Faceoff - WR Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys

Posted 7/19, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by David Baker

OK, I know Terrell Owens will turn 34 years old this season. And I am aware his volatile nature has led to meltdowns with coaches and teammates alike, often alienating him to them and the public. But at the end of the day, the one thing Owens has always been able to do is produce. While age must eventually set in and cause a dip in production, I have not seen anything yet to convince me that 2007 will be that season. In short, expect more of the same for Owens this year, and when you look at previous production, you see five of the last seven seasons where Owens was a top four fantasy WR. Shockingly, some have him ranked as low as the 10th best receiver this year and that boggles my mind.

Some point to a new coaching staff led by Wade Phillips and wonder how they will mesh with Owens. But has that ever really mattered for Owens? Even the last tumultuous season in San Francisco and the equally troubling second season at Philly saw Owens produce with top-notch numbers. Nothing, including Owens himself, it seems can stop Owens from being a huge fantasy player. With 114 career touchdowns, Owens has had at least 13 touchdowns in a season a remarkable six times.

More importantly, Owens seemed to really connect with new Cowboy QB Tony Romo. After a relatively slow start playing with QB Drew Bledsoe, Owens hooked up with Romo to a higher level than with Bledsoe. With a year of seasoning on him, Romo could be more effective and count on Owens to be the beneficiary of any improvements by Romo.

Terrell Owens keeps himself in tremendous physical condition, which is one key reason not to expect anything less from Owens as a 33-year-old. There are simply no defensive backs in the NFL that can defend him single handedly. And while Owens has faced more double-teams that perhaps any other receiver in the league, it has never meant a drop in his production. Owens is too big and physical for one person to cover him and he has some of the best hands in the business. Those two tools make him especially effective in the end zone. He can go across the middle and go deep and has deceptive speed. Few players, if any, in the league have a better ability to gain yards after the catch than Owens.

So despite a new coaching staff, expect more of the same for Owens in 2007. He is just too talented and in too good of shape to expect anything less. And a healthy Owens should mean another season with 80+ receptions, 1,200 yards and 13 or so touchdowns. Don't make the mistake of underestimating what Owens will do in 2007. You don't need to be a football historian to realize that Owens is still on top of his game and this future Hall of Famer won't let down his fantasy owners this year.

Downside - by Jeff Pasquino

If you decide that you want Terrell Owens on your fantasy team this season, you will most likely be taking him in the first two (possibly three) rounds of your draft and he will be your #1 for this year. For me, that's too much risk to take on with my primary pass catcher, and I never want to take on unnecessary risk in the early rounds of a draft.

What are the reasons that I see him as a risk? Well, the list is long, so let's get started.

First, "T.O." has had some recent injuries that affected his play. He played most of last year with a finger injury, and doctors have stated that despite two off-season surgeries he may never be the same after the damage. This is in addition to the hamstring injuries that also flared up in preseason last year which have also been labeled as a "chronic injury", which should be a warning in and of itself. He is a strong and fast healer, as exampled by his return from a broken fibula in December 2004 to make it for Super Bowl XXXIX, but you don't get a reputation as a good healer without sustaining a number of injuries. Who wants that kind of medical history from their top receiver?

Besides injury issues, there are other reasons to look elsewhere for an early WR pick this season. Owens' QB is an unproven commodity (Tony Romo) whom the Cowboys have not even given the vote of confidence with a contract extension for beyond this year. There are also other targets on the team that were underutilized last year such as TE Jason Witten who is likely to get more looks in and around the Red Zone. Dallas also has two solid options at tailback in Julius Jones and Marion Barber III, both of whom could take away touchdowns from Owens. Improvements on the defensive side of the ball and the addition of head coach Wade Philips will also play a role. If the Cowboys are in tighter and lower scoring games, their may be less of an emphasis on the passing attack and more of a focus on the run game.

Owens enters his 12th season in the NFL, but his age (34 this December) and conditioning have never been questioned. This is his third team and his second season in Dallas, which is about the time when he also wore out his welcome in Philadelphia. T.O.'s attitude is well known by everyone, so there is always the potential for friction between him and the new coaching staff, teammates, the owner, or all of the above. While he could remain a solid producer and stay in step with the team goals, this is just another item on the list of reasons to consider another WR1 for your fantasy team.