He has a fractured rib, but that’s not going to stop Jason Witten from playing in a crucial NFC East showdown against the New York Giants.

With the Cowboys facing the prospect of having more talent sidelined by injuries than they have competing on the field against the defending Super Bowl champions, Witten seems determined to underscore his reputation as one of Dallas’ toughest players.

Whether Witten is able to play will depend upon not only his pain tolerance, but his ability to protect the football while wearing additional equipment over the injured area.

Fantasy owners will love to have Witten in the lineup, but one has to wonder if it would be better to sit him down and let him heal for three weeks (since the Cowboys have a Week 10 bye). If he aggravates or worsens the injury against the G-Men, the Cowboys will wish that they had rested their star tight end.

Listen in as Anthony Stalter and I discuss the Tennessee Titans, Jason Witten’s rib, J.T. O’Sullivan’s benching, Larry Johnson’s suspension and the Giants/Cowboys tilt, as well as a couple of defensive matchups to exploit this week on your waiver wire.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

(The opening and closing music is ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky.“)

Jason Witten has a broken rib but wants to play through it this week in a big game against the Giants. Conventional wisdom states that the Cowboys should rest Witten this week because they have a bye in Week 10, so that would give him 2-3 weeks of rest. If Witten can’t go, Martellus Bennett wouldn’t be a bad fill in. Visanthe Shiancoe or Zach Miller would be good spot starters as well…Santonio Holmes will play Monday night, which means that Nate Washington will be relegated back to WR3 duties…Matt Hasselbeck is likely out for Week 9 with a bulging disk in his back. He apparently doesn’t have pain in his back or leg, but he has a ‘dead leg’ feeling. Not good…The 49ers named Shaun Hill their starting QB. He’s an interesting pickup in fantasy leagues since he’s playing in Mike Martz’s offense…Steven Jackson should be ready to go in Week 9, according to Jim Haslett.