2011 Fantasy Football Dallas Cowboys Preview & Auction Values: Tony Romo's Back Baby!
Tony Romo (credits below)
America's team is coming off a disasterous 6-10 record and will try to right the ship once again this year. All the pieces are in place for the offense to be a fantasy juggernaut especially with Tony Romo back with a revamped offensive line. It also doesn't hurt that Cowboys defense was in the bottom two of the NFL in points allowed last year and they have done virtually nothing to address that problem.
QB- TONY ROMO ($23) Romo was having an excellent season last year until a broken collarbone in week seven ended his year. His ADP right now is flucuating between the 3rd and 5th round. With Peyton Manning's injury status looming, Tony has moved up to the sixth spot for QB's being taken in many draft formats. Romo has arguably the best receiving corp in the league, mix that in with a non-playoff schedule and a poor defense and you have a huge season looming. If you want him he will go in the top 40 picks so be prepared to draft him early. If the Cowboys can keep him upright I for see him as the top four fantasy QB this year.
RB- FELIX JONES ($14) Felix will be the featured back this year for the Cowboys. He should get 300+ touches in a high octane offense and will be a three down back. Jones finished third on the team last year in receptions and averaged 4.3 yards per carry on the ground. He is currently the 26th running back off the board in many leagues with an ADP of 5.1. I like his chance to out shine many being drafted ahead of him especially if the Cowboy's can solidify the O-line giving Felix many more short yardage TD opportunities. He is more valuable also in PPR leagues. Chance for a very big year here, if you want him he will go in the top 4 rounds.
WR- MILES AUSTIN ($18) Miles had a decent year last year considering he lost his starting QB seven weeks into the season. He still finished with 88 receptions, 1,246 yards and eight TD's. He is currently the 11th WR being picked off many fantasy league draft boards. With all the Cowboy's weapons it is hard to project him going any higher than that but an injury to fellow wideout Dez Bryant would certainly bump his value into top 10 status. Austin is a solid pick come draft day and has potential to be a top five wideout.
WR- DEZ BRYANT ($12) Here is the Cowboy’s version of a high risk high reward canidate. Dez scored six TD’s in 12 games last year and has the talent and potential to be a top 20 wideout in this offense. With that potential though you also get a player who has been in and out of trouble off the field and an injury risk especially since he returns punts. Jerry Jones likes him and this will be year number two in the Jason Garrett led system. The potential is there for a big year just be prepared to temper your expectations at any time during the season. His ADP is 4th or 5th round in most 12 team leagues.
TE- JASON WITTEN ($13) Jason enjoyed one of his best seasons ever last year leading all tight ends in receptions and yards while catching nine touchdowns. He was John Kitna's favorite target. With Tony Romo back it is logical to assume Jason's numbers will fall back into more like the norm for his career. Witten has managed four straight seasons with atleast 81 receptions and 900+ yards. Jason is another Cowboy who will go off the board before the 6th round so again if you covet him you will have to draft him early.
K- DAVID BUEHLER ($1) "Ferris" struggled early in the year for the Boys but still managed to stay with the team for the year. He was 24-32 on his attempts, scoring 114 points. Buehler could be a nice addition to your team if you get extra points for longer FG's. He hit 4 from over 50 last year and eight from 40+. The Cowboys figure to be a high flying offense this year so why not draft him with your last pick?
QB- TONY ROMO ($23) Romo was having an excellent season last year until a broken collarbone in week seven ended his year. His ADP right now is flucuating between the 3rd and 5th round. With Peyton Manning's injury status looming, Tony has moved up to the sixth spot for QB's being taken in many draft formats. Romo has arguably the best receiving corp in the league, mix that in with a non-playoff schedule and a poor defense and you have a huge season looming. If you want him he will go in the top 40 picks so be prepared to draft him early. If the Cowboys can keep him upright I for see him as the top four fantasy QB this year.
RB- FELIX JONES ($14) Felix will be the featured back this year for the Cowboys. He should get 300+ touches in a high octane offense and will be a three down back. Jones finished third on the team last year in receptions and averaged 4.3 yards per carry on the ground. He is currently the 26th running back off the board in many leagues with an ADP of 5.1. I like his chance to out shine many being drafted ahead of him especially if the Cowboy's can solidify the O-line giving Felix many more short yardage TD opportunities. He is more valuable also in PPR leagues. Chance for a very big year here, if you want him he will go in the top 4 rounds.
WR- MILES AUSTIN ($18) Miles had a decent year last year considering he lost his starting QB seven weeks into the season. He still finished with 88 receptions, 1,246 yards and eight TD's. He is currently the 11th WR being picked off many fantasy league draft boards. With all the Cowboy's weapons it is hard to project him going any higher than that but an injury to fellow wideout Dez Bryant would certainly bump his value into top 10 status. Austin is a solid pick come draft day and has potential to be a top five wideout.
WR- DEZ BRYANT ($12) Here is the Cowboy’s version of a high risk high reward canidate. Dez scored six TD’s in 12 games last year and has the talent and potential to be a top 20 wideout in this offense. With that potential though you also get a player who has been in and out of trouble off the field and an injury risk especially since he returns punts. Jerry Jones likes him and this will be year number two in the Jason Garrett led system. The potential is there for a big year just be prepared to temper your expectations at any time during the season. His ADP is 4th or 5th round in most 12 team leagues.
TE- JASON WITTEN ($13) Jason enjoyed one of his best seasons ever last year leading all tight ends in receptions and yards while catching nine touchdowns. He was John Kitna's favorite target. With Tony Romo back it is logical to assume Jason's numbers will fall back into more like the norm for his career. Witten has managed four straight seasons with atleast 81 receptions and 900+ yards. Jason is another Cowboy who will go off the board before the 6th round so again if you covet him you will have to draft him early.
K- DAVID BUEHLER ($1) "Ferris" struggled early in the year for the Boys but still managed to stay with the team for the year. He was 24-32 on his attempts, scoring 114 points. Buehler could be a nice addition to your team if you get extra points for longer FG's. He hit 4 from over 50 last year and eight from 40+. The Cowboys figure to be a high flying offense this year so why not draft him with your last pick?
* Please note Buehler (k) has hip strain at this time.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS ($1) The Cowboys defense will take on a new look this year with Rob Ryan coming over from Cleveland. Maybe some swagger and attitude will revamp a squad that is loaded with stars but has no substance. Most leagues group both defense and special teams as one unit which is where the Boys have some value. Dez Bryant is an excellent punt returner and will return atleast 2-3 punts for TD's this year. I see an upgrade here for the defense basically because they cant get much worse but there are plenty of other defenses worth owning come draft day.
Written by John Marino exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com.
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(September 18, 2010 – Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America)
Tags: The Fantasy Fix, 2011 Fantasy Football, Auction Values, 2011 Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Tips, Draft Kit, Dallas Cowboys, Tony Romo,Felix Jones, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten
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