Week Eight: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys

It's Saturday, so it's time to talk some fantasy football! Let's preview and predict which Cowboys can help you achieve victory as they host the Seahawks.

Make the jump for the Week 8 Fantasy Focus

QB Tony Romo - Romo's fantasy stock is rising as NFL.com now ranks him as the 6th-best FF QB. His 311 yards and 3 TDs last week against Atlanta have helped rank Dallas 2nd in the league in total offense, averaging more than 419 yards per game. Having found a go-to WR in Miles Austin has helped tremendously; and, until these two cool off, Romo is a must start. Just imagine the kind of numbers he could put up if Roy Williams were to come around!

Against the pass, Seattle's defense is not horrible (17th in the league, allowing 220.3 YPG), but they're not great either. They will be getting CB Marcus Trufant back for this game, though. In Week 4 against a big-play offense in the Colts, they gave up 353 yards to Peyton Manning. Not saying the Cowboys are the Colts, but when they're offense is on, it's on. That could spell a tough game for the Seattle secondary.

RBs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice -The Falcons did a good job in stuffing Barber and the Cowboys' running attack early in last week's game. The "Barbarian" carried the ball 14 times for 47 yards and only caught one pass for one yard. Jones received 8 carries (37 yards, 2 catches for 6 yards), while Choice did not get a single carry but did make a nice 23-yard reception.

Ranking 14th in the league against the run (99.3 YPG), the Seahawks are a little better defending that than the pass. If the Cowboys get up on them early, then expect a heavy dose of running. But, who will carry the rock more?

Felix Jones will be running back kickoffs, so 7-10 carries on offense is the most you can expect from him. Barber participated fully in practice all week and his quad is no longer listed on the injury report. His thumb is no hindrance, so I can see him returning to his duties as the "closer" for this game. Unfortunately, that would leave little work for Choice.

WRs Miles Austin - Start him. It's not just Romo making him look good. Austin is a speedy, tackle-breaking machine. He's the hottest WR in the league right now. In his first two career starts the last two weeks, he has accumulated 16 catches for 421 yards and 4 TDs. Surely, he will cool off sometime; but as noted up top, he is Romo's go-to guy at the position. He is a fantasy owner's dream until someone finds a way to stop him. It's unlikely that the Seattle secondary will be that somebody.

Roy Williams -There is nowhere to go but up for Williams. An injured rib, dropped passes, and just being on the wrong page with his QB has affected his fantasy-worth in the worst possible way. Until he takes on a productive role in the Dallas offense, starting him is a gamble.

Patrick Crayton - Although Crayton did catch a TD last week, he only caught 2 passes for 9 yards. He could be an okay start in leagues that offer points for punt returns, as he is the reason why Dallas is 8th in the NFL in punt return average.

TEs Jason Witten - Even with all the Austin-hoopla, Witten still leads the team with 33 receptions. He only has one score this year, which suggests he is due at any time.

Cowboys D/ST - DeMarcus Ware just signed a 6-year contract extension for $78 million. What's even better is that he is leading a unit that has 14 sacks in the last 14 quarters. What's even better than that, is that Ware & Co. will be going up against a depleted Seahawks offensive line that has allowed 15 sacks this year. The Dallas pass defense is 22nd in the league giving up 238.5 YPG, but their recent pass rush should be a threat to Matt Hasselbeck.

NT Jay Ratliff (knee sprain) is questionable for this game, but his backup, Junior Siavii, has been playing well lately.

Overall, this unit has given up just under 20 PPG (14th in NFL). Last week against Matt Ryan, they forced a fumble and two interceptions against a very good Falcons offense. They played physically and should continue to do so against the struggling Seahawks.

After seven weeks of fantasy footballing on FleaFlicker, one team still remains undefeated in the BTB and BTB Part Deux fantasy leagues. Here's how both leagues are shaping up.

The Lone Undefeated (7-0)

kill everbody

Almost Perfect (6-1)

Breaking .500 (4-3)

.500 = One Week Away (3-4)

Deuces are Wild (2-5)

One is the Loneliest Number (1-5)

If you've got a fantasy dilemma, feel free to post it here for your BTB brethren to analyze. Let's help each other out!

And, for all your fantasy football needs, SBNation's fantasy webpage is chock full of informational updates to help you set up your team from week-to-week.

For your convenience, here's the link: sbnation.com/fantasy.