Miles Austin

Week Twelve Analysis: Miles Austin has now been held out of the end zone in four straight games and has been held under 60 yards in each of the last two weeks. So why would we consider Austin this week? Since the beginning of 2009 only three players have more 130-yard receiving performances than Austin, he's done it nine times. When he goes off, it's like a powder keg. Luckily for Austin the Washington secondary is both flammable and explosive. The Redskins have allowed six different players to top 100 receiving yards and score in the same game. The reason for this is solely their cornerbacks, DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson, who have given up the second-most and fourth-most yards to opponents according to Pro Football Focus.

Week Ten Analysis: In the two games since Todd Bowles took over the Eagles' defense, they've allowed five touchdown passes and have not intercepted a ball. What's more is that All-Pro Nnamdi Asomugha has allowed a touchdown in each of his last two weeks according to Pro Football Focus. In the previous four years Asomugha had only allowed five total scores. This means that Miles Austin, who has scored in exactly half of his last 22 games, should be in play for your fantasy squad this weekend.

Week Nine Analysis: Austin's 133 yards last week against the Giants means that he has topped 100 yards or scored in six of his seven games. He's incredibly consistent, but may not have the big game ability of his counterpart Dez Bryant. This week he faces an incredibly tough matchup against the Falcons that could put his consistency to the test. Atlanta has only allowed three receivers to top 81 yards this season and only Denarius Moore of that group recorded a touchdown to go with the high yardage total. Start Austin with some caution.

Week Eight Analysis: Give Miles Austin the toughest secondaries in the league and he finds some way to beat them. He is one of only five wideouts to score against Carolina, one of only four to score against Seattle and one of only four wide receivers who has scored on the Chicago Bears this season. He's now registered a touchdown or topped 100 yards in five of six including his first matchup of the year with the Giants. Since the opener, the Giants haven't been much better against the pass. They've allowed eight wide receivers to top 70 yards and are the only team in the NFL to have allowed three different wide receivers to score twice in a game.

Week Seven Analysis: Despite a slow game last week, Miles Austin has still topped 100 yards or scored in four of five games this season. While the Panthers have been tough against the pass, they've also allowed two wideouts (Ramses Barden and Julio Jones) to top 135 yards in the last three weeks, while holding Roddy White and Victor Cruz to 42 or fewer yards. Much like the Ravens, the Panthers have one weak link in the secondary, Josh Norman, and one above average corner in Chris Gamble, who missed Week 5 with a shoulder issue. Whichever receiver draws Gamble will have a bad day, whoever gets Norman should have a huge day. Feeling lucky, punk?

Week Six Analysis: There have been five instances this season in which a Cowboys wide receiver has topped 70 yards, Miles Austin has accounted for three. It seems that the Kevin Ogletree fad is as dead as Pogs, and we're back to Austin on lead vocals, with Dez Bryant singing backup. Austin has topped 100 yards or scored in every game this year, and the Ravens are giving up an unusual amount of receiving yards, 6th-most to WRs, and the fifth-most wide receiver receptions per game with 14.4. But, they have only yielded two touchdowns to the position this season.

Week Four Analysis: I'm not sure why Miles Austin is still seen as the number two option in Dallas behind Dez Bryant, but listen to these Malcom Floyd-like numbers. In Austin's last seven games he has either scored or topped 100 yards six times. Consistent play wins fantasy games. That is consistent play. Chicago's tandem of cornerbacks, Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings have been about as solid as they come against the pass. In the last two weeks the Bears have allowed less than 130 yards to wide receivers in each game.

Week Three Analysis: Miles Austin has not been hamstrung by hamstring injuries for the first couple of weeks of the season and has posted a couple of decent performances. Currently, he's Tony Romo's favorite receiver, with more targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns than his counterpart Dez Bryant. This week Austin could put up fantasy game-changing numbers against Tampa Bay. The Bucs have allowed an average of 18 catches and 324 yards to wide receivers in the first two weeks of the season. Last season the Patriots had the worst defenses in history against wide receivers (allowing 221 yards per game), but this year's version of the Buccaneers is on pace to shatter that futility by a full 100 yards per game.

Week Two Analysis: Miles Austin is still the go to guy for the Dallas Cowboys when it's time for the big play and the big yardage. Austin has been especially good in road games, where he leads all Cowboys wide receivers with seven 100-plus yard performances in away games over the last 10 seasons. You should note that Dez Bryant has never made this list and that Kevin Ogletree has only done this once. Austin's opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, held Larry Fitzgerald mostly in check last weekend, helped by possibly the tallest tandem of cornerbacks in the league, Brandon Browner at 6'4" and Richard Sherman at 6'3". These corners are both taller than both Austin and Bryant who measure in at 6'2", so we may see fewer deep jump balls, and more quick hitters, with Austin racking up some yards after the catch.

Week One Analysis: Miles Austin should probably think of legally changing his last name to Austin-Hamstring, since that word follows his name virtually every time we see his name in print. Austin's hammy caused him to miss six games last season and has come roaring back to give him problems during the preseason this year. The fact that the Cowboys have given him several weeks of rest to prepare for the season opener against the Giants is a positive, because it looks to be a favorable matchup. In the last six games against the Giants, the Cowboys are averaging 280 passing yards per game. Austin has also scored in three of his last five matchups with the G-men, meaning you can feel confident that he will have some success in the opener.

NEXT: #9 STEVE JOHNSON