Roy Williams

Mid-season trades are usually season-killers for a WR.  Roy knows.  Pass-catching in the NFL has as much to do with timing as it does talent level.   Timing has everything to do with one's familiarity with the playbook, as well as rapport with your QB.  Roy had neither.   Beyond that, he had an offensive coordinator who did nothing to help integrate him into the scheme.  Finally, Roy was third in the pecking order of a highly dysfunctional situation between Witten and TO (and Romo).   He got very few looks last season.  With an off-season of time to get in sync with Tony Romo and to learn the playbook, Roy should be able to return to top shelf WR status in 2009.

Roy has everything you could hope for vitals-wise. He stands at 6'3", has solid speed clocking his 40-yard dash at 4.42, and his hands are among the best in the league. His route running is very disciplined, he has the strength to break tackles, and has even shown willingness to downfield block. Roy is great as a possession receiver as he is very physical and can make plays in traffic, but also has a burst to stretch the field for the big play. In 2006 he led the league with 24 receptions of 20+ yards. Unfortunately, his toughness has to be called into question, as he has missed games in 2004, 2005, and 2007 due to various maladies (see below).

It wouldn't hurt his cause if he could grow a pair of balls and play through some of his little pinner injuries that tend to come up every season. Winning tends to help with that and he hasn't experienced much of that in his career. All told, Roy is still quite young at 27 with minimal mileage, and Dallas has the talent around him to deflect defenses attention. We smell a breakout.

Act like ya been there before, puddy.

There are three key reasons that support Roy returning to fantasy glory in 2009.

1) WR1 - He will be Romo's primary target this season. He and Witten should co-exist peacefully as TO is the only human alive capable of the accusations he made last year, and Romo will have no problem spreading the love to a 6'3" speedy possession receiver with soft hands.

2) Texas Pride - Williams is a Permian Panther alum (Friday Night Lights), and while that didn't do a lot for his cause last season, he has been working diligently this off-season in Dallas, the coaches are impressed with his work ethic, and he wants to prove his worth to his hometown.

3) Offensive Scheme - In what was largely dubbed an "off" year for the Dallas offense, they still ranked 4th in passing TDs (29), 8th in passing attempts (547), and 9th in passing yards (3,789). They love to air it out.

Injury is the only thing holding Roy back. He may experience some shock playing for a team that will win more than three games in a season, but that may also motivate him to play through some pain. Should Romo go down this year, Dallas went out and traded for Jon Kitna to back him up. Kitna and Williams have solid rapport from their days losing games (but producing copious fantasy points) in Detroit, and we feel Kitna would fare better behind the Dallas line than ever in Detroit or even Cincinnati. Few WRs have the QB stability that the Cowboy pass catchers have this season. Make Roy E. Williams the 63rd WR off of draft boards this summer.

15 in 15: Top WR Rookie Fantasy Performances

Roy E. signed a six-year, $54 million contract in October of 2008 that included $26.6085 million guaranteed.  The remainder of the deal is outlined below:

2009 - $3,655,900 (+ $10 million option bonus)

2010 - $3,452,629 (+ $9.5 million option bonus)

2011 - $5,109,971

2012 - $6.082 million

2013 - $8.498 million

2014 - $9 million

2015 - Free Agent

Miles Austin - Miles should come cheap and would become a valuable handcuff to Roy Williams if he misses time.  Depending on how many rounds your draft is, there is also Patrick Crayton on the depth to consider - although he doesn't have much upside.  This offense will pass and pass often, so handcuffing at least Austin in the very deep rounds of your draft is advised.

• Offensive Line


• Offensive Scheme


• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2009 NFL Draft

DALLAS COWBOYS

Rank #24 vs. Rush

Rank #11 vs. Pass

1=Toughest  32=Easiest

View Overall Strength of Schedule Chart