For the third time in his career, Terrell Owens ran his mouth right out of town. While the Cowboys may not publicly admit it, Owens’ corrosive presence in the locker room surely influenced the decision to cut him this offseason.

But losing Owens comes at a steep price. He has been the most productive wide receiver in recent memory for the Dallas Cowboys, throwing down career-defining numbers in Big D. A young Tony Romo took to the challenge of being Owens’ quarterback and fared well for the most part, at least as far as the stat book was concerned.

And as far as fantasy owners are concerned, filling the gigantic fantasy black hole left by Owens is going to be difficult to project. Stud tight end Jason Witten should pick up where he left off, but where will the production come from on the outside? Someone has to catch all those passes Owens caught in previous seasons, and there are more than a few candidates on the Cowboys’ roster.

The Rock

Jason Witten. If you need five yards, he will get you six. Need eight, he will get you nine. Witten has become the No. 1 safety valve for quarterback Tony Romo over the last few years, even more so than Terrell Owens. If Romo was in a tight spot, he was looking for No. 82. And as long as both guys remain healthy and on the field, the synergy between the two should not change. Expect another run for Witten as fantasy football’s best tight end this season.

The Project

Roy Williams. Can he be a No. 1 wide receiver in a high-powered offense on a high-stakes team? Sure, he succeeded — relatively — in near anonymity while in Detroit, but Big D is a much different story. Not only is the stage much larger, but so too is the ego that just left the building for Buffalo — and the shoes in which that ego fit. TO had his problems in Dallas, but he wanted the ball when it mattered and put up some huge numbers. Williams will not have to match him touchdown-for-touchdown, but he does need to match Owens’ desire and want-to in crunch time.

The Kid

Miles Austin. The Jets were so enamored with Austin that they tried to lure the restricted free agent this offseason despite the hefty price it would have cost them. But the Cowboys did what they had to do to retain Austin’s services, whose stock has risen more than any other Cowboy this offseason. The departure of Owens really has opened the door for this home run threat. Savvy fantasy owners will be keeping a very, very close eye on Austin’s progress this summer. A huge preseason could elevate him past relatively-unknown status.

The Sleeper

Martellus Bennett. In three consecutive weeks last season, Bennett hauled in three touchdown passes. He immediately showed up as a tiny blip on fantasy radars, but his stay in the collective fantasy memory was short-lived due to low yardage outputs. Now in his second season, Bennett could be the recipient of a few more looks this year without the gravity of TO sucking in a majority of the targets. And those touchdowns last year only prove that Bennett is good near the goal line, making him a sneaky option when weapons like Jason Witten, Roy Williams and Marion Barber are garnering almost all of the attention of defenses.

The Forgotten One

Patrick Crayton. He had — frustratingly — the opportunity to succeed as a fantasy wide receiver opposite the black hole that is TO but never quite lived up to his end of the bargain. Sure there were flashes of brilliance, but they came in between too many injuries and slumps to count. With Miles Austin climbing the charts, Roy Williams trying to become a true No. 1, the consistency of Jason Witten and potential emergence of Martellus Bennett as a viable option — not to mention the running backs — Crayton appears in line to be the odd man out in the passing game pecking order this season.