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Title: Cowboys FF-specific Team Report Post by PrimeTime on Oct 2nd, 2005, 9:53am by Gene Nestro Time & Date of this Update (PST): 10:14 on Sun Jan 1 2006 News: Cowboys Week Seventeen... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys face the Rams with a possible playoff berth on the line. Most leagues are over at this point, but if you are still playing this is a good week to start you Cowboys. Drew Bledsoe is a QB1 this week and should be started. Not only is the Rams defense not very good, but Bledsoe will play the whole game which cannot be said for many of the other top QBs. This is a must win game for the Cowboys so they will be playing all out on Sunday. I am looking for the Cowboys to score at least 24 points and Bledsoe will account for some of those. Julius Jones is a RB1 this week and you must start him. He will put up good numbers and should have at least one TD. I rank Barber as a RB3. He will play but will probably not put up meaningful stats. TE Jason Witten is a TE1. I think he will have a good week this week. Possibly top 5 for all TEs. WR Terry Glenn and WR Keyshawn Johnson are both borderline WR1 this week. One of them will be a WR1 and one a WR2. It is hard to figure out who will be which one. My guess is Glenn has the better week. I am rating the Cowboys DEF a DEF2 this week. They should get a lot of sacks and maybe a few interceptions, but they could give up a lot of yards and points. IND defensive players I like this week are DB Roy Williams, LB Scott Fujita and DB Terrence Newman and DB Anthony Henry. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 09:47 on Sat Dec 24 2005 News: Cowboys Week Sixteen... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys face the Panthers in a do or die game. Many leagues are already over and this week is Super Bowl week in most of the remaining leagues. If you are reading this you are in probably the biggest game of the year for you and all decisions are immensely important. I will try to help you. This is NOT a good week to start any of the Cowboys. The Panthers defense is tough and they are playing for home field advantage in the playoffs. The Cowboys offensive line is bad and the tackles are terrible. The Panthers defensive ends will have a field day. Drew Bledsoe is at best a QB2 this week and should not be started. He will not have time to pass the ball. The Cowboys RB should not be counted on for much production. Although with some teams resting their stars at least Jones and Barber will play the whole game. The trick is going to be to figure out which one will get the most carries. I am going to rank them both as RB2. One of them should put up decent numbers. My guess is that Jones will have the better day. TE Jason Witten is a borderline TE1. I think he will be forced to stay in and help the pathetic tackles try to block the Panthers defensive ends and he will not be targeted much this week. WR Terry Glenn and WR Keyshawn Johnson are both WR2 this week due to the match up with the Panthers DEF. Of all the Cowboys offensive players I like Glenn the best this week. I am rating the Cowboys DEF a DEF2 this week. They should be serviceable if you need to start them this week. IND defensive players I like this week are DB Roy Williams, LB Scott Fujita and DB Terrence Newman and DB Anthony Henry. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 18:08 on Fri Dec 15 2005 News: Cowboys Week Fifteen... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys face the Redskins in a grudge match. This is going to be a rough week to start your Cowboys. I rank Bledsoe as a QB2 this week against a tough Washington defense. I would not count on him to exceed 250 yards and 1 TD. If you have other options you should use them. Jones – Barber, Barber – Jones. Who is the number 1 RB? It looks like Parcells is going with who ever is hot. For now I will call them both RB2. I do like Jones as a better option this week. Call it a gut feeling but I think he is going to come up big. TE Jason Witten is a TE1 but his production could suffer against the Washington DEF. WR Terry Glenn and WR Keyshawn Johnson are both WR2 this week due to the match up with the Redskins DEF. I am rating the Cowboys DEF a DEF2 this week only because a few other teams have really good match ups. I do think they will have a good week against a poor Washington offense so I rate them a high DEF2. IND defensive players I like this week are DB Roy Williams, LB Bradie James, LB Scott Fujita and DB Terrence Newman. In that order. Good Luck! PLEASE do NOT post to this thread! This thread is only to be appended to by Gene Nestro. |
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Title: Re: Cowboys FF-specific Team Report Post by PrimeTime on Oct 2nd, 2005, 9:55am Time & Date of this Update (PST): 03:21 on Sun Dec 11 2005 News: Cowboys Week Fourteen... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys face the Chiefs in a must win game. First off I want to say the Cowboys really have me confused this year. When you think they are going to have a good week they dont and when you think they are in for a long week they explode. With that said, starting your Cowboys players is a crap shoot this year. Here is how I see it this week versus KC. QB Drew Bledsoe should be a QB1 this week. I expect this game to be high scoring and the Cowboys are going to have to pass to win the game. I can see Drew throwing for over 200 yards with 2 TDs. I like RB Julius Jones as a RB1 this week. Parcells called him out to produce and the KC DEF is only average. Look for big numbers from Julius this week. Barber has taken a back seat to Julius so I would not start him this week. I keep predicting big weeks from TE Jason Witten but he so far hasnt delivered. Once again I am going to rate him a TE1 and predict a good week. One of these weeks he should break out. Both WR Terry Glenn and WR Keyshawn Johnson are both WR1 this week. As I mentioned above I see the Cowboys passing a lot this week and both Glenn and Keyshawn should be good to go for you. The Cowboys DEF is a DEF2 this week. While they are vastly improved since switching to the 3 -4 and adding some young talent they face a tough match up this week. IND defensive players I like this week are DB Roy Williams, LB Bradie James and DB Terrence Newman. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 08:18 on Sun Dec 4 2005 News: Cowboys Week Thirteen... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys travel to NY to face the Giants for first place in the NFC East. QB Drew Bledsoe is a solid QB1 this week. The last time he faced the Giants he threw for over 300 yards with a TD. The Gaints pass defense has been below par this season which will add up to a good week for Bledsoe. It looks like RB Julius Jones is starting to retake the number 1 RB position for the Cowboys but Barber still steals too many carries. Jones is a RB2 until we see him get 25 carries a game and play on the goal line offense. Barber may be serviceable as a RB3 especially if your league gives points per reception. TE Jason Witten is a TE1 and should be started every week. Both WR Terry Glenn and WR Keyshawn Johnson are both WR1 this week. The Giants pass defense should allow them both plenty of opportunities to put up good numbers. The Cowboys DEF is a DEF2 this week. You should look to another DEF this week since the Giants offense has been putting up good numbers this year. IND defensive players I like this week are DB Roy Williams, and LB Bradie James. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 20:05 on Thu Nov 25 2005 News: Cowboys Week Twelve... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys face the Denver Broncos at home this week in a tough game they will struggle to win. QB Drew Bledsoe is a borderline QB1 this week. While he faces a still suspect (but improving) Denver secondary, he has not been putting up great numbers lately. You probably have a better option this week because I see him as a low QB1 high QB2. Weather will not be a factor. What is Bill parcels doing to us? Do we have a RBBC? Until we see differently Jones and Barber are both RB2 with Barber better in basic scoring systems and Jones better in yardage leagues. TE Jason Witten is a TE1 and should be started this week. I rank Terry Glenn as a WR1 this week. I think he will get behind the Denver secondary for a few long catches. Keyshawn Johnson is a WR2 this week with the chance to move up to WR1 with a TD catch. I look for them both to have good weeks. The Cowboys DEF is a DEF1 this week. You should start them at home and on Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy your turkey as the Dallas DEF causes Denver all kinds of trouble. IND defensive players I like this week are DB Roy Williams, DB Anthony Henry, LB Demarcus Ware and DL Greg Ellis. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 09:21 on Sun Nov 20 2005 News: Cowboys Week Eleven... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys face the Detroit Lions at home this week and should not only win the game but post good numbers all around. QB Drew Bledsoe is a borderline QB1 this week. I see him finishing around 8 to 12 this week. He has slumped the past few weeks. The Lions pass DEF, however, is not that good and might actually be getting worse as the year goes on. I checked the weather forecast in Dallas and it looks like it will be a nice day so you may want to roll the dice and give Drew the start. RB Julius Jones and RB Marion Barber III appear to be splitting time. I think Jones is the better RB and offers more big play ability, but I do not decide playing time. Here is what I would do. Start RB Julius Jones because I think he will get the bulk of the playing time and he could break off a long TD run. Do not count on him for more than a RB2/RB3 and you may get a surprise if he sneaks into a RB1. On the other hand, if you have Marion barber III and you do not have a lot of other options, you should also feel free to start him. At worst he will be the third down back and if your scoring system gives points per reception he could prove valuable. I see him as a RB3 with the possibility to move to RB2 with more carries. TE Jason Witten will once again be a TE1 and you should start him if you have him. The Detroit pass defense is not stellar (about 15th in the league vs the pass) so I believe both Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn should be started this week. I look for them both to finish in the top 30 WR this week which makes them both WR2. I like the Cowboys DEF this week and I rank them as a DEF1 this week. You should start them against a struggling Detroit offense. IND defensive players I like this week are DB Roy Williams, DB Terence Newman and DB Anthony Henry. This is mostly because Joey Harrington is prone to throwing INT and these guys should be the beneficiary of them. I also like DL Greg Ellis and LB Bradie James Time & Date of this Update (PST): 09:51 on Sun Nov 13 2005 News: Cowboys Week Ten... Fantasy Football Slant: Coming off a bye week, the Cowboys are ready to take on the reeling Eagles on Monday night. This is a must win game for both teams and it should be a hard fought contest. I look for the Cowboys to beat the Eagles by at least 10 points. All your Cowboys should be ready to go in week 10! QB Drew Bledsoe is a QB1 this week and he should finish in the top 10 facing an Eagles DEF that seems to get worse every week. RB Julius Jones is back this week and he is safe to start as he should see 20 or more carries against an Eagles DEF that is soft against the run. If you need to because of bye week problems or injury give Marion Barber III a start. He will get 10 to 15 carries and will put up some numbers for you. TE Jason Witten will have a monster week. The Eagles simply have no one who can cover him one on one and the Eagles secondary will be busy trying to cover the Cowboys WRs. You must start him this week. Both Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn should be started this week. It is hard to predict who will have the better week, but they are both at least WR2 and one of them will probably end up a WR1. Look for Peerless Price to see more action this week. With the bye week practice time I think the Cowboys will integrate him a little more. In a 3 WR set the Eagles will not be able to cover him. The Cowboys DEF is a DEF2 this week. You can start them, but there are better options. The Eagles are starting a rookie center, have no T.O. and LJ Smith is coming off a concussion. Be wary however because the Eagles usually play well on Monday nights. IND defensive players to look at this week are, DB Roy Williams, DB Anthony Henry, and DB Terence Newman. They are the only Cowboys IND players I would start this week. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 07:56 on Sun Nov 6 2005 News: Cowboys Week Nine... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys are on Bye this week. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 19:34 on Sat Oct 29 2005 News: Cowboys Week Eight... Fantasy Football Slant: This week the Cowboys go up against the Arizona Cardinals. This is a game the Cowboys should (must?) win. After last weeks loss I think they will be fired up for this game. Once again, I think you can start you Cowboys with confidence. QB Drew Bledsoe is ranked in the top 3 in many fantasy football scoring systems. Don't fight the stats. He should be started every week. He should finish in the top 10 QBs this week versus Arizona. RB Julius Jones will most likely not play again this week so you should not start him. It looks like Marion Barber III will get the bulk of the carries but with Parcells you can never tell. If you need to start him keep your fingers crossed. Once again look for TE Jason Witten to help keep the chains moving. You must start him this week. While both Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn should be started this week I like Glenn a little better. I can see him catching a long TD or two. They should both finish in the top 20 WRs this week and both of them are safe starts. OK the Cowboys DEF has me convinced. They can be started most weeks. I like them this week because Arizona has no running game and I see the potential for a lot of sacks and interceptions. I am a little worried about a shootout so if you league scoring is heavy on points you may want to look elsewhere. Are far the IND defensive players I like, LB Demarcus Ware, DB Roy Williams, DB Anthony Henry and DE Greg Ellis in that order. They are the only Cowboys IND players I would start this week. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 20:47 on Sat Oct 22 2005 News: Cowboys Week Seven... Fantasy Football Slant: This week the Cowboys face head west to face the Seattle Seahawks. This game will be another tough test for the Cowboys. Both teams are dealing with injuries. I am looking for a high scoring game this week and I think the Cowboys passing attack will provide us with a number of good fantasy options. QB Drew Bledsoe should have yet another productive week especially with Jones not expected to play. Bledsoe should be started this week because he will finish in the top ten. He is the real deal!! Check your league leaders. In many leagues, Bledsoe is in the top three!!! RB Julius Jones will most likely not play this week so you should not start him. Your guess is as good as mine as to who will get the bulk of the carries. Maybe this is the week we get to see what Marion Barber III can do. Proceed with caution when dealing with the Cowboys RBs. With the running game weakened, I am looking for TE Jason Witten to help pick up the slack and have a top 3 week. He should be started. Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn should both be started this week. They should both finish in the top 20 WRs this week with one of them finishing in the top ten. I have been getting a lot of emails regarding Peerless Price. I do NOT think you should start him this week, but he could be a nice free agent pickup. He will play this week and I think he will put up some numbers because the Seattle defense will not be thinking about him. If you are desperate for a WR in a deep league give him a shot. The Cowboys DEF is a border line number one DEF. They cannot be counted on to start every week although they perform fairly well week in and week out. I would not start them this week. If you start them you should be able to count on a few sacks and an INT or two. Maybe this week, Demarcus Ware will put up the monster game we are all expecting him to. As for IND DEF I recommend that you start DB Roy Williams this week. Once again, I think DB Anthony Henry is a viable starter. I am going to recommend you start LB Demarcus Ware based on the fact that I think he will have a monster week against Seattle. I should mention that I do not have any facts to back this up only that I think he will be a star in this league and he is over due to really tune up a team. Why not start this week with Seattle?. LB Bradie James should be OK to start once again. Do not expect big numbers because I think we will see a lot of passing. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 07:08 on Sun Oct 16 2005 News: Cowboys Week Six... Fantasy Football Slant: This week the Cowboys face another NFC East foe in the NY Giants. After completely destroying the Eagles in every phase of the game, the Cowboys are looking to make a statement against New York. The New York secondary is a little banged up and the Cowboys are on a roll so this should be a good week to start your Cowboys. QB Drew Bledsoe should put up great numbers this week. He is a sure starter this week. The only guys I would start over him are Payton Manning, Hasselbeck, and Collins. (Really, Im not kidding). RB Julius Jones will most likely not play this week so you should not start him. The RB duties will be split between rookie Tyson Thompson and Anthony Thomas. Thompson is the better choice to start. If you have Thompson you should be able to start him as a number 3 RB. He could surprise and finish in the top 20 if he can find the endzone. I am looking for TE Jason Witten to have a nice week finishing as one of the top 3 or 4 TEs this week. He should be started every week until further notice. Once again you should start both Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn this week. Either one of them, or both of them for that matter, could finish in the top 15 among WR this week. I like Terry Glenn better than Keyshawn Johnson this week. I think Glenn could finish as in the top 5 WR this week. The Cowboys DEF is coming off a nice game against the Eagles last week, but I still cannot recommend starting them. I see them finishing about 15 to 18 this week. As far as IND DEF I recommend that you start DB Roy Williams this week. I also think DB Anthony Henry and DB Terrence Newman are viable starters this week. Manning likes to throw a lot so they will get their chances for tackles and interceptions. LB Demarcus Ware is feast or famine depending on how many sacks he gets. Start him if you feel lucky. LB Bradie James should prove to be a decent start this week and if you are desperate pick up LB Scott Shanle because I think he will post OK numbers. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 08:45 on Sun Oct 09 2005 News: Cowboys Week Five... Fantasy Football Slant: The E-A-G-L-E-S come to Texas today! This is a huge rivalry game for both teams. If recent history is any guide the Eagles will win this game. This Cowboys team is improved over last years team, but the Eagles are the best team in the NFC. This will be a tough week to count on your Cowboy players for big fantasy stats. With KC, NYG, OAK, and MIN on bye this week many of you may be looking to your Cowboy players to fill in for guys out on bye. Here is my advice. QB Drew Bledsoe could put up decent numbers. If the Cowboys fall behind and are forced to play catchup he could have a nice week. On the other hand, the game could be tight and the Cowboys stick with the run. If you have other options I would use them over Bledsoe this week. If not, start him and hope for the best. I see him finishing as the 15-17 best QB this week. RB Julius Jones should be started every week. Teams have run on the Eagles in the past and with Dawkins a little banged up, I think Jones could have a nice week with a good chance of finishing in the top 10 at RB this week. As usual, you should start TE Jason Witten who should have a decent week. Hopefully he is not asked to block too much and I am predicting a TD catch for him today. You should start both Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn this week. While I dont expect either one of them to finish in the top 15 among WR this week, they both should put up decent numbers. If you are in a small league that only starts 2 WR (say a 10 team league, 2WR and no flex) then I would only start them as bye week filler. I would not start the Cowboys DEF this week since McNabb is on a roll and Owens likes playing at Texas Stadium. From an IDP perspective, DB Roy Williams is a must start and I would also start DB Terrence Newman this week because the Eagles like to throw a lot and he will get the opportunity to make some plays. This is also a good week to start LB Demarcus Ware and Bradie James. I think they will both have good weeks. Good Luck! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 08:14 on Sun Oct 02 2005 News: Cowboys Week Four... Fantasy Football Slant: This week the Cowboys face yet another Bay Area team in the Oakland Raiders who are surprisingly 0-3 (although Norv Turner has proven time and again that he is simply not a very good NFL head coach). This is a scary matchup for the Cowboys because I do not think the Raiders will start the season with four losses. The Cowboys stayed in the Bay area after their game against San Francisco so travel should not be a problem. I see a high scoring game this week with both teams scoring 24+ points. From a fantasy perspective this presents many opportunities for Cowboys owners. For the second week in a row I am going to recommend that you start QB Drew Bledsoe with the usual caveat of - unless you have one of the stud QBs on your roster. Again he is also an excellent QB2 for those leagues that start 2 QB. While not flashy, the Cowboys have many weapons to utilize in their offense and Drew is doing a good job of finding the open man. Drew should rank in the top 10 this week. RB Julius Jones should have a good week and should be started in all formats. The only problem for him could be if the Cowboys get behind early and are forced to play catch up. TE Jason Witten had a good week last week but I was hoping to get more out of him this year. Lets hope he continues to increase his production. Start him this week. You should start both Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn this week. Look for Keyshawn to be targeted about 12 to 15 times this week and Terry to catch a long TD pass. Both WRs should be in the top 20 WR this week. The Cowboys DEF should not be started this week because I see Oakland putting up good offensive numbers. I am really worried about the Cowboys secondary covering Moss. They gave up a lot of long TD passes already this year to WR not nearly as good as Moss. Proceed with caution! From an IDP perspective, DB Roy Williams is a must start but I would be a little cautious with any other Dallas defensive players. Good Luck! PLEASE do NOT post to this thread! This thread is only to be appended to by Gene Nestro. |
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Title: Re: Cowboys FF-specific Team Report Post by PrimeTime on Dec 16th, 2005, 7:50pm by Gene Nestro Time & Date of this Update (PST): 10:43 on Fri Sep 23 2005 News: Cowboys Week Three... Fantasy Football Slant: In week three the Cowboys travel to the Bay Area to face the 49ers. The 49er DEF is not that strong and I expect a good fantasy showing against them. Right off the bat I am going to recommend that you start QB Drew Bledsoe unless you have one of the stud QBs on your roster. He will also make a good QB2 for those leagues that start 2 QB. The Cowboys are giving Drew enough time in the pocket and the veteran WRs are getting open and catching the ball. Drew could easily rank in the top 10 this week. RB Julius Jones should have a monster week and must be started if he is on your roster. This is the week that TE Jason Witten breaks out so if you got him, start him. Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn are both safe to start this week and both of them should post very solid numbers. Both could be in the top 20 WR this week. The Cowboys DEF is also a good start this week against Tim Ratty. From an IDP perspective, DB Roy Williams is a must start and you should be safe with any of the Dallas LBs or DLs especially Ware. This is the week to start your Cowboys. Time & Date of this Update (PST): 10:43 on Sat Sep 17 2005 News: Cowboys Week Two... Fantasy Football Slant: In week two the Cowboys host the Redskins on Monday night. While the Redskins DEF is tough, I still think you can start some of the Cowboy players. Plus, it is always fun to watch the Monday night game when you have some players in the game and you know how many points you need for a victory. I think the Cowboys will score 17 to 24 points in pulling out a win over the Redskins. QB Drew Bledsoe is still not worth starting unless you are in a very deep league. I need to see a little more of him before I can recommend your starting him. RB Julius Jones is a must start every week regardless of the DEF. The Cowboys offense revolves around him and he is a threat for 100 plus yards and at least a TD every week. TE Jason Witten is the other “must start” every week. While he didn’t put up stud numbers last week he is still too talented not to start. The Cowboys WRs are all risky starts this week. I would not start any of them until we see who get the targets on a weekly basis. I am worried that a different WR will lead the team each week making it hard to predict who will get the most action on any given week. With that said, however, feel free to start Keyshawn Johnson if you do not have any other clear-cut starters. Bledsoe appears to be looking for him in the Red Zone and on third down. Glenn and Crayton should only be used if you are really desperate. Each one is capable of putting up nice numbers but do you really want your fantasy success riding on either one of them this week? I didn’t think so. I would start the Cowboys DEF this week since they looked pretty good against San Diego and Washington is not an offensive powerhouse. The Cowboys pass rush looks really improved this year which will help get more sacks and interceptions. From an IDP perspective, DB Roy Williams is the only “must start” on the Cowboys. Ware is a high risk/high reward starter for week two. All the other IDPs continue to be risky picks until we see how the DEF shakes out. Good luck and lets go Cowboys! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 08:14 on Sun Sep 11 2005 News: Cowboys Week One... Fantasy Football Slant: The Cowboys Week One game at San Diego should provide solid stats for Julius Jones and Jason Witten. I am looking for a close game that wont be decided until the 4th quarter. Both teams will play conservatively. I think the Cowboys will pull out a hard fought win 17 to 13. If you are the proud owner of any Cowboys what should you do? First off QB Drew Bledsoe is not worth starting. I do think he will throw a TD pass so if you must start him he will give you a little something. RB Julius Jones is a must start since the Cowboys will try to run all day long. TE Jason Witten is the other must start this week as I think he will be one of the top two or three scoring TEs this week. Even more so if your league awards points for every reception. I would not start any of the Cowboys WRs this week. For now we need to see who will be targeted as the teams #1 WR. My guess is that Keyshawn Johnson will get his fair share of balls, but I really think Terry Glenn is going to be the top fantasy WR on the Cowboys this year. We just need to see how it plays out. If you must start a Cowboys WR Johnson should get 4 to 6 receptions and Glenn will catch a couple of deep balls. I would start the Cowboys DEF this week as the game will be low scoring and Damarcus Ware has shown the ability to get to the QB. From an IDP perspective, DB Roy Williams is a must start with Tomlinson running the ball a lot this week. All the other IDPs are risky picks this week until we see how the Cowboys DEF will shape up over the coming weeks. If you have Ware I think he is worth the start this week since he showed he can produce tackles and sack numbers in the preseason. Good luck and lets go Cowboys! Time & Date of this Update (PST): 08:25 on Tue Aug 16 2005 News: Cowboys Player Rankings... Fantasy Football Slant: This analysis is based on your average 10- to 12-team league and standard scoring, with touchdowns and yardage being evenly weighted. The "Projected Fantasy Role" is where you should plan on lining that player up on your fantasy team from week to week. The Cowboys offer few fantasy stars
Time & Date of this Update (PST): 09:12 on Mon Apr 25 2005 News: Off-Season and Draft Review! Fantasy Football Slant: What have the Boys been up to since the end of last season and what does it mean for the Fantasy Football player this year? Based on their free agent signings and their recent draft picks, it seems pretty clear the Boys are going to be playing some serious Big Tuna Football. For those of you too young to know what I mean by Big Tuna Football, I will list the two main components. They are (1) Ball Control Offense and (2) Tough Defense. This was the model used when Parcells won the Super Bowl with the NY Giants. Here is what I expect to see this year: (1) Ball Control Offense: The Boys will run the ball with Jones and Barber. Jones will be the workhorse with Barber helping out. Jones showed us what he could do in the second half of last year. Barber is a little bit bigger back (6' 0 220lbs) and he has the ability to be a feature back should Jones get hurt. Here is a quote from Jerry Jones, "Marion is a versatile running back. When he comes in the game, we can do the same things we can do with Julius Jones". I expect 30+ rushes a game from the Boys this year with less passing than we saw in 2004. (2) Tough Defense: I think Bill Parcells was embarrassed that his defense gave up over 400 points last year and he is determined to make sure it doesn't happen again. I would expect to see the 3-4 implemented this year to go along with the 4-3. There will be a number of new starters this year. It might take them a few games (or all year), but Bill has laid the foundation this off-season for the Boys to have one of the better defenses in the NFL in the near future. Now here is a look by Fantasy Position: QB: IN - Drew Bledsoe, OUT - Vinny Testaverde. Bledsoe has seen his better days for sure, but he is better than Testaverde. I see the Boys running more than passing this year. They will do everything they can to protect Bledsoe in the pocket since he has the mobility of a U.S Mailbox. I would look at Bledsoe as a QB#3 or QB#2 depending on league size. RB: RB1- Julius Jones RB2 - Marion Barber RB3 - Richie Anderson Jones is a border line stud and should finish in the top 10 RBs in most scoring systems. Barber is only valuable as a handcuff to Jones or in very deep leagues. The changes made this year bode well for Jones. The Boys will be a ball control offense with a much better defense. They will give up fewer points and play closer games. This adds up to more rushing attempts per game. They added RG Marco Rivera from the Packers in FA. They still have LG Larry Allen and LT Flozell Adams. C and RT will come from recent draft picks Al Johnson, Andre Gurode, Stephen Petermen, Jacob Rodgers or this years 6th round pick Bob Petitti. The line should be more than solid and have good depth should injuries strike. WR: WR1 - Terry Glenn WR2 - Keyshawn Johnson, WR3 - Quincy Morgan The WR position was not addressed in the off-season. These guys should be serviceable, but it will be hard to figure out who to play week in and week out. Parcells likes to throw deep a few times a game and with Bledsoe's arm and Glenn's speed I think Glenn is the best choice. TE: TE1 - Jason Whitten No change in the off-season. He is still a TE1. Def: I see the biggest improvement here. The Boys upgraded the talent level of every area of the defense. Last year the Boys gave up 405 points. Their defense slipped to 16th after finishing 2003 as the number 1 unit in the NFL. Last year the Boys defense only had 33 sacks and only 22 turnovers. With almost no pass rush last year, the loss of Darren Woodson, and the injury to Pete Hunter, the defense struggled to stop opposing passing attacks. This year will be a different story. In free agency, the Boys signed DT/NG Jason Ferguson from the Jets and CB Anthony Henry from the Browns. Ferguson is a huge improvement over last years starter and Henry will be the starter opposite Terence Newman. Hunter will be the nickel back. This years draft brought (1) Demarcus Ware who should provide an instant pass rush from either the end in the 4-3 or the rush LB in the 3-4, (2) Marcus Spears, a run stuffing 6'4 307 athletic DE who can play the 3-4 or 4-3, (3) LB Kevin Burnett a 6'3 240 tackling machine who can rush the passer as well as cover backs out of the backfield, (4) Chris Canty a first round talent and prototypical 3-4 DE who suffered a serious eye injury in a bar fight and may not be ready for the start of training camp. If/when this guys gets healthy he could be a real 4th round steal, (5) Safety Justin Beriault (pronounced Berry-O) who could take over the FS spot from Lynn Scott. Interestingly enough, Beriault played at Ball State where they interchanged their safeties similar to what the Cowboys do meaning that Beriault is comfortable at FS or SS and (6) DT Jay Ratliff from Auburn. He will struggle to make the team and if he does will most likely be a situational player. While I can't say for sure that the Cowboys DEF will be a top 10 unit this year, it will be much improved. Parcells is mum on whether he will play the 3-4 or 4-3. My guess is he will play some of each. Just imangine a 3-4 with the powerful Ferguson mauling the center followed by the cat-quick Glover slipping past him, and then back to the power of Ferguson? That will be tough for most centers to adjust to. We will need to follow the rest of the off-season to see where we should draft the Cowboys DEF, but they could be a sleeper for this year. P.S. It looks like the Boys have stockpiled DL's. I wonder if they will try to trade one for a WR? Time & Date of this Update (PST): 13:20 on Thur Jan 06 2005 News: FF Year-end Review Fantasy Football Slant: With the Cowboys season now over, I will take a look back at the performance of the key FF players on the Boys and my very early take on their prospects for next year. QBs: Vinny Testaverde - Finished the season ranked 16 to 20 in most leagues. He surprising started all but one game for the Boys. Over 3,500 yards passing was higher then expected. Interceptions hurt in leagues that deduct points for INTs. He even added a rushing TD. Overall, Vinny exceeded most FF expectations. Hopefully he wasn't your number 1, but he was a nice bye week option who you probably got with a late round pick. Jerry and Bill say he will be back next year. I hope not. Do not expect the same production next year. Keep him at your own risk. Drew Henson - He only played in two games. He couldn't beat out Vinny. Romo is pushing him. He did not meet low expectations most FF owners had for him. Has a chance to be the starting QB next year. If you have him and have a slot to keep him he is worth the gamble. I would try to trade him to a Dallas fan quickly before the Boys sign a free agent QB. (Warner??) Tony Romo - No production, no expectations. Has an outside chance to be the Boys backup QB next year. Only worth a roster spot in very, very deep leagues. RB's: Julius Jones - If you drafted him this year as a starter he did not meet your expectations since he didn't play for the first 10 weeks. Once he got it going in week 11, however, he exceeded all expectations that most owners had for him. It looks like Bill still knows how to draft running backs! Barring injury, Julius will be the Boys workhorse back next year. He is an every-down back who catches the ball well and his blocking was better than advertised. He is a homerun threat every time he touches the ball. He will be a top ten RB next year. If you got him, keep him. If you don't, try to convince his owner that he is injury prone or a flash in the pan and trade for him immediately! Eddie George - It was sad watching a once great back continue to decline. He managed to perform below expectations that were not high to begin with. If I need to tell you to drop him, then you should not be playing FF. Richie Anderson - He performed below most owners expectations. He did virtually nothing after week 9 and not much before that. Will be on the Boys roster next year, but he will not see the field much unless there are a lot of injuries. ReShard Lee - No expectations and no production. His poor blocking keeps him on the sidelines. The Boys will bring in another back to spell Julius. Lee will have a hard time making the team next year. TE's: Jason Whitten - Can you say Wow?! Jason exceeded high preseason expectations. I thought he was good, but not this good. He will be a top 5 TE for years to come. Along with Julius, Jason is the Boys most valuable FF performer. Pat yourself on the back if you grabbed him in the middle or late rounds of your draft. He is a keeper. WR's: Keyshawn Johnson - Out produced Santana Moss, Amani Toomer, Larry Fitzgerald, Chris Chambers, and Laveranues Coles. Who would have thought that on draft day? Expect more of the same next year. Don't worry about his ankle. It will be fine. He also just had surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee that bothered him all year. Quincy Morgan - He disappointed most owners this year. He took a few games to fit into the Boys offense. He is not worth a roster spot because you will be able to draft him late in most drafts next year. He probably needs an injury to Keyshawn or Terry Glenn to put up big numbers in '05. Terry Glenn - His injury cost him most of the year. He put up good numbers prior to the injury and he is the only real deep threat on the Boys offense. He is probably only worth a roster spot in deep keeper leagues. He could be a top 20 WR next year depending on who the QB is. K: Billy Cundiff - Performed below expectations. His short kickoffs annoy Bill. He may lose his job next year. Not a keeper in any league. Def: Without a doubt, the Dallas Defense was a huge disappointment this year. INTs and sacks were both in the bottom ten in the NFL. Major changes could be in the works for next year. They could sign/draft a CB, DT, and DE. They may even switch to the 3-4 to better utilize their LB's if they can get find a NG. Only keep them if you are a Cowboys fan. PLEASE do NOT post to this thread! This thread is only to be appended to by Gene Nestro. |
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