With the regular-season kickoff just two short days away, fantasy football leagues are wrapping up their drafts if they haven't already and trying to finalize their rosters for opening week, which includes Wednesday night's big game between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.
With that in mind, let's look at the dos and don'ts of the Cowboys' roster when it comes to the fantasy world.
1. Tony Romo, QB — Romo gets all the hate in Dallas when the Cowboys aren't winning, and not enough credit when they do. He's still a top-10 fantasy quarterback in the NFL (somewhere in the 7-10 range) with a good amount of weapons at his disposal. Last season, he had a career year, throwing for more than 4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. Plan on snatching him up in the first few rounds of your draft (assuming quarterbacks get equal points per TD that RBs and WRs do).
2. DeMarco Murray, RB — Murray is one of the hottest names in fantasy prep this season, but it's really only based off a handful of games worth of experience. Last year, in the first game in which he saw significant playing time (he didn't even start the game), the injury-plagued former Sooner rushed for over 250 yards, setting the Cowboys' single-game rushing record, and went for a 91-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the game. From that point, he re-vitalized the Cowboys' offense, giving them a go-to back they hadn't had since the Emmitt Smith days. The negative? His season ended prematurely due to injury, something that has been the case in just about every year of Murray's career dating back to Oklahoma. If he can stay healthy, he has top-5 RB potential. If you want him, you better grab him in the first round.
3. Dez Bryant, WR — Wow. What is there to say about Dez? He has all the talent in the world, has less career 100-yard games than I have eyes on my face, and has a tendency of disappearing in the second half of games. He has potential to be a top-10 WR, but that would be a best-case scenario. It his is third year, however, which is traditionally a big year for wide receivers to break out and have big years. Could this be Dez's year? We'll find out soon.
4. Miles Austin, WR — Take the talent of Murray, along with the injury risks multiplied by about 10, and you have Austin. He has all the talent in the world and has a great chemistry with Romo, but he's now working on his third hamstring/quad problem in a matter of just more than a year. That's a major concern. Receivers can't do much if they're hurting in their legs, and hamstrings don't just heal overnight. I'd steer clear.
5. Jason Witten, TE — One of the surest bets in fantasy football, Witten is Romo's favorite receiver, and is seemingly always open. He also has a lacerated spleen and is highly questionable to play in Wednesday's opener. Still, that's one game he's likely to miss. Feel comfortable taking Witten as a top-5 tight end behind the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates and Jermichael Finley.
