Cowboys In A World Of Hurt?

The Dallas Cowboys  could be in a world of hurt.  Marian Barber missed Monday night's game; to make matters worse Felix Jones suffered a knee injury during the Cowboys' Monday night win against the Panthers. Both Barber and Jones can be very productive fantasy backs.  We think Barber has a 75% chance of playing in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos.  Felix Jones on the other hand, could see an extended period of time on the sidelines.  Cowboys' owner, Jerry Jones is very concerned about the severity of Jones' knee injury.  It is uncertain right now ow long Felix Jones will be out for, but Jerry thinks Felix will need an MRI.  The injury was initially labeled as a knee strain, but it is likely the injury is more severe.  Ignore Felix during week 4, and continue to track the progress of Marian Barber.  If Tashard Choice receives a fair amount of touches he could have a good week.  Don't rely on him though, the Denver Broncos' are only allowing 78.3 yards per game on the ground, and are second in the league in total yards given up.  These defensive stats may be a little tainted considering the fairly "weak" schedule the Broncos' have had thus far.  Regardless of the schedule we feel the Broncos' will shut down Dallas' running game.  Marian Barber is the only Dallas RB that should be considered week 4, but only if he is guaranteed healthy on Sunday.

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Digging Deep - Correll Buckhalter

Correll Buckhalter RB DEN – Available in 62% of ESPN leagues.  We feel that Buckhalter could become a legitimate starting fantasy running back in Week 4.  He led the Broncos’ in yards Week 3 with 108 yards on 14 carries.  Yes Knowshown Moreno is now healthy, but it appears the Broncos’ backfield will consist of both Moreno and Buckhalter for now.  Why fix something when it’s not broken?  Coach McDaniels opinion could change.   In upcoming weeks the Broncos’ host Dallas, and New England, and then go on the road to San Diego week 6.  Week 7 is the bye week, which means week 8 would be a sensible time for McDaniels to start rushing one player much more favorably than the other.  Pay attention to both Buckhalter and Moreno due to the fact the Broncos’ usually are in the top 5 in the league in rushing.

How Bout Them Broncos?

Is Denver for real? Or is their success just a result of a soft early schedule? Denver's defense is rated number 2 in the AFC (as of Sept. 27th) with a league leading 10 sacks, also totaling 5 interceptions through 3 games. They are only allowing 5.3 points per game while allowing a league best 214.7 yards a game. Pretty stout, even if they have played two of the worst teams in Oakland and Cleveland. On the other side of the ball nothing flashy at all, besides averaging 158.7 yards a game rushing third best in the league.  

If you have a roster spot available, take a chance on Knowshon Moreno or Correll Buckhalter, one of these guys will be carrying the workload in a few weeks. Kyle Orton who was traded for the man who was supposed to fill the shoes of Elway in Jay Cutler, hasn't done anything special but win. He hasn't thrown any interceptions but has only thrown three touchdowns. His go to man Marshall only has 12 receptions and one touchdown through 3 games,  not very good for an elite receiver, not a great audition for a guy who wanted out of Denver all summer. The way Denver is having Orton run the game, is a lot like Brett Favre in Minnesota, just hand the ball off and manage the game, just do enough to win and rely on great defensive play. 

Denver has a tough upcoming schedule, with games against Dallas, New England, and the Division rival Chargers in the next three weeks. It may be easier than it sounds since they get Dallas and New England at home where they're above five hundred the last two seasons, but New England showed today they're a force to be reckoned with. We believe if they can win two out of the next three games Denver  is a favorite to be playoff bound, in the AFC.   This schedule is very  tough for a young team that McDaniels is trying to rebuild, start Denver players/defense with caution over the next three weeks.