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Official Dez Bryant (2 Viewers)

Dez Bryant caught 3-of-5 targets for 37 yards in the Cowboys' Week 12 loss to the Chargers.

Bryant was held without a catch in the first half and was trailed by CB Casey Hayward much of the afternoon. Bryant has posted a couple duds in the three games since Ezekiel Elliott's suspension went into effect. He had a 3-39 day Week 10 at Atlanta and followed it up with an 8-63 last week. Bryant has underperformed greatly in 2017 and is more of a WR3 at this point in time. He gets a matchup with Josh Norman next Thursday night in Washington.
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Romo made a point during the game that Dak has to learn to “Throw Dez open” in other words throw him the ball in a spot where it’s catchable and let Dez get enough space to catch it. Dez’s game is about separation or out running his coverage, he’s a physical WR you throw up the ball and let him battle for it.

Until Dak learns to throw him the ball he will be inconsistent.

Tex

 
I think it's a chicken-egg thing as to whether the offense is dragging Dez down or vice versa, but it almost doesn't matter. They're simply not producing. I have no choice but to keep starting him, but expectations are definitely lowered ROS.

 
BigTex said:
Romo made a point during the game that Dak has to learn to “Throw Dez open” in other words throw him the ball in a spot where it’s catchable and let Dez get enough space to catch it. Dez’s game is about separation or out running his coverage, he’s a physical WR you throw up the ball and let him battle for it.

Until Dak learns to throw him the ball he will be inconsistent.

Tex
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Has to be something to this because Dez really hasn’t done a whole lot since 2014 (pre-injury and when Romo was slinging the rock).

The other possibility is that Dez has lost some of his explosiveness in his 8th year.

 
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BigTex said:
Romo made a point during the game that Dak has to learn to “Throw Dez open” in other words throw him the ball in a spot where it’s catchable and let Dez get enough space to catch it. Dez’s game is about separation or out running his coverage, he’s a physical WR you throw up the ball and let him battle for it.

Until Dak learns to throw him the ball he will be inconsistent.

Tex
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Romo threw a ton of ints that way.

Dez Bryant might be the most overrated player of all time. 

I made the mistake of investing in him once - doesn’t play hurt, can’t get separation, doesn’t fight for the 1 on 1 balls, and has mental lapses from time to time. 

I don’t mind Dez the person. Seems like a nice guy. But he’s not a #1 WR in Today’s NFL. 

Romo’s statement is ridiculous and shows why he’s no longer wearing a uniform on Sundays.  Kinda like when he said he’d sometimes audible out of a run on 1st & goal at the 1 purely to pad his numbers. 

 
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DeAndre Hopkins is another receiver who doesn't create a ton of separation but wins due to physicality and outstanding body control when the ball is in the air. Look at his battle with Patrick Peterson start to finish last week, amazing use of jukes, hand-to-hand combat and footwork for his 4/76/1 line (missed another TD due to not getting a 2nd foot in). Dez definitely is a guy you have to let fight for the ball, because he will win alot of those battles. Romo threw him open and gave him 50/50 balls, Dak never has done that (except in instances Bryant was his 1st read, but that's an issue for the Dak thread). It's something that will be interesting to see if he learns to do, because he's never needed to do it consistently.

EDIT: That being said, I'm not sure Dez is anywhere as good as Nuk at body control.

 
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Dez is never open but he's 5th in the NFL in targets this year. He's getting plenty of chances to make a play in coverage. Forcing the ball into him even more is the last thing this offense needs. 

 
FreeBaGeL said:
Dez is never open but he's 5th in the NFL in targets this year. He's getting plenty of chances to make a play in coverage. Forcing the ball into him even more is the last thing this offense needs. 
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It's not the targets so much as the quality of them. Romo did a fantastic job of putting the ball in spots where Dez could fight for it... as an outside observer the last two years Dak's balls to Bryant just aren't as good as Romo's; they lack the same touch.

 
The Frankman said:
DeAndre Hopkins is another receiver who doesn't create a ton of separation but wins due to physicality and outstanding body control when the ball is in the air. Look at his battle with Patrick Peterson start to finish last week, amazing use of jukes, hand-to-hand combat and footwork for his 4/76/1 line (missed another TD due to not getting a 2nd foot in). Dez definitely is a guy you have to let fight for the ball, because he will win alot of those battles. Romo threw him open and gave him 50/50 balls, Dak never has done that (except in instances Bryant was his 1st read, but that's an issue for the Dak thread). It's something that will be interesting to see if he learns to do, because he's never needed to do it consistently.

EDIT: That being said, I'm not sure Dez is anywhere as good as Nuk at body control.
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I don’t think Dez is anywhere near as good as Hopkins on the 50-50 balls. For a guy that big he plays soft. And when he gets in those battles he constantly looks for the refs to bail him out with DPI flags & sulks when he doesn’t get them. 

As for overall skill set, Hopkins has wiggle, runs crisp routes, is an excellent leaper, often going up & above the defender to pluck the ball out of the air. Hopkins wins those battles because he plays with the heart, intensity & skill set to win them. 

When you throw Dez a 50-50 ball rather than going up over the top he seems to play down to the smaller DB’s level. You’ll see DBs get a hand inside Dez’ arms & wrestle the ball loose. I rarely see Dez win on the deep ball unless there’s a defensive breakdown.

at his best, the Cowboys had a balanced offense with multiple weapons. It opened up the field for Dez to dominate in open space - and to be fair, Dez is good at running in the open field - he’s one of those “faster with the ball in his hands” guys, and he takes good angles that cause defenders to miss. He’s also a load to tackle when he gets going. 

But where Hopkins is QB-proof, and seemingly defense-proof, Bryant is not. He needs 10+ targets to have a decent day. He needs a complimentary team around him to open up the field. He needs  a strong run game to keep defenses on their heels, because he seems unable to beat tight coverage. 

And hey, maybe coaching & playcalling have someting to do with it. Put Bryant on the Patriots or the Steelers and I’d bet Brady or Roeth make him a superstar. 

But on the cowboys Dez is Anquan Boldin with more hype (and worse hands) based on past glory. 

I got off that train a few years back - when I saw his ADP at the back of the 1st round this year I was a little surprised. 

I’m betting he’s a 3rd rounder next year. Except of course to the true believers who expect him to finally have that holy grail elite WR season everyone seemed to expect was coming for the last few seasons. Someone will still probably make him their WR1 next year. 

It wont be me, that’s for damn sure.

 
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FreeBaGeL said:
Dez is never open but he's 5th in the NFL in targets this year. He's getting plenty of chances to make a play in coverage. Forcing the ball into him even more is the last thing this offense needs. 
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That’s what I’m talking about - I think Romo was talking out of his rear on that one. Dez doesn’t win the 50-50 battles. He doesn’t even win that many of the 60-40 or 70-30 battles these days. 

 
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In my league there is only one game he has hit double digit points without double digit targets. Hard to argue for someone more highly dependent on targets to produce. Really surprised he still went first round this year - I wanted nothing to do with him. 

 
His hands have gotten worse and he looks slower as well.  Doest break tackles.

I don't think he will start for me again unless I have no choice but to play him

 
SameSongNDance said:
He's not creating any seperation, CBs are squating on his routes. I think he's very close to washed. 
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I saw the same last year. 

And that’s a healthy Dez.

He gets nicked up a lot, & when he’s hurt he’s just a guy running around in his pyjamas for an hour. 

The year I drafted him (in the 2nd - thought I’d gotten the SOD!) he “played through” an injury - and he was just so obviously a decoy, running his routes half-speed, quitting halfway through most of them. 

I’m not sure he had a single target or catch that game. :doh:  

 
Josh Gordon going in for him starting week 13. Josh can’t do much worse. Dez will have Norman getting in his head next Thursday as well. 

 
The Frankman said:
It's not the targets so much as the quality of them. Romo did a fantastic job of putting the ball in spots where Dez could fight for it... as an outside observer the last two years Dak's balls to Bryant just aren't as good as Romo's; they lack the same touch.
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THIS!

His pases to Dez are off the mark. Could it be Dez running the wrong route or is it Dak not putting it where it needs to be. It seems that they are not connecting something is off for sure.

Tex

 
Hot Sauce Guy said:
That’s what I’m talking about - I think Romo was talking out of his rear on that one. Dez doesn’t win the 50-50 battles. He doesn’t even win that many of the 60-40 or 70-30 battles these days. 
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Tony, (to keep it in context) was talking about the game yesterday. There was a few plays that Dak looked Dez’s way but didn’t throw it. Tony’s point was that it’s a part of Dez’s game that when Dez is in a certain position you have to know when AND where to throw the ball to Dez specifically. IIRC he called it the back door pass or something like that. We’ve seen over the years Romo throw that TD pass to Dez a 100 times. He went on to say that Dak is waiting for Dez to get open but that’s not Dez’s game that he has to trust Dez and throw that pass in that situation.

Tex

 
Jerry Jones hearing the increasing chorus of criticism on Dez Bryant coming from the Shark Pool...lol

 
same here in dynasty...he's my WR4 behind ABrown, Adams and Cooks.

I'm hoping he miraculously has a great sting of games to close the season so I can trade him for a 1st rounder.

a boy can dream...

 
Sitting him for Kenny Stills

Who would have thought at the start of season I would be sitting Kareem Hunt and Dez Bryant in a key week when i need a win

 
JoeyJoJoJuniorShabadoo said:
I'm seriously debating about benching Dez and Golden Tate for Dede Westbrook and Nelson Agholor. FML.
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If you are superstitious, here is something to consider before you make that decision:

I entered the season with a very strong slate of WR as the result of a long slow dynasty rebuild...

DHop, Keenan Allen, Dez, Sammy Watkins, Tyreek Hill, Amari Cooper and DJax. 

Six of the seven have played on Thursday Night this year:

Week One Thursday Night Game - Top WR that night?  Tyreek Hill 26.8 ppr points - where was he?  On my Bench

Week Two Thursday Night Game - Top WR that night?  Deandre Hopkins 14.3 ppr points- where was he?  On my Bench.

Week Three Thursday Night Game - Top WR that night?  Sammy Watkins 28.6 ppr points- Where was he?  On my Bench.

Week Five Thursday Night Game - Top WR that night?  DeSean Jackson 15.6 ppr points - Where was he?  On my Bench

Week Seven Thursday Night Game - Top WR that night?  Amari Cooper - 43 freaking ppr points - Where was he?  On my Bench!!!

Week Twelve Thursday Night Game - Top WR that night? - Keenan Allen - 34.2 ppr points - Where was he?  IN MY LINEUP!!!!! (I am old and slow but I eventually learn)

Only one Thursday night matchup left for my WR and its Dez Bryant tonight... but he will be on my bench... can't start him over DHop and Keenan with the #1 seed on the line.  Maybe I never learn.  : (

(I assume everyone agrees that with 2RB, 2WR, 1 FLEX that it would be a foolish superstition to put Dez Bryant in a lineup over one of McCoy/Kamara/Ingram/Keenan/DHop) 

 
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PLAYER PROP BET PICKS: THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Excerpt:

Dez Bryant Receiving Yards O/U 64 ½
The Bet: UNDER (-115)

Since Dallas’ Week 6 bye, Bryant has played in six games and averaged 52 receiving yards per contest. With Zeke out the past three games, that average dipped to 46.3. Tonight, he’ll face Josh Norman. The Redskins cornerback held him to 39 yards on four receptions in their first matchup.
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That’s what Romo was talking about! Throw it to him even though he doesn’t look open!

Great pass for the TD!

Tex

 
Statorama said:
Benched with confidence
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played with.....no confidence....tags had a great write up on this

Dez Bryant: There are a lot of Bryant doubters out there now that he’s failed to record more than 73 yards or score a touchdown in each of the last five games, but don’t be one of those who says Bryant isn’t the same player he once was. He most definitely is. If you listened to Tony Romo announcing that game on Thanksgiving, he was dumbfounded by how little they were playing into Bryant’s strengths. If you came to FantasyPros before the season, you would’ve read that he would struggle this year in my player profile of him. Now that Elliott is sidelined, most teams can afford to slide a safety in coverage to his side of the field rather than keeping him in the box. With that, this matchup isn’t a bad one for Bryant, as Josh Norman stays on one side of the field, and it’s the side that Bryant is on just under 40 percent of the time. He’ll see Bashaud Breeland in coverage the most, and while he’s been solid this year, it’s a matchup the Cowboys need to exploit. Consider Bryant a high-end WR2 for this contest.

great call

https://www.fantasypros.com/2017/11/week-13-primer-analyzing-all-16-games-fantasy-football/

thanks tags!

 
JIMGET said:
played with.....no confidence....tags had a great write up on this

Dez Bryant: There are a lot of Bryant doubters out there now that he’s failed to record more than 73 yards or score a touchdown in each of the last five games, but don’t be one of those who says Bryant isn’t the same player he once was. He most definitely is. If you listened to Tony Romo announcing that game on Thanksgiving, he was dumbfounded by how little they were playing into Bryant’s strengths. If you came to FantasyPros before the season, you would’ve read that he would struggle this year in my player profile of him. Now that Elliott is sidelined, most teams can afford to slide a safety in coverage to his side of the field rather than keeping him in the box. With that, this matchup isn’t a bad one for Bryant, as Josh Norman stays on one side of the field, and it’s the side that Bryant is on just under 40 percent of the time. He’ll see Bashaud Breeland in coverage the most, and while he’s been solid this year, it’s a matchup the Cowboys need to exploit. Consider Bryant a high-end WR2 for this contest.

great call

https://www.fantasypros.com/2017/11/week-13-primer-analyzing-all-16-games-fantasy-football/

thanks tags!
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Great post!

Next time maybe before the game?

 
dtroitkid said:
Great post!

Next time maybe before the game?
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LOL!  Yeah, I hear you.  Like I said, started with NO confidence. I was not going to start him, read tags article, dismissed it, pondered it, picked up another wr, and then finally went with it 15 minutes before kickoff. Watched the first quarter, regretted it, started making the noose...and then the Cowboys woke up.

Playing FFL, you see a lot of opinions and articles that are just fluff, I guess weeding out the well thought out predictions and opinions is they key.  There is too many "I got a hunch" articles; but I like these where they explain their reasoning in football reality.

I'll be sure to post prior to the game...that being said, I like Dez moving forward, pretty touchdown dependent, but he get's a lot of red zone looks (when the Cowboys actually get in the red zone.....), he might be heating up!

 
JIMGET said:
LOL!  Yeah, I hear you.  Like I said, started with NO confidence. I was not going to start him, read tags article, dismissed it, pondered it, picked up another wr, and then finally went with it 15 minutes before kickoff. Watched the first quarter, regretted it, started making the noose...and then the Cowboys woke up.

Playing FFL, you see a lot of opinions and articles that are just fluff, I guess weeding out the well thought out predictions and opinions is they key.  There is too many "I got a hunch" articles; but I like these where they explain their reasoning in football reality.

I'll be sure to post prior to the game...that being said, I like Dez moving forward, pretty touchdown dependent, but he get's a lot of red zone looks (when the Cowboys actually get in the red zone.....), he might be heating up!
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I only started him because of Crabtree's suspension. Otherwise, would have benched him for Jack Doyle.

I should send Aqib Talib a fruit basket or something.

 
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