thony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns are truly elite assets

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones insists Tony Romo will be the starting quarterback once hes healthy.Dak Prescott continues to assure that it will be a tough decision.The Dallas rookie has yet to throw an interception while leading Dallas to a 4-1 start and he attempts to again avoid the key miscues when the Cowboys visit the Green Bay Packers on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX).Prescott ascended to the starting job after Romo broke a vertebra in his back during the preseason. He has displayed poise beyond his 23 years of age by completing 69 percent of his passes, and his ongoing streak of 155 attempts without an interception is a rookie record.But that stellar start hasnt altered the outlook of Jones.Tony is our No. 1 quarterback. Were going to have the luxury of being able to, I think, see them both, Jones said. I dont want to presume that Dak is going to be necessarily healthy, I dont want to presume anything like that.But I welcome the opportunity of having Dak playing at this level and Tony back in excellent health. Its going to be really special for the Cowboys.The Packers (3-1) have no debate at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers firmly entrenched and the perennial Pro Bowler has seven touchdown passes against no interceptions in five career meetings against Dallas.However, Rodgers is coming off a suspect performance against the New York Giants in which he was just 23-of-45 passing for 259 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.The 259 yards do qualify as a season best for Rodgers, who has thrown nine touchdown passes against three interceptions.Rodgers might be asked to throw more against the Cowboys with running back Eddie Lacy (ankle) ailing and James Starks (knee) ruled out after surgery.Undrafted rookie Don Jackson might be promoted from the practice squad and Jackson has been receiving a crash course just in case Lacy (team-best 295 rushing yards) is unavailable.Well, its going to have to be next guy up, Rodgers said. Were going to have to see who that is and adjust accordingly. Im thinking Eddie is going to be OK this week -- hopefully.Rodgers also hopes receiver Randall Cobb (neck) is cleared to play after taking a hit late in the win over the Giants.Green Bays defense will face a challenge as it goes up against stellar Dallas rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys rugged offensive line.Elliott leads the NFL with 546 rushing yards and is averaging 5.0 yards per carry with a hard-charging running style that includes power, speed and the occasional hurdle.Yet the Packers feature the NFLs top-ranked rushing defense and the sensational performances through four games include superb figures such as allowing just 42.8 yards per game and 1.99 yards per carry.Always excited for a challenge, Elliott said. Thats what competitors love, to go out there and be challenged.The longest gain allowed by the Packers is just 14 yards. The run defense was a weakness last season when the Packers allowed 119.1 yards per game, but that has certainly changed this season.Theyre really good in their base defense when they play their 3-4 (alignment) and theyre awfully good when they play their nickel personnel, Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. They have really active defensive linemen. Theyre active on the edges.The linebackers are around the football. Theyre just a very good defensive team and they stop the run really, really well.Inside linebacker Jake Ryan leads the Packers with 29 tackles and outside linebacker Nick Perry has a team-best 4 1/2 sacks for a defense that is somehow receiving little attention for its strong play.We just want to continue to get better. We just want to continue to fly under the radar, veteran outside linebacker Julius Peppers said. We dont want anybody to talk about us, to tell us how good we are.It hasnt yet been determined whether the Green Bay secondary will be shadowing Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant on Sunday.Bryant participated through a small portion of Wednesdays practice for his first work since injuring his right knee against Chicago on Sept. 25.The Cowboys have taken the cautious approach with his injury and Bryant is fine with that.Yeah, Im OK with it because we are sitting at 4-1, Bryant said. Were doing an extremely great job. Its no need to rush things. Like I said, that plays a huge factor.Weak-side linebacker Sean Lee (team-best 45 tackles) and strong safety Barry Church (37 stops) are enjoying strong seasons for the Dallas defense.The Packers have won the past four meetings, including a 28-7 victory last season when Rodgers passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Nemanja Bjelica Kings Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Jason Williams Jersey . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. http://www.nbakingsonline.com/Authentic-DeAaron-Fox-Kings-Jersey/ . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Harry Giles Kings Jersey . Despite the cost, effort and an improved steroid test, its possible that very few -- if any -- positives will be detected, Dr. Richard Budgett told The Associated Press in an interview. "We just dont know what the results from Torino will be," Budgett said. Chris Webber Jersey .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Oscar Robertsons 1961-62 season lives in basketball lore as the lone year in NBA history for a player to average a triple-double. The question of whether well ever see another player average a triple-double is akin to hitting .400 in baseball --although that feat has been accomplished 28 times -- so the feat actually proves even more elusive.Robertson surely benefited from a distinctly different style of play in that era, as NBA teams averaged far more possessions and thus significantly more statistical opportunities in the early 1960s. For some context, in the 1961-62 season, NBA teams averaged 63 percent more rebounds and 15 percent more points per game than last years team rates.This gap in opportunity rates is what makes Russell Westbrooks 18 triple-doubles last season so wholly impressive, as it marked the most such statistical efforts in a season since Magic Johnsons MVP run in 1988-89. However arbitrary earning a triple-double might appear, the idea is that meeting this threshold demands amazing statistical diversity from a single player. No other player in the current NBA offers such a robust statistical skill set as Westbrook, which is why hes the next theoretical candidate to join Robertsons historic accomplishment.Westbrook should unequivocally be the top pick in fantasy drafts for the upcoming season -- an argument well advocate for throughout this piece.In addition to rocking the most daring fashion choices in the league, or even all of professional sports, Westbrook is a unique statistical force on the court. In the sections below, we detail the supremely rare combination of floor and ceiling Westbrook claims for the upcoming campaign.UsageAs fantasy mangers, we are looking for the coveted combination of opportunity and talent. In this portion, we canvas just how rich Westbrooks opportunity for production proves.We causally refer to usage rate in the modern lexicon of the league, but for clarity, its the estimate of the percentage of team plays consumed by a player while on the court. Its essentially a measure of how often a player participates in the conclusion of a possession; thus field goals, assists, turnovers and free throws all factor prominently in the algorithm for usage.Simply put, Westbrook is a usage monster. Its even what hes dressing as for Halloween this year. The UCLA product has finished first in usage rate in each of the past three seasons and has produced a top-three rate in each of the past six seasons. This proves even more impressive when we consider hes done so alongside fellow usage hog Kevin Durant, who has finished in the top nine in usage rate in five of the past six seasons, including finishing second to Westbrook in 2013-14.Going even deeper into advanced data, Westbrook ranked seventh in the league last season with 88.8 touches per game and more relevantly fifth in frontcourt touches (77.7), per the NBAs player tracking index. Westbrook was second only to Damian Lillard in time of possession per game, with his hands on the ball for 8.1 minutes per game last year.With Durant in the Bay with the Warriors, its safe to assume Westbrook is the odds-on-favorite to again lead the NBA in usage, touches and time of possession this year, if not set career-highs in these advanced metrics.DrivingAs aggressive player with the ball the league as ever seen, as evidenced by this ridiculous bounding slam against F.C. Barcelona in exhibition play, Westbrook could also set a career-best in drives per game. He ranked eighth last season in drives per game and sixth in points and assists off drives. This included a rich 50.7 percent shooting clip on drives, while finishing fifth in free throw attempts per drive.dddddddddddd No one in the NBA can stay in front of Westbrook, which he seems to confidently know.PassingWestbrook took his passing production to new heights last season, ranking second in the league in assists per game while leading the NBA in assist-to-pass ratio, with 17.8 percent of his passes resulting in an assist. Chris Paul was second among players with at least 15 games played last year with 16.1 percent rate, for some context among elite passing peers.ReboundsTruly relentless when the ball caroms off the rim, Westbrook is one of best rebounding guards of his generation. Westbrook finished first among NBA guards in rebounds per game by 27.8 percent. This was due in part to averaging a guard-best 12.1 rebounding chances per game -- defined as being within three feet of an available board. This opportunity rate is eight percent more rebounding chances than any other NBA guard last season.ScoringThe dude gets buckets not only via the drive, but in the mid-range phase, as well. Westbrook was 10th in the league in pull-up points with 7.1 per game and ninth in scoring last season. He won the scoring title in 2014-14 at 28.1 points per game and is a leading contender to net his second scoring crown this year given the volume uptick he could see with Durant off the roster.ConclusionLets get to the meat of the argument, which is to reveal the fact Westbrook has averaged 28 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.4 assists in 61 career games without Durant in the lineup. Westbrooks already epic offensive profile enters NBA2K rates when Durant has been sidelined in the past. While Victor Oladipo is a capable complementary scorer, hes clearly not going to consume Durants massive offensive share of the Thunders offense.Other candidates for the top pick deserve credit, as the Warriors Stephon Curry provides unreal differentiation in 3-point production, scoring, steals and Sportscenter highlights. Yet we can assume the presence of Durant on Golden State could lower the offensive volume for both superstars on the leagues prominent super-team. LeBron James could see his minutes managed to a defeating degree for our greedy fantasy purposes, while Chris Paul produces a lower usage rate and lower production rates with Blake Griffin on the court. Big men Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns are truly elite assets, but dont offer the cost certainty Westbrook claims.The main challenger for the top spot is likely Houstons James Harden, who could similarly enjoy awesome usage and output rates as the de facto point guard for Mike DAntonis up-tempo scheme. Westbrook claims a sizable advantage in rebounding over Harden, but lacks his 3-point prowess. In fact, 3-point production is the Achilles of Westbrooks fantasy profile, yet one we can easily address with some shooting specialists later in drafts.Can Westbrook average a triple-double this year? Its incredibly unlikely, but hes a real contender to match some of Johnsons epic assist and rebounding rates from the Showtime Lakers while also scoring at an Iversonian clip. Already fourth on the Player Rater last season with Durant siphoning a demanding share of touches and shots, Westbrook should top the board this season while contending for career highs across the board.You want cost certainty with the top pick. You want an elite ceiling and a bankable high floor. Westbrook is the player who offers these coveted elements in one historically entertaining package. ' ' '