Marion Barber III was the team’s workhorse, but he had a hole in his leg last year. Felix Jones has got the quicks to run past everyone, is very explosive, but will this be the year he is healthy? Tashard Choice is the steady no nonsense kind of back that just gets the job done. Depending on the day and time you can find Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips telling stories of each back and their greatness. I don’t know about you, but a good dynasty player wants a low cost option or perhaps the best two low cost options to target in your fantasy leagues for not only this year, but for seasons to come.

So you want to make the right decision as to which Dallas Cowboy RB to draft for your fantasy team?  Every player has their own unique upside, but instead of relying on the twitter and internet hype let’s break down the players using the statistics provided by profootballfocus.com.

Let’s start with the thumper himself, Marion Barber III. I will be using  different statistics for comparing these backs. In 2007, Barber had 97 carries, averaged 4.6 yards per carry, averaged 2.5 yards after contact per carry, and had 23 missed/broken tackles. Marion in 2008 had 238 carries, averaged 3.7 yards per carry, averaged 2.4 yards after contact per carry, and had 27 missed/broken tackles. Finally in 2009, he had 214 carries, averaged 4.4 yards per carry, averaged 2.8 yards after contact per carry, and had 20 missed/broken tackles. The difference in situations each year were very distinct. In 2007, Barber was in the closer role to Julius Jones being the starter; Barber would come into games and wear the defenses down. As of 2008 and continuing into 2009, the starting running back role was Marion’s job with help from Tashard Choice and Felix Jones.

Barber has always been very effective in the passing game as well. His catching percentage of balls thrown to him have been 89.7% in 2007 with 26 receptions, 86.7% in 2008 with 52 receptions, and 78.8% in 2009 with 26 receptions. Over the past three years Marion has improved himself in the passing game increasing his yards per reception (6.1, 8.3, 8.5) and yards after the catch per reception (6.3, 8.8, 9.3). He has become a more patient runner after the catch.

How about the subject of much hype, Felix Jones? His numbers in 2008 were so limited it is hard to compare them to last year’s numbers. Jones had 30 carries, averaged 8.9 yards per carry, averaged 3.9 yards after contact per carry, and had 1 missed/broken tackle in 2008. His reception numbers were also every limited in 2008 as he caught 2 passes on the same number of targets averaging 5 yards a reception and averaging 4 yards after the catch.

Felix had some impressive numbers in 2009 with a limited workload. He had 116 carries, averaged 5.9 yards per carry, averaged 3.3 yards after contact per carry, and had 15 missed/broken tackles. Jones added some toughness and better vision to increase his missed/broken tackles, however his speed back game was controlled better by some of the defenses as his average yards per carry and yards after contact decreased. His catching percentage of balls thrown to him were 90.5% with 19 receptions. Jones improved his yards per reception to 6.3 and yards after the catch per reception to 7.6. Felix appears to be ready to get an increased workload, however as Marion Barber’s statistics have shown, a player can sometimes be more productive with limited carries.

Last, but certainly not least is Tashard Choice. Most view him as the consistent player out of the three. San Diego was supposedly trying to acquire him in the off season. In 2008, Choice had 92 carries, averaged 5.1 yards per carry, averaged 2.4 yards after contact per carry, and had 4 missed/broken tackles. While in 2009, Tashard had 64 carries, averaged 5.5 yards per carry, averaged 1.9 yards after contact per carry, and had 3 missed/broken tackles. Choice appears to be the most reliable back, however the numbers show that he is the least physical runner of the three backs. In the passing game, Choice has the least surest hands catching 72.4% of the balls thrown his way in 2008 and 71.4% in 2009. Choice does the most with the ball in his hands as he has averaged 8.8 yards per reception in 2008 and 8.9 in 2009. While his yards after the catch was impressive with 10.4 in 2008, it dipped to 8.4 in 2009 (below Barber’s 2009 average of 9.3).

All three backs do some things well. Felix is the homerun hitter. Choice is the steady back with limited wiggle. Barber does his best work in Kyra Sedgwick’s role as “The Closer,” being the punishing hammer as a part of a two or three back system. In a down year, Barber still averaged 4.4 yards per carry and he is still my choice as the running back to have in Dallas for this year. In a dynasty, I would be looking to acquire Marion cheap and then sell before the end of the season. Choice is the least explosive, but has value later in the draft. I’d let someone else pay for the hype on Felix and then trade for him half way through the season after he has disappointed. With another year of seasoning, Felix should be ready for 2011!

Up next is the Dallas Cowboys. This is a very talented fantasy offense that did not see much of an overhaul this offseason. The addition of Dez Bryant and promotion of Felix Jones to starter at running back makes this team even more of a fantasy juggernaut.

QB: Tony Romo: 333-of-528 , 4224 yards , 27 TD, 11 INT – Has an outstanding group of weapons around him on offense, which should lead to a top 5 season among quarterbacks. If you miss out on the big three at quarterback, grab Romo later.

Felix Jones is expected to see a larger share of the carries in 2010.

RB: Felix Jones: 212 carries, 1083 yards, 6 TD, 38 targets, 29 receptions, 229 yards, 1 TD – Jones was impressive while handling well over half of the team’s playoff carries last season and it has earned him the starting nod in 2010. If he’s remains number-one on the depth chart, 1,500 total yards is not out of the picture.

RB: Marion Barber: 121 carries, 534 yards, 5 TD, 22 targets, 16 receptions, 131 yards – Barber carried the ball on 49% of the team’s 2009 carries, but didn’t see much playoff action and has since been demoted to second team. I’m projecting him to remain second fiddle to Jones all season (28%), but he will produce some touchdowns in a goal line role.

RB: Tashard Choice: 65 carries, 338 yards, 2 TD, 16 targets, 11 receptions, 95 yards – Should Barber leave after the 2010 season, Choice would see a significant workload. Until then, however, he will be stuck as the third wheel.

WR: Miles Austin: 125 targets, 78 receptions, 1132 yards, 8 TDs – Assuming 23% of the team’s targets go his way, Austin will, once again, be a top fantasy WR. The emergence of Dez Bryant, however, would drop him from the top 5 to closer to 10th.

WR: Dez Bryant: 93 targets, 53 receptions, 797 yards, 5 TD – The Cowboys first round draft pick in 2010 should immediately start for this team. Although Austin and Witten will see more targets, Bryant still sits as a borderline WR3 in all formats.

WR: Roy Williams: 60 targets, 28 receptions, 418 yards, 3 TD – Williams is the biggest loser in the Bryant pick. He will still score a few touchdowns, but he now drops the the 4th option in the pass game.

WR: Kevin Ogletree: 16 targets, 11 receptions, 137 yards, 1 TD – Was expected to see more work in 2010, but the selection of Bryant means there won’t be enough balls to go around for him to make too big a splash.

TE: Jason Witten: 114 targets, 83 receptions, 950 yards, 5 TD – As consistent as they come (YPR has spanned from 11.0 to 11.9 the last 6 seasons!), but his career high in TDs is 7 and he only had 2 last season. The TD rate will improve at least slightly, but could balloon if he is used more in the redzone.

New York Giants

Quote: Wide Receiver Steve Smith on which Giant he thinks will have a breakout season this year: “I would say Ahmad Bradshaw, because I think the WRs will all progress, but Bradshaw is ready to take his game to another level. He had his ankles and feet worked on, and he has enough talent and enough ability to make some big plays for us.”

Could Ahmad Bradshaw (44) surpass Brandon Jacobs as the Giants lead back in 2010?

The Spin: As many have speculated, it looks more and more like Ahmad Bradshaw will be the primary back in 2010. Although, Bradshaw still has nagging injuries which has limited his practice time during OTAs. Jacobs has looked healthy and has taken the majority of first team snaps. Reports say both look much faster than last year when they have gotten on the field. This still looks like a running back by committee situation but I would count on Bradshaw getting the majority of snaps if he is healthy.

Quote: Wide Receiver Steve Smith on Wide Receiver Ramses Barden: “I see him getting on the field this year and catching some TDs in the red zone and making some plays for us. He was a third-round pick, so I’m assuming they want to get him on the field to see what he can do.”

The Spin: Ramses Barden’s large frame would be a threat in the end zone but I would not get too excited about him. Steve Smith is in contract talks now for a long term deal and Hakeem Nicks has a lengthy rookie deal as well. Giants love to run the football and the third or fourth wide receiver in this offense has very limited upside. Barring injury, Ramses will have to land on another team in order to be a force in fantasy football.

Other News:
Running Back coach Jerald Ingram believes Running Backs D.J. Ware and Andre Brown would have been factors in the passing game in 2009 had they not dealt with injuries. Ingram noted both players for their ability to make catches out of the backfield. As we have seen with Jacobs, Bradshaw and  Ward, Giants are no strangers to the running back by committee approach.

Dallas Cowboys

Quote: Cornerback Mike Jenkins on rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant
“He’s going to be great, man. I’ve never seen a young guy come in the first day (like that),” said Jenkins, voted to his first Pro Bowl last year in his first season as a starter. “Usually guys need a day to get into it.
“I wanted to get a feel for him today. I kind of lined up in his face like I was going to press. He seems like one of those guys who likes to be pressed, likes to be physical.”
Quote: Offensive Coordinator on Dez Bryant
“I thought he came out and did a nice job,” “He’s still learning a lot. There’s a lot of stuff we’re installing on a daily basis, but he seemed to pick it up well and I thought he had a good day.”

The Spin:
There are two things I worry about with rookie wide receivers. 1) Getting off the line of scrimmage and 2) Learning the offense. Mike Jenkins’ forte is press coverage and he made the probowl last year doing it. Bryant reportedly had no problem getting off of Jenkins’ jam. The ability is there and the sky is the limit for Dez if he can learn the offense and the route running. According to Jason Garrett and Mike Jenkins, so far so good. It is safe to say, Roy Williams days are numbered.

Washington Redskins

Quote: Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
“We don’t really talk about that stuff because we want three guys who all can do it. Whoever can do it, will do it. Clinton’s running with the starters. We’re planning on it being that way until the next guy steps up.”

The Spin:
From what we have seen up until now, Mike Shanahan is not a guy that has fallen into the running back by committee trend. Camp reports show that Portis is getting almost all of the work with the first team and is right now on top the depth chart. The last time Clinton Portis and Mike Shanahan were together Portis averaged an insane 146 total yards per game. I am not suggesting the same would happen this year; but if Portis is half of what he used to be, he has value. Current Yahoo mocks have Portis going off as the 42nd running back on the board and 109th overall. Eventually, someone in the Washington backfield will out perform their current value. If it appears that Portis is healthy and starting in August, snag him late wherever you can.
Philadelphia Eagles

Quote: Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg’s on Quarterback Kevin Kolb
“You lean toward a players strengths. And really every team looks different because we are going in and out of really any NFL team. So every year you are building that team and you may look a little bit different because of the strengths that you have on a particular year. I thought without a question Donovan had one of the stronger arms maybe of all-time. He could make the brilliant play. Kolb is very very consistent. He handles two or three different play selections very well. Typically very accurate. Is athletic, but not nearly the athlete and doesn’t have the athleticism as Donovan has. So very different that way.”

Quote: Marty Mornhinweg On LeSean McCoy
“That is a man I should have mentioned earlier. He came into camp at just 180 degrees different. He is very very good right now.
“LeSean is a little bit bigger than people think. This guy is really elusive, really natural athleticism. Again we will try to play to his strengths there.”

The Spin:
The Eagles offense will change some with Kolb at the helm. Mornhinweg’s comments hint that Kolb will be more of a traditional west coast passer than Mcnabb was. It appears Kolb will not throw deep as much and will rely on his accuracy and a shorter field. So what does this mean for fantasy owners? As Mornhinweg said himself, “Kolb is very very consistent” and I expect the same for his fantasy value. As Morninhweg suggested, McNabb’s talent allowed him to scramble and use his big arm to make plays. This naturally just leads to more up and down performances than it would if you relied on your offensive game plan. I look for LeSean McCoy to be a major contributor in the passing game in this system so he can exhibit his elusiveness. And I also look for Jeremy Maclin’s role to increase.

Yesterday I started an offseason series where I will be taking a look at early 2010 projections for each team. Obviously these will change as offseason moves are made and roles are defined.

Up next is the Dallas Cowboys. This is a very talented fantasy offense that is unlikely to see much of an overhaul this offseason. Roy Williams is the main player to keep an eye on. I have him down for a conservative 14% of the targets at this point, but there is no telling at this point if he’ll return next season.

QB: Tony Romo: 326-of-517 , 4170 yards , 26 TD, 9 INT – Completion percentage and yardage could actually improve if Dallas upgrades from Roy Williams, who caught a poor 44% of his targets the last 2 seasons. Williams was a TD machine, however.

Felix Jones will be a breakout fantasy contributor in 2010 if he gets a majority of the carries for Dallas.

RB: Felix Jones: 217 carries, 1192 yards, 7 TD, 44 targets, 35 receptions, 244 yards, 1 TD – It might be a bit premature to give Jones 50% of the carries and 8% of the targets, but consider that he was responsible for well over half of the team’s playoff carries. If he’s number-one on the depth chart, he has a shot at 1,500 total yards.

RB: Marion Barber: 117 carries, 515 yards, 4 TD, 27 targets, 20 receptions, 167 yards, 1 TD – Barber carried the ball on 49% of the team’s 2009 carries, but didn’t see much playoff action, which is why (for now) I’m projecting him as Jones’ backup (27%).

RB: Tashard Choice: 65 carries, 345 yards, 2 TD, 27 targets, 19 receptions, 165 yards, 1 TD – Should Barber be traded, Choice could see an increased role as the complimentary back to Jones, but if the top 2 return, he will be stuck, once again, as the third wheel.

WR: Miles Austin: 131 targets, 82 receptions, 1317 yards, 11 TDs – Assuming 24% of the team’s targets go his way, Austin will, once again, be a top fantasy WR.

WR: Roy Williams: 76 targets, 34 receptions, 469 yards, 4 TD – One would have to imagine that his looks will tail off at least a little bit next season, but he’s still a nice asset in the TD department.

WR: Patrick Crayton: 44 targets, 24 receptions, 387 yards, 3 TD

WR: Kevin Ogletree: 44 targets, 28 receptions, 362 yards, 2 TD – Expected to see more work in 2010, but if Williams is back, there won’t be enough balls to go around for him to make too big a splash.

TE: Jason Witten: 125 targets, 91 receptions, 1,042 yards, 5 TD – As consistent as they come (YPR has spanned from 11.0 to 11.9 the last 6 seasons!), but his career high in TDs is 7 and he had only 2 last season. I expect that TD rate to somewhat fix itself, but it could balloon if Williams is cut, traded, demoted, etc.

Running Backs –

Maurice Morris – I’m fairly certain that I was the only one talking this cat up all week and it paid off with a huge effort on Sunday. I speculated that Morris could touch the ball close to 20 times and he responded with 17 carries for 126 yards and a rushing touchdown along with 6 looks, 5 receptions, and 35 receiving yards. That’s a solid 20+ point effort in most formats.

Advice: I see no reason why anything would change in weeks 16 and 17. Morris should continue to approach 20 touches each week unless the team decides to give Aaron Brown a chance to show what he do. I can’t guarantee Morris will go over the century mark again, but he’s a solid RB2 play in 12 team leagues.

Jerome Harrison – Not many people had Harrison in their lineup this week and rightfully so. There was no telling if Harrison would see most of the looks, or if it would be Chris Jennings, who saw 20 carries in week 14, compared to just 7 for Harrison. Still, even has the backup, Harrison should’ve been considered a very deep sleeper up against the porous Chiefs. He showed up big time with 34 carries, 286 yards, and 3 touchdowns in what is the biggest fantasy performance by a running back this season. This is not Harrison’s first big game of the season. Back in week 4 he went for 152 yards on 34 touches, but the next week he touched the ball just 8 times with Jamal Lewis back in the fold. Lewis is gone now, but Jennings is still in the mix in Cleveland.

Advice: You almost have to consider Harrison in your flex spot for week 16, but you shouldn’t feel comfortable about it and you won’t hear me recommending it. The Browns run offense has been anything but effective for a majority of the season and the split in carries has been off the charts inconsistent. He has upside, but don’t be shocked if he ends up with 28 total yards on 9 touches.

Michael Bush – An injury to Justin Fargas allowed Michael Bush to rush for 133 yards and a score on 18 carries against Denver on Sunday. Prior to that game, Bush had carried the ball only 8 times since week 11. Fargas’ injury seems to be minor and if he is back in the fold next week, Bush cannot be relied on for double-digit looks once again. Although you’d expect him to see more looks after such a strong effort, it’s still a three-headed monster in Oakland.

Advice: Unless Fargas is out or Coach Cable says otherwise, Bush is third in line for carries and should not be considered in any format. If Fargas is out or Bush is named the RB2, those of you in very deep leagues who are desperate for help at your flex spot can consider his services.

Jason Snelling – Michael Turner made his return in week 15, which led to the masses dropping Snelling. Turner lasted only 1 carry before sitting out the rest of the game and it’s unknown whether he will suit up for the rest of the season, especially considering that Atlanta has been eliminated from the playoffs. Snelling ended up with only 64 yards, but did have an intriguing 21 looks, which was 10 more than seen by Jerious Norwood.

Advice: Snelling has done an okay job filling in for Turner when he’s missed time and that, coupled with the fact that he could start the team’s final 2 games, means he’s worth consideration as a flex play going forward. That said, if Turner plays, Snelling should not be in your lineup.

Derrick Ward – Whenever I’ve had an empty roster spot this season, Ward has been a player I’ve consistently turned to. Cadillac Williams has stayed relatively healthy so it hasn’t quite paid off as I’d hoped, but consider that in week 15, Ward carried the ball 19 times compared to 12 for Williams. Williams did, however, rack up 88 total yards on 13 touches, which was more efficient than the 73 yards on 20 touches for Ward. Neither has been overly impressive this season, but it’s worth keeping an eye on the timeshare.

Advice: You can’t rely on 20 touches for Ward unless news breaks that he is the new starter. If you have a roster spot to fill, he’s a good speculative pick for your bench, but nothing more right now.

Wide Receivers –

Lance Moore – Moore was back in the fold in week 15 and took advantage by scoring a touchdown despite only 2 looks. Despite the score, two looks should concern you if you’re considering using him in week 16 for several reasons. (a) It’s two looks. That’s not a lot (b) The Saints threw the ball 45 times, which is almost a dozen more pass attempts than they average a game this season and (c) The percentage of passes going to his teammates was about the same as in recent weeks. I’d mention that Jeremy Shockey was out as another reason to be skeptical of Moore, but David Thomas filled in with a whopping 10 targets, which is more than even Shockey is accustomed to.

Advice: Moore will always have decent potential because of the outstanding offense he is a part of, but he’s going to have trouble finding playing time with all the stars around him. At this point, he’s only worth a desperate play in a deep league.

Malcom Floyd – Floyd didn’t exactly light it up after Chris Chambers was cut loose, but he’s now been targeted a total of 16 times over the last 2 games. That is a healthy number for a player not being used in most leagues, but part of the reason for that is the fact that he’s caught only 7 of those 16 balls.

Advice: Any player seeing 8 targets a game in an above average offense is worth keeping an eye on. Floyd isn’t the safest play, but he has a ton of upside and is worth consideration in WR-deep leagues.

Josh Morgan has now been targeted at least 8 times in 3 of the 49ers last 4 games.

Josh Morgan – One of the most popular sleepers heading into this season, Morgan has been a disappointment for fantasy owners who reached on him in their draft. He’s quietly been picking it up over the last few weeks, as he’s now been targeted 8 times in 3 of the 49ers last 4 games. His numbers from the last four games (which includes a 3-catch, 14-yard week 14 effort) total to 29 targets, 22 receptions, 174 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Morgan is the third option in San Francisco with Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis keeping Alex Smith busy, but he’s a talented receiver yet to break out who is now seeing almost double-digits in looks every game.

Advice: Definitely worth considering in deeper leagues and someone you should definitely snag for your bench if you’re in any type of dynasty league. The Gore-Crabtree-Morgan-V Davis offense has tons of potential.

Tight Ends –

Bo Scaife – Although Scaife is anything but a gamebreaker, he’s been extremely consistent over the last 6 games and is worth a mention. In those six games, he’s been targeted 42 times, has 25 receptions, 261 yards, and 1 score. He was targeted 10 times on one occasion and has caught 5 balls three times. His high for yardage is 68. What does that all mean? It means he’s a safe play for close to 8 points in PPR formats and considering all the targets, it’s only a matter of time before he gets into the endzone again.

Advice: Again, he doesn’t have a ton of breakout potential, but he’s safe for 4 catches, 50 yards. If you’re desperate for tight end help and looking around on the Waiver Wire, he’s worth a look.

Quick Hits and Follow Ups –

Arian Foster / Ryan Moats / Chris Brown – I’ve been preaching this and preaching this. Stay away from Houston running backs. Everyone was excited about Foster this week and I just didn’t understand it. All it takes is one fumble and the “starter” gets sent to the bench for the rest of the game. Anyone who owned Steve Slaton or Ryan Moats knows all about this. If you played Foster in week 15, now you do, too.

Felix Jones – His touches continue to increase over the last month or two and it’s something worth keeping an eye on. Since week 11, he’s seen no fewer than 9 looks in any given week. His latest effort was 15 looks (14 touches) against the Saints. He racked up 68 yards on those touches and is still averaging just under 6 yards per carry.

Greg Camarillo – Mentioned him last week after he was targeted 17 times in 2 games. Make it 27 times in 3 games after 10 more looks this week. He only caught 5 of them for 46 yards, but bump him up a few notches on your watch list.

Devin Aromashodu – Devin Hester was out again so another guy I mentioned last week saw significant action. Aromashodu saw 10 more targets, but disappointed in the execution part of the deal with only 2 receptions for 10 yards. Hard to recommend him going forward, but if Hester is out again in week 16, those double-digit targets in back-to-back weeks make him worth consideration in deeper leagues.

Bernard Berrian – 7 targets, 5 catches, 36 yards. 6 targets , 4 catches , 43 yards . 5 targets, 3 catches , 25 yards. Those are Berrian’s stat lines from his last three games. Add to the equation that Brett Favre and the running game are struggling and that 6-4-35 average line feels even worse.

Kevin Curtis – Back in the fold in week 15, but was targeted only twice. Jeremy Maclin should still be out in week 16, but there is no reason to believe Curtis will see more than 4-5 looks a game going forward with Jackson, Celek, Avant, and Brown ahead of him for looks. He has potential because this offense is so stellar, but he’s not worth the gamble this week.