Dez Bryant Injury: How Is Cowboys' Star WR's Leg?

On Sunday, Dallas Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant returned to the field for the first time since fracturing his right fibula last Dec. 5.

Despite being limited in his rookie season in 2010, Bryant still showed flashes of becoming one of the most electric receivers in the NFL, catching 45 balls for 561 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.

That's why when he left the field three plays into the third quarter against the New York Jets on Sunday with an apparent leg injury, fantasy owners said their prayers.

Here is the latest on the Cowboys' star second-year receiver.

Injury Update

Per ESPN, Bryant was able to return to the game on Sunday after after just six plays had elapsed. He apparently simply left with leg cramps, and the tweak had nothing to do with his previous injury. The second-year receiver finished with three receptions for a whopping 71 yards and a touchdown, but didn't record a catch after coming back from the locker room.

When's He Ready to Play?

It appears this was simply a case of leg cramps and not being on the field for a while. This can oftentimes happen with athletes who have had a shortened offseason and haven't been able to work their way back into the groove of things. Bryant should be good to go next Sunday at San Francisco at this point.

Fantasy Impact

At the beginning of the game, Bryant was the No. 1 target for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, scoring the game's first touchdown on a 3-yard pass. But after Bryant's cramps, Romo looked Miles Austin's way more, and his next touchdown throw was a 36-yard score to the sixth-year pro. Austin finished with four catches for 83 yards and a TD.

This is significant because Bryant has been hailed as the Cowboys' next superstar, but the crazy thing is Austin has already had some superstar-like seasons. Believe me, Romo has no problem throwing to Austin if Bryant needs a little more time to get conditioned.

The ultimate result? I think Bryant's numbers will still be outstanding, but perhaps not as outstanding as they could be for the next week or two. Austin's numbers should receive a slight boost for the time being.

What They're Saying

There hasn't been much said about Bryant's injury or much concern. Gregg Rosenthal of NBC Sports curiously wrote, "He struggled with cramps or some other undefined injury," but it's likely that he was just joking because I haven't heard anything else than mere cramps.

Rosenthal does hit the nail on the head with this, though: "Bryant’s talent is obvious, but he still has to prove his conditioning and durability is top shelf."

Bryant suffered a freak injury last season, but there are questions about his conditioning, particularly at this point as he's missed significant time. Right now is a vital window for Bryant to ease back to game-shape. The only problem is, he runs so explosively you wonder if he's going to re-aggravate something in the meantime.

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LIFE HURTS. THIS INJURY UPDATE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKIES.