Tony Romo’s season-long schedule is a beauty

Following a Week 1 meltdown, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has caught a lot of flak from pundits and fans. It comes with the territory of being the starter for the Cowboys. Fantasy owners cannot let this cloud their judgment of Romo when it comes to deciding their starting lineups.

KFFL touted Romo before the season, and we stand by him. He will have a fine fantasy season, as long as he remains healthy, and his schedule couldn't be much more favorable.

Week 2: @ San Francisco 49ers

I don't think there is much from Week 1 that you can take away from the Niners' passing defense being any better since they faced a struggling Seattle Seahawks team that was without their best weapon. Romo should have a rock-solid day.

Week 3: Washington Redskins

Romo has been OK in his last two games against the Redskins. He completed more than 65 percent of his passes and threw for at least 280 yards in each contest. The downside is he tossed only a single score in each outing. Serviceable numbers but nothing special ... about what you would expect when facing a division rival.

Week 4: Detroit Lions

Detroit's weakest point on defense is their secondary. It is raw and needs time to gel, but the Lions' pass rush is strong enough to make the secondary look decent at times. Romo can exploit them, and he may have to if he wants to keep pace with Matthew Stafford's aerial assault.

Week 5: Bye week

Romo cannot let you down this week!

Week 6: @ New England Patriots

I think New England will start to get on the same page defensively by Week 6, but it is hard to not be alarmed by how Chad Henne took their secondary to town in Week 1. This could be a shootout between Romo and Brady.

Week 7: St. Louis Rams

St. Louis lost their best cornerback in Ron Bartell (neck) for the season in Week 1. They are inexperienced on the back end and could struggle all year long if their pass rush doesn't dominate.

Week 8: @ Philadelphia Eagles

This one could be scary. Philly's pass defense may have found their stride at this point and could prove for a tough matchup for Romo. He has topped the 300-yard mark in his last two games against the Eagles, but they weren't stacked in the secondary like they are now.

Week 9: Seattle Seahawks

Seattle's pass defense wasn't given much of a test in Week 1 against Alex Smith, and they were pretty bad last year. Earl Thomas is their lone bright spot back there. This game could be a big one for Romo, and if it isn't, expect very respectable numbers from him.

Week 10: Buffalo Bills

Buffalo's defense could really go either way. Last week wasn't as much a statement of how good they are but rather an indictment of KC's offense, in my eyes. A lot can happen between now and Week 10, but, at home, this matchup has the makings of at least acceptable numbers from Romo.

Week 11: @ Washington Redskins

A division rival on the road ... not very promising. Romo's play leading up to this game will be a good barometer as to whether (or weather) you should play him.

Week 12: Miami Dolphins

Well, you all saw what Tom Brady did to this defense. I'm not saying Romo will be anywhere near that prolific, but the Dolphins could be a punching bag for quarterbacks all year. Their cornerbacks are young and talented, so I suspect Miami be middle of the pack against the quarterback position for fantasy purposes.

Week 13: @ Arizona Cardinals

No pass defense may wind up being worse than Arizona's in 2011. Injuries and inexperience are tough to overcome. Perhaps by this late in the year they will get their act together, but Arizona needs a better pass rush to help the youngsters. Romo could have a field day.

Week 14: New York Giants

New York's pass defense might be problematic all year long. Romo is a must-start for this one if the Giants have struggled leading up to the game. Romo torched them for 392 yards and three scores in his last full game against the G-men.

Week 15: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay is rather thin in the secondary. Aqib Talib is a suspension waiting to happen, and Ronde Barber is ancient. Matthew Stafford torched them, and that was with everyone healthy. There is promise here for Romo.

Week 16: Philadelphia Eagles

Who knows ... maybe this will be a favorable matchup by Week 16. It seems doubtful, but injuries and inflated expectations could creep into play. This matchup isn't worth trying to predict heading into Week 2.

Dallas' pass defense is rather weak, and currently banged up, so Romo may find himself throwing a lot to remain in games. I would really have to be in a precarious situation to consider sitting Romo most any week. His turnovers can be crushing for the team and Dallas fans, but fantasy owners will gladly surrender or a point or two for a 300-yard, three-TD day from their signal caller. Consider him a target to trade for.