Dallas Cowboys fantasy football Playoffs edition
By Tonni Shook
Fantasy football leagues around the nation begin playoffs this weekend. I, personally, hate it because that means the football season is winding down. The next 7-8 months of waiting UNTIL NEXT YEAR stinks. For you die-hard Dallas Cowboy fans, you probably loaded up your fantasy rosters with Cowboys. To date, here is how your Cowboy players compare, fantasy-wise, to their peers [Data pulled from CBS Sports]:
Dec 2, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant (88) celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Name – Position – Fantasy points – Rank
- Tony Romo – Quarterback – 232 – 13th
- Felix Jones – Running back – 82 – 24th
- DeMarco Murray – Running back – 61 – 38th
- Dez Bryant – Wide receiver – 138 – 6th
- Miles Austin – Wide receiver – 100 – 21st
- Kevin Ogletree – Wide receiver – 50 – 67th
- Jason Witten – Tight end – 82 – 9th
- Dan Bailey – Kicker – 112 – 16th
- Cowboys Defense – 132 – 24th
Romo is tied with Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders quarterback, in fantasy overall points. His 324 passing completions make him #1 overall. Plus, 3,660 passing yards places him just below Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback. What holds him back from being a top five fantasy quarterback is his lack of touchdowns – 19 total – compared to Brees’ 31. Interceptions, 15, cost him fantasy points as well. The Cowboys visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, so Romo has a tough matchup against the Bengals 12th ranked fantasy defense. They are #1 in sacks, so the already terrible Dallas offensive line better be ready to protect their quarterback or he’s in for a long day.
Jones filled in for the injured Murray, but didn’t fill the void at all. He averaged 10 fantasy points per game, which is sad for a starting running back. He scored three touchdowns in that span, which is even more disappointing. He isn’t productive in real life or fantasy, so drop him from your roster – no need to waste space.
Murray came back with a vengeance in week 13. My opponent last weekend actually benched Murray, not knowing how he would play his first game back. Not only was he productive, his performance encouraged his teammates to step up their game, as well. Too bad there is no option for inspiration fantasy points. Murray was held out of Wednesday’s practice, but do not be alarmed. He will play and look for him to continue to do work as the true starter. As stated above, the Bengals defense is stout and will wreak some havoc on the Cowboy offense. Murray can be trusted to get you some fantasy points, so don’t be stupid and sit him like my opponent did last weekend.
Bryant, as I stated from day one of training camp, will be a stud in 2012. He was slow to get onboard, but he finally jumped on. He currently has eight touchdowns, and two more, he will be tied with A.J. Green, Bengals receiver, at #1. I missed picking him up in my league; the guy who did, quit mid-year. Quitters don’t sit well with me or Bryant, I would venture to say. That guy is a beast and will continue to be until he takes his last breath. If you’ve got Dez on your roster, be happy, you might just win your league.
Austin, at first thought, hasn’t done a lot, but when you look at his fantasy numbers, he actually is consistent. He had a couple of games where he managed to put up three fantasy points, but he’s steady week in and week out. He’s no Dez and he’s been injured more than not over the past few seasons. He’s going to get a few points, but with Bryant being Romo’s top target, don’t lean on Austin too much.
Ogletree bust. He faked everyone out with that New York Giants game one performance. Since then, he’s been nothing but a splinter in every fantasy playing fool’s bench. If he’s not on your league’s waiver wire, he should be and stat!
Witten is the #1 targeted tight end, by a mile. He is automatic, a sure thing, and will get you yardage points. He’s not a touchdown phenom unfortunately, one – yes, you read that correctly, one – for the year to date. Not sure why he doesn’t get the touchdown plays; that’s just not fair. He sets up the team for success though and that’s key to the real world, not fantasy. If you have him, play him.
Bailey, Mr. Auto-freaking-matic, Bailey. If you don’t have this guy, you suck. Last year, he was the #2 kicker, fantasy points-wise, this year he’s down a bit. However, you cannot go wrong with having Bailey in your playoffs and if you bench him, you deserve to lose for all eternity. [ I dropped Bailey in week 5 and picked up Matt Bryant, Atlanta’s kicker.] Karma knocked me out of playoff contention for that move. (Actually he’s the #1 fantasy kicker, but karma still got me.)
Cowboys defense is the poster child for sporadic syndrome. Not sure if that’s a real syndrome, but it should be when it comes to the Cowboys. In fantasy, in most leagues, you pick an overall defense rather than individual players. They are dead last in interceptions, middle-of-the-pack in sacks (Bengals are #1, remember), closer to the top in defensive fumble recoveries, and really close to the top in total yards allowed. To put it mildly, they are average. In most leagues, they are free agents, so if you’re serious about winning, don’t pick them up and/or start them.
I’m upset I’m not in my league’s playoffs. I came close, but in the end didn’t do enough throughout the season. I hope you’ve had better luck and you are well on your way to winning a championship, just like the Dallas Cowboys. Good luck!