Fantasy Football: Tony Romo Among Starts, Sits For Cowboys-Bears Game

After 13 arduous weeks, it’s all come down to this.

You’re one win away from securing a spot in your fantasy football playoffs, and your shot at glory rests on the shoulders of…Tony Romo?

We know, that sentence doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. But before you accept defeat, it’s worth noting that the Dallas Cowboys gunslinger could be in for a big week. Sure, he burned owners last week by laying an absolute dud on Thanksgiving Day, but there’s no better opponent for a bounce-back game than the Chicago Bears.

The Bears have been awful against the pass this season, allowing over 270 passing yards per game and surrendering 27 total passing touchdowns (tied for the most in the NFL with the New York Jets). That’s good news for Romo owners, as well as those lucky enough to have wide receiver Dez Bryant.

As a matter of fact, there are plenty of good matchups to go around in Thursday night’s affair, which features two offenses with a handful of big names and two defenses that aren’t known for playing great defense.

As always, though, there still are players to avoid in this one. Here’s some advice to get your big week off to a fast start.

START
Tony Romo, Quarterback, Cowboys: Romo’s back injury clearly still is lingering, but the Bears’ secondary should help cure that. Chicago is decent against the run, which is a good sign for those concerned about DeMarco Murray dominating offensive touches. With a decent workload, Romo should return to his touchdown-throwing ways.

Martellus Bennett, Tight End, Bears: Bennett dropped off big time after Chicago’s bye week, but he returned to form with an eight-catch, 109-yard output on Thanksgiving. The big tight end has a great chance to duplicate those numbers Thursday against a Cowboys defense that has surrendered the fourth-most points to opposing tight ends in standard-scoring leagues this season.

SIT
Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver, Bears: Marshall’s name on this list might be a surprise, but he’s just not producing the same numbers we’re used to seeing. Marshall has zero touchdowns in his last two games compared to Alshon Jeffery’s three, and Dallas has been decent against the pass this season. If you’re going to start a Bears wideout, go with Jeffery.

Terrance Williams, Wide Receiver, Cowboys: The Bears give up big numbers through the air, but that still doesn’t mean Williams deserves a spot in your lineup. He has just five catches in his last four games, so he’s pretty much touchdown-dependent at this point. Speaking of which, he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 7.

Have a fantasy/NFL question for Darren? Send it to him via Twitter at @darren_hartwell

Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images