From now until the regular season begins, Fantasy Flings is where you'll find interesting story lines about your favorite teams from training camp. If there is a position battle, a nagging injury, a comeback story or a youngster rocketing up the depth chart, we'll let you know the fantasy implications.Dallas Cowboys
What if I told you that one of the most impressive players for the Dallas Cowboys thus far has been quarterback Tony Romo? In two preseason games he's completed 22-of-30 passes and thrown for 228 yards and a touchdown. In camp he's building a nice relationship with Roy Williams and he's making good on his off-season promise to work on protecting the ball. He's going to miss the top-tier talent of wide receiver Terrell Owens, but not the antics. Even without Owens, Romo is showing that by spreading the ball around he's going to produce this season very similarly to years past, maybe even more.
New York Giants
It could be the absence of Plaxico Burress or maybe Eli Manning is fretting over not getting as much guaranteed money in his contract extension as Phillip Rivers just did, but the Giants passing game isn't working. The first issue seems to be pressure from the defense. Giants quarterbacks were sacked five times in Saturday night's game against the Chicago Bears and hurried on many other occasions. Another problem is the lack of a true No. 1 weapon for Manning to throw towards. The Giants rank 30th in passing yards with 140 yards in their two preseason games and in both games, Danny Ware, a running back, has been the biggest producing receiver. In a division full of top-ten pass defenses, the Giants are in trouble if they can't shore up their air attack.
Philadelphia Eagles
Without a doubt, the biggest story surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles is Michael Vick. But, if you care about your fantasy football team, forget about Vick for the time being. Jeremy Maclin is having trouble in the special teams arena. He's muffed a punt and fumbled a kickoff return in his two preseason games. While Maclin's inability to get going in the return game may seem like small potatoes, it has other fantasy implications. If Maclin cannot improve, DeSean Jackson is going to have to step in. The Eagles were hoping to avoid that so they could lighten his work load and focus on receiving. To take away from Jackson's receiving reps wouldn't be a good idea. I've heard many people say Jackson may be the best receiver in the NFC East right now.
Washington Redskins
There's a battle for the No. 2 receiver spot in Washington, but only because the team would like to see Antwaan Randle El in the slot position where he's naturally gifted. For Randle El to move to the slot, the Redskins await
Malcolm Kelly to step up. Kelly trails only tight end Fred Davis in receiving yards in the first two preseason games, but five receptions for 47 yards is nothing to brag about. If Kelly can't provide the Redskins with enough reasons to promote him to No. 2 receiver, the duties may fall to Devin Thomas. Thomas is more of a deep-threat and has all of the tools necessary to produce. This battle will continue to be interesting to watch.
