The 2016 NFL season is now behind us, which only means one thing. Research mode. In the offseason, I go wherever the numbers take me. This week, they took me to the Cowboys. And below, I’ll explain to you why Dez Bryant is going to win a lot of fantasy leagues next year.
There’s always been some part of me that wants to root for the underdog, the guy who everyone has counted out, the guy who they say is past his prime. Related, I really disliked the Dallas Cowboys growing up. No, scratch that — I hated them. Emmitt Smith didn’t come close to Walter Payton in my eyes. Heck, he didn’t even come close to Barry Sanders as far as I was concerned. Troy Aikman was overrated … you get the point.
Since I really got into football (on an obsessive level) in 2008, there have been three wide receivers that I’ve watched college tape on and thought, “that player is going to be truly special.” There have obviously been others who have impressed, but these three were the guys who I knew I wanted on every one of my fantasy teams, specifically dynasty. Julio Jones (who has grown to be the player that I expected him to), Amari Cooper (who looks phenomenal thus far), and the guy you’re here to read about, Dez Bryant. So when I watched him get drafted by the Cowboys, I had a decision to make: Let my fandom get in the way, or let go of the past.
Needless to say, I stopped hating the Cowboys and started supporting what became one of my favorite duos in all of football in Bryant and his quarterback, Tony Romo. There have been a lot of ups and downs throughout the years, and most recently, there have also been a lot of analysts (looking at you, Cris Carter) who have said Bryant just isn’t the same player after his foot surgeries.
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