Cowboys/Giants Fantasy Preview

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When these two teams meet, playing defense is usually cast to the side. It’s been an offensive show on prime time, and the NFL has it set up once again for these two to be on display.

Everyone knows last season, the Cowboys and Giants were in a late season match up that the Giants stole from the Cowboys. That win gave the Giants the momentum they needed to finish the season off strong and sneak into the playoffs. Like they did in 2007 they were hot at the right time and steam rolled into the playoffs.

Starts to their season are what typically get both of these teams into trouble. December has been one of the better months for Eli Manning and Tony Romo in the wins department.

Those concerned about a couple of Dallas Cowboys players playing on Wednesday will have to wait up until kickoff, especially on Jason Witten. Witten is expected to be a game time decision. Miles Austin on the other hand returned to practice days ago, and will play. How effective he is after missing a bulk of practice and preseason games remains to be seen. The natural chemistry he has with Tony Romo makes him a safer play than most coming off injury at wide receiver.

Breaking down a game from a fantasy perspective usually is a showcase of who to start at each position. When it comes to New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys players it’s not necessarily on who to start. The talent on both of these teams are top tier guys that went high in fantasy drafts. They’re supposed to be your bread and butter fantasy players. Which guys will stand out though?

Eli Manning is the type of mid level fantasy quarterback that will drive you crazy. It’s what you get for waiting until the middle of the draft to secure your quarterback. The good thing with Eli is his usually god for a pair of touchdowns and those typically come off big plays. He has extremely talented wide receivers but with Dallas’s signings in the secondary this could be a troubling game for Manning. With the raucous Dallas crowd as an edge as well, I’d sit Manning this week in fear of turnovers being an issue.

Dez Bryant has had his fair share of negative media attention, and rightfully so. Football may be his only means of staying out of trouble right now. With a season started and a new focus with mandated rules, Bryant could be set for a career year on the football field. With Miles Austin just returning and Witten up in the air, Bryant should be the main guy. Double digit fantasy points is almost a guarantee.

With the Cowboys injury woes and the Giants trying to fill in depth at wide receiver with the departure of Mario Manninham there is a shot for a lesser known player to have a breakout game. That will not matter for most fantasy teams until next week when you’re scrambling for the waiver wire. Domenik Hixon is a player that has been around the Giants organization for quite some time, and had a decent year in 2008. He just simply lost playing time with Manningham and Cruz surpassing him.

If Dallas decides to blanket Cruz and Nicks a good portion of the time, it could lead to Hixon having a solid game. Nothing extraordinary but a touchdown to go along with fifty receiving yards is always a bonus.

Defensively I believe this game will have better defensive performances than we are use to seeing between these two. For one most of the players yapping away about their respective teams are coming from the defensive side of the football. Another reason is the odd early start of Wednesday. These teams will be ready but the first full game is typically one where the defense shines a bit more, especially in a divisional rival game.

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