By Ed Barkowitz

Philadelphia Daily News 

If Roy Williams is so upset with how infrequently Tony Romo is hitting him, he oughta take off his shoulder pads, look at his most recent paystub and remind himself that it could be worse.

He could have drafted Roy Williams as a No. 1 receiver for his fantasy team.

But while Williams has been a fantasy nightmare, Miles Austin has been a revelation. Miles Austin?

A fourth-year pro out of Monmouth, Austin has been blistering hot the last 3 weeks and has taken over as Dallas' No. 1 receiver. Williams, who once had 1,310 receiving yards for the Lions (in 2006) and was acquired by the Cowboys in midseason last year, is a speck in the rearview mirror. He has fewer catches than Patrick Crayton and it's all the quarterback's fault. Just ask Williams.

"([Austin) gets the ball thrown correctly his way,'' Williams explained. "I'm stretching and falling and doing everything. Everybody who's been here's balls are there. Our footballs (passes from Romo to Williams) are everywhere right now.''

Austin has scored five touchdowns in Dallas' last three games while Williams has a total of three catches in that span. Cowboys fans have to be feeling a little deja-TO, although Romo downplayed the issue in a story on the team's Web site.

"We've been through this before with people trying to divide a football team,'' Romo said. "We're too strong for that. I know the media is going to try to make certain things appear what they may not have actually been; things of that nature. This team is too committed to win and too committed to improve to let anything divide this team.''

Williams may not be dividing the Cowboys, but he's poisoning fantasy teams. Austin, on the other hand, has been sensational.

The biggest question is whether these three-week numbers -- 21 receptions, 482 yards and the five scores -- are enough to paint Austin as an elite fantasy option. Or will he be falling back to earth very soon? After all, those 482 yards represent more than 52 percent of his career total. The 10 catches he had in his first career start at Kansas City in Week 5 are more than 20 percent.

"This year specifically, to me, what's different is that he's on the field more and so he has more opportunities,'' said Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott. "He's a threat out there for sure.''

Three up

• Philip Rivers, quarterback, Chargers: Rivers, traded for New York's Eli Manning on Draft Day 2004, gets his first ever crack at the Giants, who are seriously leaking oil.

• Malcom Floyd, wide receiver, Chargers: Generally don't include teammates in "three up," but Floyd is the reason San Diego was able to release Chris Chambers. Keep Floyd on the waiver-wire radar.

• Jamaal Charles, running back, Chiefs: Charles is expected to get the majority of the work while Larry Johnson serves his suspension. He's an OK bye-week replacement, but not much beyond that.

Three down

• Calvin Johnson, wide receiver, Lions: Wouldn't advise giving up on Johnson, even if his knee injury is killing you. He's expected to get back in the lineup this week and the Lions have some nice matchups on the horizon.

• Knowshon Moreno, running back, Broncos: Moreno's still the best Broncos back to have, but the only way he should play this week against the Steelers' top-ranked run defense is in an act of desperation.

• Owen Daniels, tight end, Texans: Daniels' season-ending knee injury is a slight blow to quarterback Matt Schaub, but wide receiver Kevin Walter's numbers could spike. Joel Dreessen will start at tight end, but he's not worth a pickup.

Ed Barkowitz, who fell back in love with Michael Turner after he ran for 151 yards on Monday night, has been writing about fantasy football in the Philadelphia Daily News since 2001.

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