Hot pickups: Week 2

FIVE STARS (Out of five)

- RB CADILLAC WILLIAMS, Bucs: Finally healthy (for now) and getting first crack at carries. Ride him while he's hot and as long as his legs hold up.

- RB FRED JACKSON, Bills: Was a more effective weapon for Buffalo than Terrell Owens against the Patriots (15 carries, 57 yards; 5 catches, 83 yards, TD). With Marshawn Lynch suspended for two more games, Jackson gets to continue his starring role against a Bucs D that was steamrolled by Dallas for 462 yards of total offense.


FOUR STARS

- QB JOE FLACCO, Ravens: Worried about Donovan McNabb's status in Week 2? Why not go whacko for Flacco? He lit up the Chiefs for 307 yards and 3 TDs and should have some success against the Chargers this week.


THREE STARS

- TE TODD HEAP, Ravens: Reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated (5 catches, 74 yards, TD in Week 1). If oft-injured replacement L.J. Smith can't get on the field, Heap might prove he still has something left.


TWO STARS

- WR LOUIS MURPHY, Raiders: The former Florida Gator caught a TD in Monday's opener against San Diego and had another score taken away on a controversial ruling. The rookie may prove to be JaMarcus Russell's favorite target this year - but just how valuable that makes him for fantasy purposes is in the eye of the beholder. There are sure to be bumps all the way, but there might be a few more bombs awaiting him.

Hot pickups - Week 3

RB Darren Sproles, San Diego Chargers: Remember how people used to handcuff Michael Turner to LaDainian Tomlinson and almost never need him until the end of the season? Sproles is this year's Turner, with one difference: the Chargers' backup has already come in handy (53 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards, TD last week). With LT questionable for Sunday (he practiced in a limited role Friday), the sprightly Sproles is a wise pickup for both the short- and long-term. FOUR STARS (Out of five)

RB Tim Hightower, Arizona Cardinals: No relation to the Police Academy character, Hightower's taken hold of goal-line duties for the Cards' and scored in Weeks 1 and 2. Maybe the rookie can do it again this week against Washington. THREE STARS

WR Amani Toomer, New York Giants: With Jeremy Shockey out of the picture, the Giants have some more passes to dish out, and instead of going to TE Kevin Boss (catchless through Week 2), they're hitting receivers Steve Smith and Toomer (67 yards and a score last week). The vet is a good gamble this week against the Bengals. THREE STARS

QB J.T. O’Sullivan, San Francisco 49ers: We've seen some poor quarterbacking from the likes of Derek Anderson, Matt Hasselbeck, Tarvaris Jackson, Jeff Garcia and others, but O'Sullivan, a guy who likely didn't get drafted in a lot of leagues, has outperformed them. If you're disgusted with your QB's play, a spot start by O'Sullivan against the awful Lions defense might be just the pick-me-up you need. THREE STARS

WR Koren Robinson, Seattle Seahawks: Novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once said there are no second acts in American lives, but Robinson is evidence to the contrary, since the troubled receiver is on about his fifth act in the NFL and second with the Seahawks. But it'd be a nice story for the former Seattle No. 1 pick to make a productive comeback and bail out an offense in trouble. He's familiar with Mike Holmgren's system and Hasselbeck, so that's a plus. So is the fact that he's playing the Rams this week. TWO STARS

Photos by The Associated Press

Hot pickups: Week 2

WR Eddie Royal, Denver Broncos: Perhaps you saw him abuse the Oakland Raiders on Monday night, finishing with a league-high 146 receiving yards and a TD. Remember, Brandon Marshall will be back in uniform this week, and the Broncos won't be playing the Raiders every week. ... but I'm still nabbing the rookie from Virginia Tech, because he looks like a contributor. FIVE STARS (Out of five)

QB Matt Cassel, New England Patriots: You know the deal here. Cassel is no Tom Brady (yet), but he still has Tom Brady's teammates and Tom Brady's coaches. A must pickup if you owned Brady, or just want to tick off a Brady owner. FOUR STARS

RB Sammy Morris, New England Patriots: Looks like we didn't learn from last year's game of musical chairs at RB for the Pats. Check out last Sunday's stat sheet: 10 carries for Morris, 10 carries for Laurence Maroney, with Morris getting a short-yardage TD. The Pats played around like this in the early part of last year too - yet Maroney was going in the second or third round of most drafts this year and Morris likely didn't get his name called. Time for that to change. FOUR STARS

WRs David Patten and Robert Meachem, New Orleans Saints: With Marques Colston (thumb) out 4-6 weeks, Drew Brees will be looking for some new targets. Patten, who caught a 39-yard TD in Week 1, will probably make a more immediate impact, though Meachem (inactive last week) is worth a look in deeper leagues as a contributor later down the road. FOUR STARS

QB Damon Huard, Kansas City Chiefs: The veteran is starting again with Brodie Croyle out for up to four weeks. Huard is only a stopgap of course, and K.C. may even take a look at untested Tyler Thigpen at some point. But Huard does get to face the Oakland Raiders this Sunday, and in case you didn’t see them in their opener, the Raiders aren’t so good this year.FOUR STARS

QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons: Ryan made a heck of a debut for the Atlanta Falcons. But take away the 62-yard touchdown on his first NFL pass, and the rookie was 8 of 12 passing for 99 yards against the Detroit Lions. Granted, he didn’t have to do much besides hand off to Michael Turner (220 rushing yards), but he was also throwing against the league’s 31st-ranked pass defense from a year ago. I like Ryan, but things are going to get tougher, and he’s not an every-week fantasy starter at this point. THREE STARS

TE John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks: The rookie is one of the few healthy pass catchers on Seattle's roster right now. Carlson was one of the few bright spots at Notre Dame last year, leading Charlie Weis' team in receptions (40) and scoring three TDs. He caught four balls for 52 yards in his pro debut last week, and I have a feeling Matt Hasselbeck will be looking for him this Sunday against the 49ers, and in the weeks to come. THREE STARS

Photos by The Associated Press

Hot pickups - Week 17

If your fantasy team is playing for a title this weekend, I commend you.

The select few who’ve made it this far (and whose leagues have a rare Week 17 championship) deserve praise from guys like me, who are watching from the sidelines and cursing ourselves for drafting Arnaz Battle over Wes Welker.

If you're looking to fill a roster spot because of season-ending injuries or guys resting for the playoffs, there's help available, especially at RB. Here's who to look at:

There's a decent chance Kenny Watson was scooped up a while ago in your league, but if not, grab him immediately and start him against the Dolphins. Rudi Johnson's iffy, the Dolphins are bad and Watson's pretty good. Should be an interesting tailback situation for the Bengals next year. FIVE STARS (Out of five)

T.J. Duckett almost equaled his season output in one game last week against the Chiefs with 102 yards and a TD. The big battering ram will get most of the touches with Kevin Jones out with a torn ACL, and he has a chance to be productive against a Packers defense that has nothing to play for. FOUR STARS

Musa Smith should get a bunch of work at RB for the Ravens with Willis McGahee done and Mike Anderson recovering from a strained quad. He does face the Steelers, however, which knocks him down a peg from the other RB options out there. THREE STARS

Hot pickups - Week 16

It's kind of slim pickings this week on the waiver wire in most leagues. But if you're scraping the bottom of the barrel for a spot starter, take a quick look at these guys:

• Oakland Raiders RB Justin Fargas’ storybook season came to an end with an MCL sprain last week, which means LaMont Jordan and/or Dominic Rhodes will take over by default. Maybe one of them will step up against the Jaguars, probably Rhodes, but only go there if you’re desperate. THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

• Jeremy Shockey’s season is over, too, because of a broken leg. The New York Giants will turn to rookies Kevin Boss (who caught a 19-yard TD in Week 15) and Michael Matthews at tight end, but neither guy can really be counted on. I’d be more excited about the opportunity this opens up for WR Sinorice Moss, who’s talented but still figuring out this whole NFL thing. Might be worth a look in very deep leagues or keeper leagues. Boss - TWO STARS; Moss - THREE STARS

• Chargers third-string RB Darren Sproles ran for over 100 yards when LaDainian Tomlinson was rested in the second half last week and backup Michael Turner was hurt. There's a decent chance Sproles (Or Turner, if healthy) could see lots of action if the Chargers rest Tomlinson this week against Denver or in Week 17 against the Raiders, if your season lasts that long. THREE STARS

• Shaun Hill wasn't terrible in his first NFL start for the 49ers (one passing TD, one rushing TD). He might be able to do something against the Bucs, who haven't won in San Francisco since 1980 and have already clinched the NFC South. TWO STARS

Hot Pickups - Week 15

• Aaron Stecker's back on the hot list after a 100-yard game and Reggie Bush's knee injury. The Saints backup might find some room to run against the Cardinals. He wouldn't be a bad No. 3/flex back. FOUR STARS (Out of five)

• Jabar Gaffney's hot streak (TD in three straight games) is getting to be too much to ignore. You figure the Patriots will try to decimate the Jets this week, too, which works in Gaffney's favor. FOUR STARS

• Anthony Gonzalez has two 100-yard games in his past three and scored twice last Sunday. He's clearly benefitted from Marvin Harrison's absence, and that should continue again this week, although the Raiders' pass D isn't as much of a pushover as you might think. THREE STARS

• Jerheme Urban had one of those classic "Huh?" games last week (six catches, 123 yards, TD) when everybody was expecting Bryant Johnson to step up with starter Anquan Boldin out. Any chance of an encore? Sure, if Boldin's still out ... he is going against the Saints, after all. THREE STARS

• Like a moth to a flame, I keep getting drawn back to LaMont Jordan. I've been burned before, so the only way I'm touching him this week is if starter Justin Fargas (ribs) really can't go against the Colts. It'll probably be painful though. Be careful. TWO STARS

• Samkon Gado is an old fantasy friend of mine, so normally I'd have no problem recommending him, especially coming off last week's showing (93 total yards, two TDs) for the Texans. Only problem is Sammy now faces the Ravens, who may be falling apart but still know how to stop the run. TWO STARS

Hot pickups - Week 11

• Chester Taylor, welcome back to fantasy relevance. The Minnesota Vikings' veteran RB was a 1,000-yard rusher last year in his first season as a full-time starter, but he's been just a tad outshined by a certain rookie you may have heard of. The good news for Taylor is twofold: Adrian Peterson is out this week (perhaps longer) with a knee injury, and Taylor gets to face a subpar Raiders D this week. Yum. FIVE STARS (Out of five)

• Seems like fantasy nerds have been talking about Selvin Young all season long, but the Broncos rookie RB just busted out his first TD and 100-yard game in Week 10. Starter Travis Henry is suffering from an ailing knee and, more importantly, has a possible drug suspension looming. Better get Young if you still can. FIVE STARS

• Brodie Croyle gets his first start in an attempt to give the Chiefs "a spark." Not sure how that's gonna work out, but young Brodie does have a couple things going for him this week against the Colts: he's got emerging star Dwayne Bowe to throw to, and he won't have to worry about QB killer Dwight Freeney, who's out for the year. Croyle's really only an option in deep leagues, but he will probably hold down the starting job for the rest of the year, so he gets TWO STARS. His wife, meanwhile, gets FIVE STARS

• Anytime a little-known TE catches two TDs in a game, you have to take notice. That's the case with Leonard Pope of the Arizona Cardinals. Pope's only averaged about a catch a game in his two years in the NFL, but caught five last week, two for scores, against the Lions. It's hard to expect that kind of performance again from the big dude, but hey, if you're looking to shake your roster up this week and catch lightning in a bottle, you could do worse than this guy, especially since he faces the Bengals. TWO STARS

• You know the story with Rex Grossman at this point: he's usually good for a few bombs and a few boneheaded plays a game, and it all depends on the ratio on a given week. He's about as extreme as it gets when it comes to rolling the dice, so be warned if you're thinking about using him this week against the Seahawks. TWO STARS

• Apparently Ricky Williams has cleared his mind or found his inner self or something, because he's been reinstated by the NFL and wants to get back on the field. The real shocker is the Dolphins are willing to give him a roster spot after coach Cam Cameron met with him in person Thursday and figured he's got nothing left to lose (except all the rest of his team's games). It's anybody's guess as to whether or not Williams will even see the field, let alone be even half as effective as he once was. Jesse Chatman owners have to be a little bummed too by this development, but don't get discouraged yet. Until we see something out of him, it's hard to get too high (pun intended) on Ricky as a fantasy player. ONE STAR



Photo courtesy of Thesmokinggun.com.

Hot pickups - Week 10

We already discussed Priest Holmes at length. I give him FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE). Backfield mate Kolby Smith gets TWO STARS until we see more of him.

Justin Fargas has stolen the Oakland Raiders' starting RB job from LaMont Jordan. He totally outplayed Jordan last week against the Houston Texans (104 yards on 23 carries, compared to just 10 yards on four carries for Jordan) and is a decent option against the Chicago Bears defense, which is still living off its reputation. FOUR STARS

The Detroit Lions defense is second only to the New England Patriots in fantasy points. You have to get them if the rest of your league is somehow asleep. Just don't expect one of these from Shaun Rogers every week, I don't think the big guy can handle another one:



FOUR STARS for the Lions D, FIVE STARS for the video.

Cincinnati Bengals WR Chris Henry is finished with his league-mandated time out and has been activated for Sunday's date with the Baltimore Ravens. Chad Johnson (strained neck) could be limited or even out this week, and the Ravens' D is coming off a Monday night shellacking against the Pittsburgh Steelers. THREE STARS

Seattle Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander looks like he’s caught that rapid-aging disease, so now is a good time to have Maurice Morris on your team. Ol' Mo doesn't have much upside, and the Seahawks are going to throw the ball a bunch, but you can at least expect 50 yards or so, maybe more against bad defenses, and a few TDs sprinkled in from Morris if Alexander is to miss any time. THREE STARS

Hot pickups - Week 9

RB Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers: The Pack’s played musical chairs with its running back situation, but newcomer Grant seems to have found his place with 22 carries for 104 yards against the Broncos on Monday night. Granted, Denver’s run defense can’t stop anybody, but Mike McCarthy basically named Grant the starter after the game. You can’t pass up somebody like that, especially if you’re thin at RB. FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

RB Selvin Young, Denver Broncos: He's been on savvy fantasy players' minds since the start of the season simply because of Denver's habit of making RB chumps into champs. He's become an even hotter commodity in recent weeks with Travis Henry battling injuries and staring at a possible drug suspension. We got our first glimpse Monday at what a Young-led Broncos backfield might look like with Henry on the bench, and it was good: 124 total yards for the rookie from Texas, plus another 48-yard run that was called back on a holding penalty. If for some reason Young hasn't already been scooped up in your league, now is the time to act. FOUR STARS

RB Adimchinobe Echemandu, Houston Texans: Houston's been through as many running backs lately as there are letters in good ol' Adi's name. If you haven't already heard of him (and let's face it, why would you have?) Echemandu, a fourth-year player from Nigeria (by way of Cal) was just picked up off the practice squad to replace former fantasy flame and fellow Nigerian Samkon Gado, who was cut. Echemandu was called to duty last week against the Chargers with Ahman Green still rubbing Bengay on his creaky knees. He busted out 62 yards on 11 carries in San Diego and caught two passes for 11 yards - nothing earth-shattering, but it's as good as anything Green and Ron Dayne have done lately, and it's a surprising amount of work for a guy who up until a week earlier had been a glorified tackling dummy. Echemandu did "tweak" his knee during last Sunday's game but was able to play through the injury and has already practiced this week. If Green's still out this Sunday against Oakland there's a decent chance Echemandu will at least get half the carries and perhaps beat out Dayne altogether for No. 2 on the depth chart. That's reason enough to give him a look in deep leagues. THREE STARS




QB Kellen Clemens, New York Jets: The Gang Green faithful have been calling this kid's name since the preseason, and they finally get their wish this Sunday, with Clemens officially being named the starter against Washington and Chad Pennington headed for the bench. The second-year signal-caller from Oregon is still a little, uh, green, but has at least one major advantage over Pennington: a big-league arm. He's also got two nice targets to work with (Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery), though it has yet to be seen if he's ready to take advantage of them. I wouldn't recommend starting him this week against a red-faced Redskins defense that just got taken to the woodshed by New England, but Clemens is an interesting long-term prospect, and he does have some attractive matchups (at Miami, Cleveland) on the schedule in December. THREE STARS

WR David Patten, New Orleans Saints: The former Patriot seems to have secured the Saints' No. 2 receiver slot. Patten caught five passes for 109 yards in Sunday's win over San Francisco, his second 100-yard output in three games. Make no mistake, the much bigger and younger Marques Colston is still the team's top red zone target, but Patten seems to have distanced himself from Devery Henderson and Lance Moore when it comes to getting more consistent looks, and with Drew Brees looking more and more like the stud he was last year, that's good enough. THREE STARS

Photo by The Associated Press

Hot pickups - Week 8

We've already chatted about Jessie Chatman. He should be owned in just about all leagues. FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

Brian Griese is averaging 300 yards a game since taking over for Rex Grossman with eight TDs vs. six INTs. Time to take him seriously, especially against the Detroit Lions this week. FOUR STARS

Brandon Stokley will continue to see a little more action for the Denver Broncos with Javon Walker sidelined. THREE STARS

Miami Dolphins receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Derek Hagan should get a few more balls thrown their way with Chris Chambers now in San Diego, but hold off on starting either until they show us something. TWO STARS

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

HOT PICKUPS - WEEK 6

QB Kurt Warner. Arizona Cardinals: Nope, this isn’t a misprint. With apprentice Matt Leinart out for the remainder of the season, the old Jedi master takes over the reins full time. Since the Cards instituted their QB timeshare, Warner’s been responsible for five TDs (one rushing) and just two turnovers. As long as that ratio holds up, Warner has the supporting cast and favorable schedule (beginning with the Carolina Panthers this week) to be a very competent fantasy player. FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

QB Damon Huard, Kansas City Chiefs: The veteran has a bum shoulder, but if he’s able to go Sunday, he has a mouth-watering matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who’ve allowed the second-most passing TDs in the league. Brodie Croyle might even have a chance to do something against those guys. FOUR STARS

RB Jason Wright, Cleveland Browns: Jamal Lewis’ understudy managed 102 total yards against the New England Patriots, and Lewis is currently wearing a boot on his sprained right foot. If Lewis can’t play this week, Wright has some appeal against the Miami Dolphins, who’ve surrendered 172 rushing yards a game and a league-high eight TDs on the ground. FOUR STARS

RBs Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, New York Giants: Jacobs is back and looking better than ever (TD, first career 100-yard rushing game Sunday) after missing three games with a knee injury, but don’t throw Ward away. Jacobs will see most of the action, but Ward has proven himself as a capable NFL player, and I expect him to still get around 10-15 carries a game. Jacobs - FIVE STARS; Ward - FOUR STARS

TE Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears: The rookie had his breakout performance (four catches, 57 yards, TD) on Sunday night and seems to have recovered from a sprained knee that hampered him all season. Expect the first-round pick to be more involved in the Bears’ offense from here on out. FOUR STARS

HOT PICKUPS - Week 5

RBs Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Cadillac Williams out of the picture, Pittman's value spikes. He had been used as a fullback this year after Mike Alstott went down, but now it's unclear how Jon Gruden will use the vetern Pittman and the upstart Graham out of the backfield. We do know, however, that they're supposed to be sharing carries, which means they'll both have some value. If you had to choose one, however, I give Pittman the slight nod. He should be flashing this at least a few more times:





Pittman - FOUR STARS (Out of five); Graham - THREE STARS.

New York Giants defense: When an NFL team breaks out 12 sacks, you have to take notice. Granted, the G-men looked more like the Little Giants (minus Rick Moranis) through Week 2, but they've improved by leaps and bounds the past two games. They'll probably never rack up a dozen sacks again, but with Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan working under new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (who cut his teeth under blitz-master Jim Johnson of the Eagles), that pass rush is no joke. Their schedule sets up nicely, too, with the Jets, Falcons, 49ers and Dolphins looming the next four weeks. FOUR STARS.

QB David Carr, Carolina Panthers: Listen up, David. Remember that guy Andre Johnson you used to throw the ball to back in Houston? I know it's hard to remember after all the blows you took to the head in your days as a Texan, but he was pretty good, and you guys made for a decent pass-catch duo. Well, this guy Steve Smith you've got on your team now is better. Just throw him the ball a lot this week against the Saints, and you should be just fine. Your new O-line may even block for you. THREE STARS.

WR Patrick Crayton, Dallas Cowboys: I know a guy who drafted Crayton late in our 12-team league as his big sleeper. Did he start him last week against the Rams, when he scored two TDs? Nah, he dropped him two weeks ago. But his initial instincts were good, as Crayton is going to get a bunch of looks from superman Tony Romo, especially this week against Buffalo, while Terrell Owens is getting double-covered (thanks for the three catches, 33 yards and three drops last week, bud!!) and Terry Glenn is nowhere to be found. THREE STARS.

Hot pickups - Week 4

RB Brian Leonard, St. Louis Rams: The rookie is an obvious choice as he fills in for Steven Jackson this week against Dallas (and probably a few weeks more after that). Assuming he wasn't handcuffed by Jackson owners protecting their No. 1 pick, you need to go out and get Leonard now. If you've been privy to any of his highlights from Rutgers (see video below), you know he can play a little ball. I'm excited to see what the kid can do as a pro. FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)



WR Dwyane Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs: I like what I've seen out of this cat so far. He's got two TDs already (Larry Johnson has zero) and he might be K.C.'s most reliable receiving option not named Tony Gonzalez. FOUR STARS

RB Aaron Stecker, New Orleans Saints: Now that Deuce McAllister is sidelined for '07, a lot of people don't believe Reggie Bush can carry the load by himself. I'm one of those people - although I don't think Stecker's going to just automatically match Deuce's numbers, either. He'll get a few TDs though - assuming Sean Payton's visor stops cutting off the circulation to his brain - which means Stecker deserves to be owned. THREE STARS

RB Ron Dayne, Houston Texans: Counting on Dayne is always a risky proposition, but if you happen to get inside information that Ahman Green is too hurt to play this Sunday against the Falcons and Dayne isn't, this risk will pay off. THREE STARS

RB Kenny Watson, Cincinnati Bengals: If Rudi Johnson's hamstring injury turns out to be serious, Watson would be the guy in Cincy with Chris Perry and Kenny Irons out of the picture for the time being. I wouldn't use him this week against the Patriots though - heck, I might not use Rudi even if he was healthy against the Pats. THREE STARS

QB Brian Griese, Chicago Bears: The nine-year vet gets the call this week, replacing Rex Grossman as the Bears' starter. We already know what Griese's capable of as a starter - "capable" is a good way to describe him, actually - and he certainly couldn't be any worse than Grossman. He's not a terrible spot starter, especially this week against Detroit. THREE STARS

RB Earnest Graham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I really hope Graham saved the footballs from his first two NFL TDs last week, because I honestly don't think a lot more are coming any time soon, no matter what Jon Gruden says. Even if Cadillac Williams is sidelined by sore ribs, don't you think Michael Pittman (5,101 rushing yards, 3,287 receiving yards and 29 total TDs in his career) is probably a smarter fantasy addition than Graham? I do. ONE STAR

Hot pickups - Week 3

• RB DeShawn Wynn, Green Bay Packers: Wynn looked better than fellow rookie Brandon Jackson, Green Bay's starter, in Week 2 against the G-Men, scoring twice. There's been some media speculation he could take the starting job from Jackson, who hasn't been very impressive.

I'm not sure Wynn will displace Jackson outright at this point, and even if he did, I don't think the Pack will give up on their second-round pick in favor of Wynn, a seventh-rounder. We've also got to consider Vernand Morency, working his way back from injury. And his breakout game came against the Giants, who are putrid.

Still, Wynn has potential, even if he's sharing touches, and there isn't a proven No. 1 RB in that backfield. Think of him as a fourth RB with some upside. FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)

• RB Sammy Morris, New England Patriots: He's getting 10 carries a game in a good offense, and his one TD is more than starter Laurence Maroney has. He's also an experienced back with five-TD and six-TD seasons on his resume. While the Patriots have a history of making nondescript guys into offensive stars for a week or two - then abandoning them - Morris' decent workload, compared with Maroney's slow start, are too much to ignore, especially in leagues that are thin on running back talent in the free-agent pool. FOUR STARS.

• QB Byron Leftwich, Atlanta Falcons: Veteran QBs with starting experience are pretty prized in the NFL, so Atlanta was wise to sign Leftwich. Falcons starter Joey Harrington has been his usual awful self, and backup Chris Redman isn't much to be excited about. Though Leftwich never fulfilled his promise in Jacksonville (fantasy or otherwise), I fully expect him to be starting for the Falcons before long, and he will be working under a supposed offensive genius in Bobby Petrino.

Leftwich won't be much of a fantasy difference-maker - he never really has been - but he should be a more-than-capable spot starter or bye-week fill-in. It's not often you find guys like that on the waiver wire at this point in the season, especially in 12-team leagues. FOUR STARS.

• WR Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos: The second-year receiver is a big target who's caught 10 balls and a TD through two games. He's still building on the potential he showed in December last season.

Broncos QB Jay Cutler hasn't been John Elway yet, and Javon Walker and Brandon Stokley are still around to hog the ball. But Marshall is coming along as a red zone threat, and Cutler's still improving. The kid was a popular sleeper pick this year, and I agreed. He wouldn't have lasted long as a free agent in any of the leagues I'm in. FOUR STARS.

• WR Jacoby Jones, Houston Texans: The speedy 6-3 rookie from Lane College in Tennesse turned some heads with a good preseason and landed the Texans' No. 3 receiver spot behind Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter. With Johnson already ruled out for Week 3 against Indianapolis, Jones gets his chance to start.

With QB Matt Schaub looking pretty good so far, this could be Jones' chance to shine. If you're looking to roll the dice this week at your WR spot, this might be the guy. FOUR STARS.

• QB Derek Anderson, Cleveland Browns: Whenever a guy throws five touchdown passes, you've got to show some respect. Anderson's assault on the Bengals secondary was pretty surprising, and now he gets Oakland as an encore.

I fully expect Anderson to come back down to earth soon and eventually hand over the keys to Brady Quinn at some point this season. But if you're really desperate at QB, and if there was ever a time to insert Anderson into a starting fantasy lineup, this would be the week. THREE STARS.

• WR Shaun McDonald, Detroit Lions: McDonald followed up his strong 2007 debut against Oakland (six catches, 90 yards, TD) with another nice effort in Week 2 against Minnesota (seven catches, 71 yards). Even with Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson and Mike Furrey in the mix, McDonald is getting more than his share of the action in Mike Martz's sandlot offense.

I'm still skeptical about this whole "Lions are winning 10 games" deal that Jon Kitna started. I'm not sure that the good times will really last. But Detroit is 2-0 after all, and there are an awful lot of balls to be caught. If McDonald does it again this week, I'll be more of a believer. THREE STARS.