RADIO
The Dallas Cowboys made a significant move during their bye week, switching from quarterback Brandon Weeden to Matt Cassel. It was a move that many fans and analysts expected to happen after the Cowboys had gone 0-3 with Weeden under center, but no one knew exactly what to expect from Cassel in his debut with the Cowboys. We now have the answer, and it was a combination of good and bad. Cassel made a few strong plays and took his shots downfield, but he also threw a few errant passes when all was said and done.
In a tough 27-20 loss, Cassel completed 17 of 27 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. It could be argued that one of the interceptions wasn't on him, but that was the one that the New York Giants returned for a touchdown. Regardless, Jerry Jones told The Dallas Morning News that the team would be sticking with Cassel until Tony Romo returns, so there's no reason to expect any type of back-and-forth from head coach Jason Garrett.
It's worth noting that even with Cassel throwing three interceptions, he still gave the offense much more of a spark than Weeden did. His ability to throw the ball down the field and move around in the pocket a bit helped Darren McFadden rush for 152 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. While Cassel's fantasy value remains unchanged (he's not worth a look in anything less than a 14-team league as a bye-week fill-in) it may help the likes of McFadden, Joseph Randle and Jason Witten.
McFadden did get the bulk of the carries due to Randle suffering a back strain, but showed that he may be the top option for Dallas in the running game. Speaking strictly to fantasy value, McFadden's burst today was impressive, and he and Jason Witten (six catches for 73 yards) are the players to watch for moving forward. Make sure to monitor Randle's status as we move towards Week 8, as McFadden may have the potential to be a sneaky spot-start, as well as a daily fantasy play against the Seattle Seahawks.
