The Detroit Lions traded disgruntle WR Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys yesterday just prior to the league mandated trade deadline. For those fantasy teams that have Roy Williams, you are probably smiling from
ear to ear as he now becomes a bit more valuable. For those of you holding Terrell Owens, your probably not quite sure what this means.
First the trade itself is causing some serious head-scratching around the league. A 1st, 3rd, 6th, and possibly a 7th for the 27 year old youngster who is about to see his contract expire has some in the league wondering what Jerry Jones was thinking…of course, everyone wonders what Jerry Jones is thinking.
There are two issues at hand here. One is the obvious issue with signing Roy Williams to a long term contract where he will probably be asking for top dollar amounts similar to that given Larry Fitzgerald this past off-season in Arizona. While Williams will not likely make close to that amount, it will be the starting point and with money tied to Owens and Marion Barber, as well as Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys could be setting themselves up for a financial problem in the next couple of years.
The second problem, and more in line with your fantasy dilemma is, how many balls are there to go around? Terrell Owens only two weeks ago was calling for the ball more, in Detroit, Williams was asking for the ball more. The Cowboys have TE Jason Witten, RB Marion Barber, Patrick Crayton who signed a contract extension last year, and rising star Miles Austin.
It is obvious that Austin and Crayton will lose touches, the Cowboys can ill afford to keep Witten out of the mix and Barber will still be the outlet on passing downs. With Owens and Williams lining up opposite each other, keeping the two of the happy will not be easy, especially given the QB situation for the next 4 weeks with Romo sidelined with a busted finger on his throwing hand.
From a fantasy standpoint, the only way you are truly screwed is if you have more than two of the above mentioned Cowboys on your roster. Witten and Barber is fine, Witten and Owens is fine. What if you drafted Roy Williams? Witten, Owens, and Williams, is not fine and you will need to start trying to trade someone.
The best estimate given the way the Cowboys work their offense, is that Barber should see better yards with the secondary now pulling back with Williams a much bigger threat than Crayton, who will likely be moved to the slot. Witten will still get his touches and may find more early success as teams try to cover up more on the two outside WR’s.
How does it all add up for your team? Tough question to answer but here is what I expect their returns to be after the return of Romo. Brad Johnson should have a good game this weekend, but it will be the weekends after that will spell out the Cowboys immediate record and the return on your drafting investment in the Cowboys offense.
Terrell Owens: The first thought is that he will see less rolling coverage and will find more daylight to work with. That should be true as the Cowboys need to keep Owens happy so his mouth stays shut. He should still get 7-10 balls a game if not more.
Roy Williams: Don’t expect too much from Roy in the first week or two as he adjusts to his new surroundings. Eventually Williams will get his money and with that will come his touches on the field. The Cowboys like to show off their new toys though so it is possible to see them throw early to him first game out…just don’t expect it to continue the whole game.
Jason Witten: I don’t expect Witten to lose much in the offense but could find himself more available to the QB as defenses will need to put more attention on Williams compared to Crayton or Miles. Witten should see no production drop and could see more production with the back-up QB in the offense now.
Marion Barber: The signing of Williams should help Barber more in the running game as defensive secondary’s will not be crowding up. Safeties will have to be on their toes to account for Williams and Owens together and Barber could find some holes when he turns up-field where defensemen have vacated with the WR’s.
Patrick Crayton: Crayton stands to lose a lot with the signing of Williams. He will be relegated to the 4th option now behind Owens, Williams, and Witten and his production is likely going to tumble to the point that in 3 weeks he may not be worth a roster spot.
Miles Austin: Austin has been a popular waiver wire pick up in most fantasy leagues. Now, he will likely be a popular choice to being dropped back to waivers.
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