Last week against the New York Giants, Dez Bryant limped off the field with an apparent foot injury. It turns out that the injury is definitely something for fantasy owners to be worried about, as Bryant will likely be sidelined for six or more weeks with a broken foot. Initially, Bryant was hopeful to return in four weeks, but that just is not going to happen. Jerry Jones said that Bryant can start conditioning work in about three week after his surgery. So, what does all this mean for fantasy owners?
Well, Tony Romo is going to be just fine, let's get that out of the way. Romo, despite popular belief, is one of the best QBs in the National Football League, and he should continue to be treated as such. In 45 attempts last week, he secured 36 completions for 356 yards. He also looked absolutely fine without Bryant on his game-winning drive at the end of the game.
Bryant was targeted seven times last week, catching five balls for 48 yards. Those seven targets are going to have to be spread out this week against the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, Lance Dunbar caught eight balls, which is not likely to happen again. The two top beneficiaries from the Bryant injury are going to be Jason Witten and Terrence Williams.
Jason Witten, targeted nine times, caught eight balls for 60 yards and two touchdowns last week against the Giants. It seems like with Bryant out of the lineup, Witten will become Romo's go-to option. He has a ton of experience, and Romo has a great connection with him from previous seasons. Without any other real experienced receiving options on the Cowboy's roster, Witten should see a ton of targets until Romo becomes comfortable with some of these other WRs.
Terrance Williams is the other major beneficiary of Bryant's foot injury. Last week, he was targeted eight times, caught five balls, and gained 60 yards in the air. He is a big-play kind of WR, just like Dez Bryant. Cole Beasley is too small to be used as a possession WR or red zone threat. My brother, Justin, seems to think that Devin Street is going to see a good amount of targets, but I'm not ready to hop on that train just yet. Williams is going to be the "big body" WR that the Cowboys are going to force the ball to. He should see somewhere between 8-15 targets per game until Bryant returns or another WR option steps up.
This does not mean that Cole Beasley is not going to benefit from Bryant being injured. However, he just is not big enough to play on the outside, so his playing time is not really going to increase. When he is on the field, Romo will be looking his way more often, but Williams and Witten are definitely going to benefit more.
Main Takeaways:
- Romo is not going to be too hurt by this injury
- Witten is going to be the go to option for Romo
- Williams is going to have to step up to take Bryant's place
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