Tony Romo, Jason Witten Updated 2015 Fantasy Outlook After Dez Bryant Injury

Dallas Cowboys fans felt the full range of emotions that come with an NFL Sunday during their dramatic 27-26 victory over the New York Giants, including the joy of having fantasy football stars Tony Romo and Jason Witten leading the offense. 

The two connected on the game-winning touchdown pass in the waning seconds, although the win took on a somber note when it was discovered star wide receiver Dez Bryant broke a bone and will miss four to six weeks, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. At least Dallas still has Romo and Witten, and their Sunday stats did not disappoint:

Completions	Passing Yards	Touchdown Passes	Interceptions	Rushing Yards	Fantasy Points
36-of-45	356	3	2	-1	22.14

Catches	Receiving Yards	Touchdowns	Targets	Fantasy Points
8	60	2	9	18

Whether in fantasy or actually on the field, even the best quarterbacks in the league need playmakers to catch their passes. Romo lost a dangerous weapon in Bryant, and it would be a mistake to simply assume the quarterback’s fantasy value is still the same without the team’s clear No. 1 receiver.

Bryant is a threat to take it to the end zone every time he touches the ball, and his mere presence draws increased defensive attention and opens up the field for his teammates.

Still, unless you are fortunate enough to have someone like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady or Andrew Luck as another option, Romo is a must-start for fantasy owners every week.

Ignoring the 2010 season where the former Eastern Illinois standout only played six games because of injuries, Romo has thrown for at least 3,448 yards in seven straight campaigns. He went over the 4,000-yard plateau in four of those years and boasts four seasons of at least 31 touchdown passes on his resume. 

He is also easy to trust with the game on the line, as SportsCenter highlighted:

While fourth-quarter comebacks aren’t a stat that will directly help your fantasy team, the comebacks underscore Romo’s greatness and Dallas’ trust in its quarterback. That trust naturally leads to more passing attempts, which leads to more fantasy points. Just look at Romo's Sunday stat line for proof.

Bryant helps but doesn’t define Romo.

The Cowboys still have the 6’2” and speedy Terrance Williams as an option, especially since he finished in the top 20 in the league with eight touchdown catches last season. Lance Dunbar led the team with 70 receiving yards Sunday, and Cole Beasley is a pass-catching threat from the slot with speed and the ability to make defenders miss in space.

Romo will connect with all of them and continue to put up impressive fantasy numbers.

The presence of Witten should also ease any dire fears regarding Bryant’s absence for Romo and the Cowboys as a whole. 

Witten is the definition of consistency from the tight end position and tallied more than 700 receiving yards in each of the last 11 seasons, including four years of more than 1,000 yards. Witten also counts 59 career touchdown catches to his name after Sunday’s two-score performance, which earned praise from Fran Fraschilla of ESPN:

The Bryant injury is clearly a problem for the Cowboys on the field, but it will probably help Witten’s fantasy value. Romo trusted the tight end in the crucial moments of Sunday’s victory without the usual 6’2” playmaker on the outside, and Witten delivered. That chemistry may be difficult to fully quantify, but it will lead to more touchdowns for the tight end in the coming weeks.

In the next six games, Dallas plays the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks.

Each of those teams is a playoff hopeful, and the Patriots, Eagles and Seahawks all have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. It is safe to assume Dallas will be in a number of close and important contests without Bryant, which means Witten will see plenty of targets in the fourth quarter.

As fans saw Sunday, there are few tight ends who are more reliable in those moments than Witten.

Romo and Witten will continue to put up big numbers even without Bryant. Make sure you don’t miss out on those stats by overreacting to the receiver’s setback and benching the other Cowboy playmakers.