I’d probably take Bryant too, but not very early. Austin will almost always draw the better coverage and Dez has the talent to capitalize on that if he can stay healthy.
I tend to lean towards Austin, for a couple of reasons.
1. While it is true that Austin will draw the heavier coverage, that is because defenses consider him a greater threat.. (i.e. more likely to catch/score) That’s a pro, not a con.. To list it as a con would be to say you should take Burleson over Calvin, Julio Jones over Roddy, whoever #2 is over Fitzgerald, etc. etc.
2. Consistency. With Romo, few have been as consistent as Austin..And for me, consistent is more valuable than the chance for a monster game.
3. Injury. Austin seems less prone (in his style) than Dez. I love Dez’s aggressiveness. LOVE it.. but it does tend to ding more.
4. Character. No I’m not saying Dez is a problem child and not to be trusted, or guaranteeing that he’ll get in trouble,.. but if you rank Dez and Austin close, one of them is clearly more likely to get in trouble than the other. It’s a factor to consider if everything else comes out as close.
5. Deep threat. I’m not sure, but I have the feeling that once defenses balance their coverage (which only happens if Dez is deemed an equal talent and threat, if not see reason 1.) then Miles will be more of the deep TD threat and Dez more of the beast working the middle. (this plays in to Dez getting an advantage in the redzone though, but that’s an area with Witten, Bennett, Felix etc. as well anyway, so that kinda reduces added redzone value.)
I think it is entirely possible that Dez finishes the season with more TDs and better overall stats.. I just think that it will come in chunks of a few monster games as opposed to week in week out #1WR on a pass happy offense where Austin should continue to be #1st read and Top target.
As always, I reserve the right to be completely wrong ....
i go Dez everytime the guy reminds me of andre johnson and remember last year he was only a rookie and didnt play his senior year of college so he was out a year with no football, now he has a almost full season under his belt and lets not forget jerry jones has a man crush on this guy he will get the ball this year
1. While it is true that Austin will draw the heavier coverage, that is because defenses consider him a greater threat.. (i.e. more likely to catch/score) That’s a pro, not a con.. To list it as a con would be to say you should take Burleson over Calvin, Julio Jones over Roddy, whoever #2 is over Fitzgerald, etc. etc.
Yeah, I would normally agree but I personally see Dez as a better talent than the WR2s you mention… and likewise don’t see Austin as talented of the WR1s you mention. You could totally end up being right though.
@bofa, I wouldnt argue Dez being a better talent than those #2s listed. He looks to be a potentially very potent player.. Much like Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Marshal (come to mind) but he shares some of the other less desirable characteristics with those guys that keep them from my top tier of WRs.
If you are going for dynasty upside (or even redraft).. and want to be more aggressive, yeah, Dez definitely looks like he could be a rare talent.
But I tend to agree with the camp that thinks what is more important in a top 2-3 pick (which is where I think you would have to takeAustin in most leagues) is every week consistency over top end potential. And that I think is the difference between the two right now,. I just need to see Dez play a whole year and do well and keeps himself in line. Until then, as I see it, both WRs have high reward potential,.. Right now one (Austin) looks to have little to no risk by comparison to Dez who technically is still dealing with legal issues (bs as they seem) and technically only has 3 games with more than 4 catches, and only 1 game over 100 yrds receiving. (( I know it was his rookie year,.. but it was only a few games where he really flashed the potential.. I’ve been teased before with “flashes”.. Consistency.. thats what I want in my top picks.. If I could get Dez in the 5th round STFU I’m all over that.. but in round 2-3? Thats a bit scary for me.
I’m not saying that Dez isn’t a rare talent.. but he’s “Potential” more than “Proven” which is why, if I have to take one of those two guys as my #1WR,.. I lean Austin. He might finish behind Dez, but there is very little risk that he’s a bust this year.
Again.. I’m not saying anything other than between those guys,
At the same pick,( somewhere around 19-25) I would chose Austin ever time.
If the Question were Austin in Round 2 or Bryant in round 4/5 (their apprx ADPs) Which Cowboy WR would you chose?? then I might in fact lean Bryant, if I prefer someone in the 2nd round, because I don’t see their final numbers being that far apart.
