Dallas Cowboys Week 11 Fantasy Report

November 11, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) reacts with teammates wide receiver Cole Beasley (11) and wide receiver Kevin Ogletree (85) after catching a touchdown pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles 38-23. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

Vital Info

Opponent: Cleveland Browns

Location: Cowboys Stadium (Home)

Record: 4-5

Quarterback

This week was one of those that helped the case for Tony Romo – he had no turnovers for the second week in a row. Believe it or not this isn’t particularly rare – he had two stretches like this last year. However when he has his bad games as we all know they are REALLY bad. Even with this Romo is still just fair to middling – he had only 209 yards against the Eagles – and while the matchup is pretty darn good Romo is still in the discussion of guys you might start but you probably could do without. Romo is that unreliable.

Running Back

DeMarco? DeMarco? Where for art thou DeMarco? Having not yet passed the medical tests required to get on the field, DeMarco Murray is still almost impossible to pencil in for this week’s game. If you own him you’re watching the injury reports but you need a solid replacement option. Felix Jones has had some interesting numbers during Murray’s absence but if you watch the games you will see that Jones doesn’t look particularly effective – he’s the sort of running back who can let you down at the drop of a hat. I do like him this week against the Browns – he’s a decent flex play. In deeper leagues, Lance Dunbar intrigues me. If Murray can’t go, I have a sneaking suspicion that given Jones’ propensity for mediocrity that perhaps Dunbar gets his shot and runs roughshod over the Cleveland defense. He’s certainly passed Philip Tanner on the depth chart.

Wide Receiver

Dez Bryant put up good fantasy numbers this week but he continues to struggle on the field and while he had 87 yards against the Eagles it was on only three catches and he had bad drops once again. The matchup this week is good but if you need him as much more than a low end WR2 you are playing with fire – there’s a donut coming sometime soon. Romo’s lack of passing affected Miles Austin‘s numbers too but he has a much better track record of having half decent numbers. I rank Austin higher than Dez and like him as a mid level WR2 this week. As predicted, Kevin Ogletree came back to Earth after his big week 9 – leave him alone.

Tight End

In PPR Jason Witten is a fantasy stud as Romo just keeps sending the ball his way. In regular fantasy leagues, he’s a mid level TE. When his quarterback has an off day, Witten won’t put up big yards. He’s as solid a play as you can get though and is a must start this week against the weak Browns defense.