HOT PICKUPS - Week 7

RB Michael Bennett, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bennett, acquired at the trading deadline from the Chiefs, is the kind of explosive runner the Bucs haven't had in a while and thought they needed now that Cadillac Williams and Michael Pittman have been sidelined. Pittman is a former sprinting champion and 1,000-yard rusher, but he's also been a bit of a journeyman lately. I believe eventually he's going to take the starting job in Tampa and relegate Earnest Graham to a short-yardage role, but that might take a while. Pittman recently compared learning to the West Coast offense to "learning Chinese." There may be some truth to that, but it's probably not a good sign that the Lions' Roy Williams, while he was slamming former teammate Jeff Garcia this week, said his 2-year-old understands the West Coast offense. Hmm. FOUR STARS (out of five).

RB Kevin Faulk, New England Patriots: Those who've been relying on a little Sammy Morris magic need to pick up this guy now that Morris has a chest injury and could be out for up to a month. Laurence Maroney (groin) might be back this week - or the secretive Pats might have had him "disappeared" for all we know. And Faulk may lose goal-line chances to Heath Evans or Kevan Barlow (brought in off the street for a workout this week) or, heck, the Pats may put Junior Seau in the backfield for all we know. Still, Faulk is a great speculative play this week against the awful Dolphins. FOUR STARS

WR Kevin Walter, Houston Texans: Walter had a huge day last Sunday out of nowhere against the Jaguars (12 catches, 160 yards) and now faces the division-rival Titans, who are susceptible against the pass. He's a risky play, as fellow wideouts Andre Davis or Jacoby Jones could be the flavor of the week for the Texans, but as long as stud Andre Johnson remains out, there are passes to go around. THREE STARS

WR Ike Hilliard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hilliard's shown a bit of a rapport with fellow geezer Jeff Garcia and has been a fairly steady target all year. Of course fellow senior Joey Galloway is the home-run threat in this offense, but Hilliard's held off youngsters Michael Clayton (who had a movie made about him) and Maurice Stovall for the No. 2 WR slot. I like Hilliard as a bye-week fill-in against the Lions (263 passing yards a game, 10 TDs). THREE STARS.

QB Vinny Testaverde, Carolina Panthers: Testaverde was kind of impressive last week, coming in off the street, throwing a TD bomb to Steve Smith and leading the Panthers to victory. It's impressive just to see a 43-year-old non-kicker out there running around. But before you go adding him, realize this guy played in college with Michael Irvin. Yes, the same Irvin who's been retired since 1999. Vinny used to backup Steve DeBerg. He could be most of his teammates' father. He might be good for about one TD to Smith a game. If that excites you, be my guest. TWO STARS

QB Tim Rattay, Arizona Cardinals: No thanks. ONE STAR