Cowboys lose QB Tony Romo for a month

October 13, 2008 @ 00:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Tim Heaney

Michael Smith, of ESPN, reports Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (finger) will be out four weeks with a broken pinkie finger.

Romo said the injury occurred on the first play of overtime, and his finger was bandaged and heavily iced after the game. For the season, the Dallas signal caller has thrown for 1,689 yards, 14 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The first total is the fourth highest in the NFL, while his touchdowns tie him for first with San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.

This move should push quarterback Brad Johnson to the forefront. Johnson has not thrown a pass this year and completed just seven of 11 passes for 79 yards in 2007 for the Cowboys. He was the starter for the Minnesota Vikings in 2006; he completed 270 of 439 passes for 2,750 yards, nine touchdowns and 15 interceptions that year.

From a fantasy perspective, Romo should remain on all rosters. If he returns after missing an expected four weeks, he should be back in your lineup right for the stretch run before most league playoffs.

Johnson becomes a priority addition in all leagues. With the offensive weapons surrounding him, he likely will be in a good situation to succeed. However, his matchups in the coming weeks aren't great. The Cowboys' Week 7 opponent, the St. Louis Rams, are giving up just 192.3 passing yards (sixth fewest in the league) and 0.7 passing touchdowns allowed over the last four games (seventh).

In Week 8, they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are giving up 227 passing yards (18th fewest in the league) and 1.25 passing touchdowns (16th) per game over the last four weeks. Finally, in Week 9 they face the New York Giants, who are giving up just 205.5 passing yards (10th) and 0.5 passing touchdowns (tied for third) since Week 3.

The team has a bye in Week 10, so they might only play three games without Romo if the injury heals properly.

With tough passing matchups, it is possible the team will lean heavily on running backs Marion Barber III and Felix Jones (hamstring). Jones left in the third quarter of their Week 6 game with a left hamstring strain. His status is not known.

It is hard not see tight end Jason Witten taking at least a slight hit in value, though you should still expect him to produce totals among the league leaders at this position. Romo throws to Witten more than most quarterbacks look to their tight ends, and it is not known if Johnson will have the same affinity for Witten.

As for the receivers, owners should expect Terrell Owens' value to remain around the same level. However, you would expect to see a slight dip in value for Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin. None of those receivers should be dropped in any leagues because of Romo's loss, at least not until it is seen who Johnson develops chemistry with.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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