-by Braden Gall (@AthlonBraden [25] on twitter)

Complete Week 6 NFL Fantasy Rankings [26]

Week 6 NFL [27] Byes: Arizona, Denver, Kansas City, San Diego, Seattle, Tennessee

Dallas RB Felix Jones

Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season is in the books. Here are some numbers that stood out to me from the Week 1 action that's already happened.

-2 How many owners were screaming at the final play of Sunday night's Cowboys-Jets game when Felix Jones was the last to touch the ball? He was the last of many to lateral the ball as the Cowboys tried to score on the final play from their own 34. And Jones' last touch ended up in the hands of Jets DL Jamaal Westerman. The result will be minus-2 points in many fantasy leagues for the fumble lost by Jones, and perhaps the difference in a win or loss come Tuesday morning.

1 - Targets Green Bay Packers WR James Jones received Thursday night in 20 snaps of action. He turned it into one catch for one yard. Why did he re-sign with the Packers again? Was it just to jumble this receiving corps up even more for fantasy owners?

4 & 1 - Tampa Bay WR Mike Williams and Houston's Andre Johnson were each targeted a league-high four times in the red zone. Johnson caught two of his, including one for a score. Williams caught one of his for a score.

5 - We're down on Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez this year because his numbers have declined. However, he did receive seven targets Sunday against a solid Bears LB corps, and turned it into five catches for 72 yards. All of those numbers are above his 2010 16-game average of 6.8 targets, 4.4 catches and 41 yards per game. Three targets came in the first quarter, three in the third and one in the fourth. He had the third-longest day of the play for the Falcons, a 30-yard catch in the first quarter.

9.75 - Yards per attempt for Chicago QB Jay Cutler, who completed 22-of-32 passes for 312 yards and two scores. He was still sacked five times, which puts him on pace for 80 this season — well above his league-leading 56 last year.

12 - DeSean Jackson, more known for what he is able to do with limited targets, was the go-to guy for Mike Vick Sunday against St. Louis. Jackson was targeted 96 times over 14 games last season for a 6.9 per game average. Sunday, he was targeted 12 times, one behind league leader Roddy White (ATL). Jackson caught six of the targets for 102 yards and a score. He was targeted double-digit times in just three games last season, including the 2010 opener (11), but keep an eye on this trend as it pertains to how Vick sees the field. TE Brent Celek and WR Jeremy Maclin received just three targets apiece.

13 - The Titans ran the ball just 13 times against Jacksonville, and fell to 0-12 all-time when they have rushed 13 times or fewer. Only three times in Jeff Fisher's tenure did the team run 13 times or less.

21.9 - Wes Welker enters Week 2 with his yards per catch nearly double his career average of 10.9 after an eight-catch, 160-yard performance Monday night against Miami. He was at 9.2 before a 99-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter. He also has his average targets per game well above last year's average of 8.2 after Tom Brady went his way 12 times. That's a good sign for Welker owners as he is still a favorite option despite so many mouths to feed.

21.9 - Fantasy points New Orleans Saints RB/return man Darren Sproles had Thursday night. He tied for the team lead in targets (9) and turned it into seven catches for 75 yards to go with two carries for seven yards. On special teams, he had two punt returns for 92 yards, including a 72-yard TD return, and two kickoff returns for 76 yards.

25 - Matthew Stafford was 18-of-25 for 265 yards, two TDs and an interception by halftime. He went 6-of-8 in the second half with 40 more yards and a score. He had already targeted WR Calvin Johnson seven times, TE Brandon Pettigrew six times and Nate Burleson four times in the first half.

25 - Tim Hightower and Cedric Benson led the league with 25 carries apiece on Sunday. Hightower went for 72 yards and a score with his; Benson scored as well, on a 39-yard run, rushing for 121 yards. Hightower added three catches for 25 yards; Benson had one catch for 2 yards. 18.8 fantasy points for Benson, 18.2 for Higtower.

39 - Minnesota QB Donovan McNabb threw for 39 yards. ... Has that sunk in yet? He threw for 39 yards, 1 TD, 1 interception and added 32 yards rushing for a fantasy day of 9.76 points. It's going to be hard for Adrian Peterson, who miraculously had 98 yards on 16 carries, to consistently find any running room with McNabb stretching the field to the tune of 39 yards.

46 - Denver QB Kyle Orton attempted 46 passes in Monday night's loss to Oakland. And it was not all in the second half as the Broncos attempted to come back. The Broncos ran 33 first-half plays, traling by no more than 10 points, yet 23 of those 33 plays were pass attempts by Orton. He attempted 46 or more passes just twice last season under Josh McDaniels. So just because John Fox came to town, and many worried that the forward pass would cease to exist, Orton should still be slinging the ball.

71 - Dallas WR Dez Bryant had three catches for 71 yards and a score in the first quarter. The first two catches and the score came against New York Jets DB Antonio Cromartie, the final catch, a 26-yard play down the sidelines came against Darrelle Revis. It was the last catch of the night for Bryant, despite five more targets.

— Corby A. Yarbrough @AthlonCorby [51] on Twitter

Dallas Cowboys Fantasy

DALLAS
• Inside the Locker Room
With Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Is Dez Bryant's possible reward worth the risk?
Bryant needed the offseason more than any other player on the Cowboys. He was hurt all season as a rookie and never fully grasped the playbook. He finished the season on injured reserve, breaking his right fibula in a Dec. 5 game against the Colts. Bryant could have used an offseason in the weight room, the training room and on the practice field at Valley Ranch. While supremely talented, until he has an offseason in the system and with strength coach Mike Woicik, Bryant still will be hit or miss.

Can Felix Jones become more than just a third down back?
Jones is what he is: He is a feature running back who is going to get around 15 touches a game. Jones isn’t big enough to handle being an every-down back. He started seven games last season and will be the team’s starting running back this season. Jones will get most of the carries, as he did last season when his 185 carries represented 43.2 percent of the team’s rushing attempts. But he won’t get much more than that, or he will wear down. He will be replaced on third down.

Can DeMarcus Ware get 20 sacks again, as he did in 2008?
Ware has led the league in sacks two of the past three seasons. He has averaged 14 sacks per season the past five seasons and has posted double-digit sacks every season except his rookie season. And he could be even better in Rob Ryan’s defense. But 20 sacks? Lawrence Taylor had only one 20-sack season in his career, as did Reggie White. Bruce Smith never had a 20-sack season. Ware has had his 20-sack season, so another seems unlikely.

• Fantasy Playoff Run — Weeks 14-16: NYG, @TB, PHI
Two familiar NFC East opponents (Giants and Eagles) make for a tough playoff draw. Add in an up-and-coming Tampa defense at its place and you’ve got a difficult fantasy playoff schedule. All three defenses were in the top 14 against the pass, but perhaps one of the Cowboys’ running backs can do some damage against the Bucs (28th vs. the run) or Eagles(15th).

• Athlon Best Bets
Sleeper: Tashard Choice, RB
Deep-Sleeper: Jon Kitna, QB
Overvalued: Miles Austin, WR
Top Rookie: DeMarco Murray, RB
Bounce-Back: Tony Romo, QB
Top IDP: DeMarcus Ware, LB

• Try to Avoid
BACKUP TIGHT END 
Jason Witten hasn’t missed a start since 2006, and in the last four seasons, the backups have combined for 957 yards and eight scores. Witten does that in a season. Martellus Bennett is not worth a look. 
WAIT UNTIL: never

• Draft Class Fantasy Impact
Protecting Tony Romo from another season-ending injury is crucial, which is why Dallas had to select Tyron Smith at No. 9 overall. Smith can play on either side of the line, which should provide some stability to a group that allowed 31 sacks last season. The Cowboys’ running back corps has been difficult to pin down from a fantasy perspective, and the addition of Murray only adds to the uncertainty. Murray is an explosive player, but how the carries will sort out as the season unfolds is a huge question mark.

More Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets and Rankings:
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 280 [59]
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 240 w/ IDPs [60]
2 [61]011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks
2 [61]011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs [62]
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers [63]
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends [64]
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Kickers [65]
2011 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defense/Special Teams [66]