Marion Barber Reportedly Out 1-2 Weeks

Marion Barber is a beast when he's on the field. We know that. We've seen him take on defenders as the aggressor. Unfortunately, having to fight injury woes comes with the territory of being such a bruising runner. Barber wore down toward the end of last season after a monstrous start. This year, his injury has come early.

According to Blue Star, Barber is out for 1-2 weeks with a quadriceps injury (UPDATE: see end of this post). Being a quad injury on a running back, it's easy to see this thing lingering for a few extra weeks as well. The Cowboys can afford to be careful with their top running back, too, because they also have Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.

Sure, losing their main workhorse is a big blow, but they have depth at running back.

Give Jones a serious boost for the next several weeks. Sunday night, we saw the potential possessed by the second-year home run hitter when he sprung loose for a 56-yard scamper. He also found paydirt, scoring his first touchdown of the season. Jones qualifies as a RB2 in fantasy leagues with Barber out of the picture.

Also give Choice a boost, as he's more a between-the-tackles runner than Jones is. Choice ran for 472 yards and 2 touchdowns last season in fill-in duty when Barber and Jones were both hurt. He looks like a good sleeper right now and a definite add in all fantasy leagues.

In looking at the schedule, the duo should have some great opportunities with Barber out.

This coming week, the Cowboys face the Panthers, who haven't done much to stifle opposing runners yet. The following week, they'll get the Broncos. Denver has done reasonably well against the run, but Cedric Benson did total 76 yards and a touchdown against them. Plus, there aren't many teams that couldn't stop the Browns running game.

It's pretty reasonable to conclude Barber won't be fully healthy for a trip to Kansas City, either, which means Jones and Choice would likely go ballistic against the hapless Chiefs. The following week is a bye for the Cowboys, meaning the could opt to give Barber an additional two weeks of rest instead of bringing him back for a game in which they probably don't even need him.

The bottom line is that Felix Jones owners should be very happy right now and we should be scouring the waiver wire to make sure Choice is owned in every league.

UPDATE: Barber told Blue Star Wednesday that he's optimistic he'll be able to play Monday night. We're still not too jazzed about his chances to put up solid stats. He has company in the backfield and if there's any sort of a tweak early in the game, they'll be careful with Barber.