The old joke for Cowboys fans (at least around these parts) was that they had two favorite teams; the Cowboys, and whomever was facing the Redskins that week. In the new millenium, a lot of fans would say the Cowboys and their fantasy football roster. You love it, I love it, we need our fantasy football fix.
Week One had it's usual surprises, and Wednesday morning's waiver wire was busy in most competitive leagues. Week One waivers is often times more important for the draft. For instance, I signed both Brandon Lloyd and Michael Vick off the waiver wire in week one last year, and I don't have to tell you what those players did over the course of the 2010 season.
Follow the jump for last weeks surprises, this week's key injuries and some FF resources.
As Week Two approaches, lineup decisions need to be made. If you need a helping hand, present your case in the comments and let the BTB community help you. Don't forget to provide whether your league is PPR or not, and your roster slots. Good luck this weekend!
This year's week one surprise quarterbacks include Chad Henne, Cam Newton and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Rex Grossman also had a big game, as I predicted in last week's thread.
Tight ends Fred Davis, Aaron Hernandez and Scott Chandler all unexpectedly went over 100 yards and are available should you have tight end worries. Of those, I think Hernandez has the most sustained value, followed closely by Davis.
At wideout, Seattle's Doug Baldwin had a big game, but fans aren't believing in him as he is still available in 98% of Yahoo! leagues.
Mike Tolbert led all running backs in most leagues (and is perdicted to get more snaps than Mattews), scoring three touchdowns and Ben Tate went for over 100 yards and score in another suprise effort (to some) as he wasn't the main backup to Arian Foster. If you were lucky enough to read our FF thread last week, you'd have seen a lot of these player's potentials discussed. Cadillac Williams went for over 140 yards with 5 catches in replacement duty for Stephen Jackson, who went out after a 50-yard TD run on his first carry against Philly. Expect a big game from Michael Turner this week as Philly's linebackers have been found wanting.
INJURIES (updates per Rotoworld.com):
WR Dez Bryant is questionable and may not be worth the risk. There are better options out there than Kevin Ogletree, although if you are in a deep WR league (3 starters + Flex) then he's a possibility.
WR Hakeem Nicks appears good to go for Monday night, as well as Rams QB Sam Bradford. If you can stash Domenik Hixon on your roster then you should be safe for at least some production Monday night.
WR Kevin Walter of Houston is doubtful to play. Jacoby Jones is a great fill in if Miami's performance against the Patriots is any indication.
RB Stephen Jackson says there's an outside chance he can go Monday, but I doubt it. With it being the Monday night game, unless you have Cadillac Williams as a handcuff, you may need to look somewhere else on the Sunday schedule.
RB Arian Foster appears set to get his first game action on Sunday. Whether it's a full workload or not remains to be seen. Start him cautiously, backup Derrick Ward missed practice Thursday.RB Ben Tate is a great look in deeper leagues, and should see action since Foster probably won't get 25 carries and Houston should get the lead on Miami.
WRs Megtron Johnson and Lee Evans looks like a good bet for Sunday, but Sidney Rice and Roy Williams look like scratches.
Buffalo WR Steve Johnson didn't practice today and is questionable at home against Oakland.
RB Chris Johnson didn't get the rock much in Week 1, but that's expected to change on Sunday. He missed an entire offseason of OTAs (lockout) and TC (holdout) so they are bringing him in slowly. That's the reason he shouldn't have been a top 3 pick.
Brandon Lloyd, Marion Barber and Jacoby Ford appear as likely scratches.
RB Knowshon Moreno appears to be a scratch, which could be huge for Willis McGahee owners that need a RB3 pr Flex play.
TE Marcedes Lewis is doubtful for the game.
WR Lance Moore, questionable with a groin, may not be worth the risk if you have options.
WR Santonio Holmes: Keep a close eye on the 12 o'clock reports. He seems to be very iffy and you don't want to get caught with him in the lineup should he sit against a Jags team that wouldn't appear to be much of a threat for NY.
WR Mohammed Massaquoi is a go for Cleveland
WR Danny Amendola won't be playing, proceed with rookie Greg Salas at your own risk.
RESOURCE LINKS
CBS' Jamey Eisernberg Start 'Em Sit 'Em
ESPN's Eric Karabell's Flex Rankings
As for the Cowboys, the widget below is from numberFire.com, who is a partner with SB Nation.
* Fantasy Points Projections below are based on the Yahoo! and ESPN default scoring settings. Quarterbacks are scored with 1 point for every 25 passing yards, and 4 points for every touchdown. For running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends, they are scored with 1 point for every 10 total yards, and 6 points for every touchdown. This is a non-PPR projection.