The New York Giants will be entering the rivalry matchup with the Dallas Cowboys filled with confidence. After four-straight wins, the team is predicting bloodshed in the NFC showdown. Neither team has a lot of room to talk considering their records, but the Cowboys are getting back key offensive weapons that could give them the upper hand.
Dallas is predicting that wide receiver Miles Austin will return for the Week 12 matchup. Austin has been on the bench for the past three games, nursing an injured hamstring. All in all, he has missed five games this year with the reoccurring injury. Austin has yet to record a catch since Sept. 22 when the Cowboys beat the St. Louis Rams. The hamstring has been a constant issue for Austin. The Cowboys elected to completely shut him down in hopes of getting him fully healthy and owner Jerry Jones is confident that it worked.
"He's had a good practice out there on Monday," Jones said on his Dallas-based radio show on KRLD-FM. "I think he was actually ready to go against New Orleans [Nov. 10], and he probably could have gone earlier. But we really wanted to be conservative on that to the end. That it works this way, to have him for these next six ballgames [is good]. I'm really, probably getting ahead of myself because of the history we've had there with him with his hamstrings. To have him back out there, he's our best route runner. He'll make a difference in what we're doing offensively."
Jones continues to remain concerned that the Cowboys are bringing Austin back too soon since the hamstring has been a constant problem, but he is confident that the receiver can have an impact against the Giants. The Cowboys will continue to limit his snaps on the field in order to avoid any major setbacks.
In Austin's place, Terrance Williams has put up five catches in three games. He has certainly gotten plenty of targets with Austin out of the lineup. In the past three games he has had 22 targets, but has yet to make the most of them. With Dez Bryant constantly double-teamed by defenses, Williams' lack of production has been worrisome.
Jones is hopeful that Austin can help take some of the attention away from guys like Bryant or Jason Witten. Fantasy owners should consider putting the receiver back in their lineup, but waiting one week to see how he appears on the field is also a smart idea.
