Dez Bryant Injury: Cowboys WR's Health Concerns Don't Inhibit Fantasy Value

If Dez Bryant is on your fantasy team, you are going to play him. It doesn’t matter that he is less than 100 percent, only that he will be on the field Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints.

We are here to tell you that he will put up big numbers even if he has been limited in practice this week with a lingering shoulder injury. Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News provided fans with an update from Wednesday’s practice, but Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com passed along some more encouraging news:

The fact that Bryant’s shoulder is reportedly feeling 10 times better than it was (hyperbole or not) is bad news for the Saints.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

After all, New Orleans ranks 29th in the entire NFL in opposing passing yards allowed per game and gave up 116 receiving yards to Julio Jones, 99 receiving yards to Devin Hester, 72 receiving yards and a touchdown to Roddy White and even 70 receiving yards to Greg Jennings.

Elite wide receivers can certainly beat this defense, and Tony Romo had his best game of the season against the St. Louis Rams in Week 3. If his quarterback is connecting on throws, Bryant is in line for a monster fantasy day.

Matt Strasen/Associated Press

What’s more, Dallas’ running attack has been buoyed by DeMarco Murray, who leads the league with 385 rushing yards. He also has three rushing touchdowns. The Saints will have to commit extra defenders to the box to stop the dominant Murray, especially when the Cowboys try to keep Drew Brees and the Saints offense off the field by establishing the running game.

If nothing else, it will open up the play-action deep ball to Bryant in the second half.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Bryant basically dared defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and the Saints to open up running lanes for Murray by devoting extra defenders Bryant’s way, via Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News:

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'I always had a good time with Coach Ryan. He’s still one of my favorites to this day. I know he’s going to double me. I know he is. I’m ready for it. DeMarco is turning straight beast mode,' Bryant said. 'If they want to keep doubling [me], DeMarco will just run for 150 or 200 more [yards].'

"

Ryan will have to pick from those two poisons Sunday, and it doesn’t get any easier when he takes into consideration Bryant’s 247 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Fantasy owners may not like to hear their wide receiver daring the opposition to double-team him, but Ryan understands how many weapons the Cowboys have on their offense. If he simply commits two guys to Bryant, it will just open up other guys to make big plays.

Bryant also has 20 receptions on 27 targets. The fact that he is averaging nine targets a game is music to the ears of fantasy owners, and it is even better news that he is catching the majority of those passes.

Let’s look beyond just the fact that Murray will force extra defenders away from Bryant in what is already a weak secondary. This game should be a shootout between two offenses loaded with playmakers and two defenses that have been shaky at best in the early going (the Cowboys are 21st against the pass and 16th against the run).

That means the offenses will exchange points all game with quick strikes and plenty of touchdowns. 

Cue the fantasy points for all the stars, including Bryant.

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