Who needs TO when you've got Miles Austin?

Remember all those people who wondered what the Dallas Cowboys would do without Terrell Owens? How would they function without their big-time receiver? How would Tony Romo fare without his go-to guy? Well, I guess they have their answer. Who needs Owens when you've got Miles Austin racking up yards and TD's like the '01-'02 version of Owens when he had over 1400 yds. and 16 TD's for the San Francisco 49ers? Now Owens is wallowing up in the Buffalo while Austin and the Cowboys are starting to make some noise in the NFC East.

But even with Owens departure this past off season, Austin's emergence as the #1 receiver in Dallas still required a Roy Williams injury to fully materialize. Coming in to the Week 5 match-up against the Kansas City Chiefs, Austin had a total of 5 receptions and 81 total receiving yards. Not exactly game-breaking stats. But then he's thrust into the spotlight and delivers a Cowboy record-setting day (10 receptions, 250 receiving yards, 2 TD's) and then follows that up with 6 receptions, 171 yards and 2 TD's against the Atlanta Falcons.

So...is Austin for real? Can we expect him to put up big numbers every week? It's probably too early to tell, but he's off to a good start. The real test will come once Williams gets healthy, because then Austin will have to prove that he can make things happen with fewer looks. But even if his stats do drop off a little bit the rest of the season, he's already making people think...Terrell who? Right now he's all the production without all the drama. It's almost enough to make Owens wish he hadn't left Dallas.

Fantasy Impact: Austin is obviously the better fantasy receiver right now. He plays for decent, sometimes explosive, offense in Dallas, he's only 25-years-old, and he's built like an NFL receiver at 6'3" & 215 lbs. Not only is Owens playing for an inept offense in Buffalo, but he's going on 36-years-old and looks noticeably slower than in the past. Miles is definitely a trade-worthy acquisition and I'd put him in the 2nd-tier of WR's just behind Roddy White, Vincent Jackson, Marques Colston.

Preseason Rankings: Tight End

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

With the explosion of talent at the tight end position over the recent years, the gap between the top tier and free agency pickups is smaller than ever. With a rejuvenating season last year and a trade to an offense loaded with weapons in Atlanta, Tony Gonzalez tops the list going into the season. Antonio Gates still put up decent fantasy numbers while missing significant time due to an array of injuries that are now behind him. Another 1,000 yard, 10 TD season out of Gates wouldn't surprise me at all. I'm also expecting another strong season from Dallas Clark, who'll probably see the lions share of passes formerly allocated to Marvin Harrison. Looking a little further down the list, it's about time for Visanthe Shiancoe and Greg Olsen to step into that top-tier conversation. Both Minnesota and Chicago will be counting on their TE's to move the chains and also get open in the red zone. With Pittsburgh's penchant for looking to the tight end in the end zone, Heath Miller is always a scoring threat.

1. Tony Gonzalez (ATL)
2. Antonio Gates (SD)
3. Jason Witten (DAL)
4. Dallas Clark (IND)
5. Kellen Winslow (TB)
6. Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN)
7. Greg Olsen (CHI)
8. Owen Daniels (HOU)
9. Chris Cooley (WAS)
10. Heath Miller (PIT)

Fantasy Impact: With the emergence of several viable fantasy options at the tight end position, there's no need to reach for a tight end early. Unless Gonzalez, Gates, or Witten falls to you in the 5th or 6th round, look to try and grab Shiancoe or Olsen in the 9th or 10th round. And if that doesn't work out, you can always troll the free agent pool once the season starts. There's always at least one TE that comes out of nowhere to produce good numbers, think Jon Carlson last season.

Preseason Rankings: Wide Receiver

The following series of posts will list the top 10 fantasy players at each skill position based on projected fantasy output for the upcoming 2009 season.

Larry Fitzgerald proved at the end of last season that he's the best wide receiver in the NFL as he almost single-handedly won the Super Bowl for Arizona. He'll have some stiff competition this season from a couple young rising stars in Calvin Johnson and Roddy White. Similar to the arrival of Matt Ryan in Atlanta, Johnson's looking to have the same type of success with Matthew Stafford in Detroit. The fact that he's been able to excel without the luxury of stability at the QB position just further illustrates how talented he really is. I'm also looking for Reggie Wayne to have a big season, now that Marvin Harrison has finally moved on. Toward the bottom of the list should be some interesting story lines. Can Roy Williams be the guy in Dallas now that Terrell Owens has moved on? Can Dwayne Bowe, now in his 3rd year, take it to the next level now that Matt Cassel will be taking the snaps in Kansas City? Should be fun to see who steps it up in 2009.

1. Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)
2. Calvin Johnson (DET)
3. Roddy White (ATL)
4. Randy Moss (NE)
5. Reggie Wayne (IND)
6. Andre Johnson (HOU)
7. Steve Smith (CAR)
8. Greg Jennings (GB)
9. Roy Williams (DAL)
10. Dwayne Bowe (KC)

Fantasy Impact: When it comes to putting together my fantasy football team, I'm usually pretty high on wide receivers, but this season's crop is simply awesome. There are play-makers up and down the list, with tons of value in the later rounds. I would have no problem going with back-to-back WR's in Round's 2 & 3, which would probably net you both Johnson's (Calvin and Andre). I'll take that any day.