like that? And though Su’a-Filo has won the starting left guard spot, he is far from a finished product.

Keeping most of the starts active against New York has the possibility to give the Dallas Cowboys some momentum on offense heading into the wild-card round. But where does quarterback Dak Prescott figure into this equation? The most logical solution would be to start him, and give him a few series.

The moment the coaches pull out the starters on the offensive line, Prescott has to come out. If neither Martin or Smith play, I do not believe Prescott should play a snap. He has taken so many hits, frankly it is amazing he is not injured at this point (knock on wood).

The issues Prescott has had this year have been well documented: pocket awareness/movement, ball placement, and situational football. The Cowboys might weigh whether or not these problems could suddenly be fixed this next week. Realistically, these issues can not be fixed until the offseason, so maybe it is smarter to not play him for that long.

Nonetheless, there are several questions Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and his staff will be working through this week. Do you think the Cowboys should rest starters? If so, which ones? And how do you feel about this team heading into the playoffs? Let us know in the comment section below.