Dez Bryant, Jason Witten's Fantasy Outlook After Tony Romo's Injury

Tony Romo came through with another strong effort Monday night against the Washington Redskins, although a back injury dominated the storylines.

In the third quarter, the quarterback took a huge sack that saw him go into the locker room immediately after. Michael Fabiano of NFL Network noted why this could be serious:

While it did not seem likely he would return to the field, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com predicted the future with this tweet:

Romo gutted his way back into the action after a short period of time with Brandon Weeden at quarterback. The problem is back injuries are something that could be a lingering problem and keep him out of future games.

Fans should remember just last season the quarterback played through an injury in Week 16 against the Redskins before missing the final game of the year.

This means that even with his return Monday, it does not necessarily mean he will be ready to start in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals.

If the quarterback is forced to miss time, the immediate beneficiary would be DeMarco Murray, who was already getting the majority of the work in the Dallas Cowboys' backfield. Bleacher Report's Jason Cole joked about what was possible without the team's starting quarterback:

However, the passing game is going to take a pretty big hit without the team's starting quarterback. Weeden, who had just a 5-15 record in two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, is the backup and is tough to trust in an expanded role.

On the plus side, this could actually be good news for Jason Witten, who has not made much of an impact this season. In the first seven games of the year, he has failed to get into the end zone while only getting a season high of 61 yards.

The difference between Romo and Weeden is that the latter might be more reliant on checkdowns to his tight end. This was seen in a fourth-quarter touchdown, which helped Witten climb the record books at the position:

More importantly, it was the veteran's first score of the season after doing very little with Romo. It is still risky to start Witten, but fantasy owners should not drop him just yet until we get more information about what is happening at quarterback.

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

Meanwhile, Dez Bryant will get fewer catches if Romo is out for an extended period of time. Fortunately, the receiver's best skill is what he does after the catch. Against the Redskins, he was seemingly stopped at the Washington 5-yard line on one play but muscled his way into the end zone for a touchdown.

ESPN's Trey Wingo provided the analysis after the play:

As long as whoever is playing quarterback can get the ball anywhere near Bryant, he should find a way to be productive. While there would be a small drop in fantasy football production, he is still one of the best receivers in the league and should remain in your lineup regardless of matchup.

Still, you can be certain the Cowboys will hope Romo can stay on the field as long as possible.

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