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Sink or Swim: Dallas Cowboys Receivers

Roy WilliamsWe are only two weeks into the season, but if you're sitting at 0-2 in any of your fantasy leagues, it might be time to make a few minor roster tweaks. No, it's certainly not a time to panic, but that sense of desperation must be setting in for you. Relax, we're in this together. The best way to get back on the right track (aside from pulling off a lopsided trade) is to trim the fat so to speak.

So, let's talk about who is floating at the mediocrity level and if they can redeem themselves or if you should spare yourself the wait. That's right, it's the weekly round of "Sink or Swim" where I get to shed the pessimistic, or in some cases, optimistic perspective on the fantasy underachievers. Let's look no further than the hit-or-miss/boom-or-bust Dallas Cowboys wide receivers and give them a warm round of applause, because today they are on the hot seat.

Do you keep 'em or cut 'em? Let dig a little deeper first.

Fantasy Football Reality Check: Dig Deeper Than Stat Line

Kyle OrtonEach Monday morning of the fantasy football season, we'll cut through the fantasy numbers put up by individuals and tell you what they really mean.

You know what Kyle Orton's line should have been? 16 of 28 with 156 yards and no touchdowns. He would have had a few more passing attempts before losing the game, which likely would have made him 16 of 30 or 17 of 31 or so. Instead, he was the beneficiary of the most insane amount of luck we've ever seen on one play in fantasy football. He forces a throw to Brandon Marshall in double-coverage, badly under-throws him and the Bengals tip the ball up in the air. The rest is history. And Kyle Orton had a decent fantasy day.

But don't be fooled.

Fantasy Football ADP Analysis: Part 2

In continuing with our three-part series on ADP analysis, today we look at the second method in which average draft position can be utilized to uncover values come draft day -- trend analysis.

This approach involves following a sequence of successive ADP charts over a span of time, usually a couple of months (or anteing up for a premium service that tracks more detailed mock draft data), and following the trends. Trends in ADP are great indicators of who is moving up or down on depth charts, which players have made breakthroughs in camp, and most of all, who got dinged up in camp -- information that can be daunting to follow on a player-by-player basis.

Patrick Crayton's Cousin Missing

Patrick CraytonCowboys wide receiver Patrick Crayton is dealing with a crisis Wednesday night.

Crayton, who will compete for Dallas' No. 2 wideout spot this summer, is searching for his missing 25-year old cousin. Brannon Crayton, who has autism, was last seen on Wednesday afternoon in his hometown of Richardson, Texas.

Crayton said his cousin wouldn't hurt anyone and is harmless, but wants him to return home safely.

Cowboys Attack Middle Rounds

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

Jerry Jones might be a little eccentric, but the guy can spot talent. When it isn't top picks like Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith coming to the Cowboys, it is undrafted guys like Tony Romo or late third-round guys like Jason Witten. Even Patrick Crayton in the seventh round was a success for Dallas.

This year, the Cowboys traded down, but didn't really snag anyone that is going to blow your hair back. Jason Williams of Western Illinois is a player that might see some time for Dallas this season. In college, Williams was a fumble-forcing machine, knocking loose six his senior seasons.

ESPN's Draft Coverage Is Disappointing


Another NFL draft has come and gone, and it's possible that you spent much of your weekend glued to a television set laughing at the Raiders and screaming for your team to find the next Tom Brady at the bottom of the sixth-round. If you're like me, you live in an area of the country where your only option for draft day coverage is ESPN's wire-to-wire mayhem.

If you happened to miss the draft, or watched it on the NFL Network, here's what you missed.

Jets, 'Boys Might Be Interested in Jones

Matt Jones has been out of work for three days now, but rangy wide receivers who can run -- even the mediocre, seemingly apathetic ones -- are forever at a premium. And that probably means he won't be jobless for long.

The New York Daily News' Bob Glauber writes that the Jets and Cowboys -- two teams in need of big-play threats -- could be interested in Jones' services. It sounds like nothing more than speculation at this point, but the Jets gave Laveranues Coles his release earlier this month, and they don't have a legit No. 1 wideout currently on the roster. They also don't have a legit No. 1 quarterback, so maybe it doesn't matter.

Jerry Jones Has No Plans to Draft WR

Just because the Terrell Owens era is over in Dallas doesn't mean we're finished talking about it. In fact, depending on how the 2009 season unfolds for the Cowboys, we could be hearing about T.O. for a while. Good times.

Owner and self-appointed team spokesman Jerry Jones commented last week that releasing Owens made the offense "Romo-friendly." Not only that, Jones is apparently under the impression that the wide receivers currently on the roster are more than adequate. Via the Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw:

Jerry Jones Calls T.O. a 'Natural Leader'


Presumably, there is a method to Jerry Jones' madness. The Cowboys' owner also serves as general manager even though he was in the oil business prior to buying the team in 1989. And it's this perceived lack of experience that sometimes makes him an easy target.

Baltimore Ravens: What About Ray?

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

It was improbable. The Baltimore Ravens made another playoff run in 2008 based on a defense that used the art of suffocation (oh, and Ed Reed) and an offense that improved dramatically over the previous years. John Harbaugh was impressive as coach, putting a rookie quarterback out to toss the ball around and sticking with him through thick (17-29, 248 yards, 2 TDs in Week 9) and thin (11-28, 115 yards, 2 INTs in Week 15).

Now the team has to figure out what to do about a superstar in Ray Lewis, and how they should handle other important positional players (hello Mr. Stover) in order to return to (and move past) the AFC Championship game without their defensive coordinator.

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