Miles Austin still not practicing, not expected to play
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin (19) works against Oakland Raiders cornerback Mike Jenkins (21) during the first quarter in an preseason game at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Fantasy owners should plug Dallas Cowboys WR Miles Austin out of their starting lineups, as his hamstring injury has caused Austin to miss yet another practice session. According to ESPN Dallas’s Todd Archer, Miles Austin was absent at today’s practice, meaning that Austin has now missed all three practice sessions this week after also missing last week’s game. Archer doubts that Austin will play this week, and I think we should all pencil him as “out” this week.
Although his hamstring injury didn’t seem severe when it happened in Week 3, Miles Austin has always had hamstring issues in his career, and this ailment will almost certainly cost him a second straight game. Against a team as good as the Denver Broncos, that’s awful news for the Dallas Cowboys offense. Terrance Williams will get the start again if Austin still can’t play, and there’s a clear drop-off between Austin and the rookie out of Baylor. While Williams has plenty of speed to burn as a nice deep threat, he is an incredibly inconsistent player; Austin is consistent. The Broncos are deep and talented at corner, so they could really hamper Tony Romo if they are able to effectively cover Dez Bryant. Williams doesn’t do nearly as good of a job as Austin at keeping the defense honest against Bryant, because, as we saw against the New York Giants, Austin prevents defenses from selling their coverage on Bryant. If they do that, then Austin will beat them by consistently moving the chains on underneath routes.
At this point in time, it’s safe to say that Miles Austin won’t be playing this week, so he definitely isn’t a viable fantasy play. Terrance Williams is viable fantasy option, because he has some fantasy upside if he can get the target and break free on the Broncos safeties. However, the Broncos CBs are talented and Williams is inconsistent, so I wouldn’t bet on him.
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