The Dallas Cowboys are back in action for Week 12 on Thursday against the Panthers and players like Darren McFadden, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Cole Beasley are solid fantasy start options for Tony Romo. Romo returned for the win against the Dolphins to help snap the losing streak for the Cowboys and now the team will go for their second win in a row against the Dolphins.
Romo returned from a fractured clavicle from the IR in Week 11 and he is ready to start again in Week 12 against the Panthers on Thanksgiving. According to Todd Archer at ESPN.com, Romo did not deal with any issues in his first start and he is ready to play on Thursday after being able to participate in the Monday walk-through for the team. The collarbone injury is still healing, but Romo has not suffered any setbacks and is ready to start for Dallas.
With the quick turnaround for Thursday, it's likely that Romo will not participate much in practice, but head coach Jason Garrett said that if Romo misses some workouts, it will not be an issue for the Panthers game. Garrett said that he was impressed with Romo in his first game back and that he expects the quarterback to play even better on Thursday in his second game since returning. The Cowboys are now 3-0 this season when Romo plays and they are hoping to keep things going against Carolina.
Romo had some shaky moments against Miami, but he was solid overall as he completed 18-of-28 passes for 227 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first game since Week 2 of the season. Dez Bryant was thrilled to have Romo back in the lineup and he is a top start option for fantasy owners with his QB back in action. Bryant had four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown in Week 11 and he will be the prime target for Romo on Thursday.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said that Josh Norman will "probably" cover Bryant for most of the game on Thursday and that should be an entertaining matchup to watch. Bryant has just two touchdowns this season in five games after missing time with a foot injury, but he has not suffered any setbacks and is a full go for Thursday. Bryant has 21 catches for 254 yards this season and he has one 100-yard game for Dallas. Jason Witten is a solid start option for fantasy owners with Romo back and he comes in with 51 catches on the season.
Darren McFadden came into the game last week dealing with a groin injury, but he had no issues against the Dolphins and rushed for 129 yards on 29 carries. McFadden has been laying well over the past month for the Cowboys and he is a solid start option against the Panthers despite the tough defensive matchup. McFadden now has over 100 yards rushing in three of his last five games and while he has only scored on touchdown in that time, he has had at least 20 touches in four of those five games.
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