Week 2 Start 'Em: Bradshaw, Bowe, Bryant

- RB AHMAD BRADSHAW at Indianapolis: Bradshaw looked like the best runner in the Giants’ backfield Sunday, rushing 20 times for 76 yards and a TD while Brandon Jacobs mustered just 44 yards on 12 carries. Now Bradshaw gets to face a reeling Colts D that was terrorized by Arian Foster in Week 1.

- WR DWAYNE BOWE at Cleveland: His season debut was forgettable (1 catch, 14 yards), and though he was targeted only five times, that led all Chiefs receivers on what was a rainy Monday night. Bowe is still a dangerous WR1 and K.C.'s best option, and this matchup should help him prove it.

- WR DEZ BRYANT vs. Chicago: The rookie was targeted a team-high 12 times by QB Tony Romo in Week 1. Just so we're clear, that's more than Miles Austin and more than Jason Witten. There's a good chance these boys will tear up Chicago, which makes Bryant a pretty good WR2 or Flex option.

'The League' is back on TV tonight

If you're a fantasy football player and have a sense of humor, you owe it to yourself to check out the comedy "The League," which premieres its second season at 10:30 tonight on FX.

It's a pretty hilarious, somewhat true-to-life look at a bunch of guys competing in a fantasy football league. There's a good chance you'll see someone you recognize from your own league represented on screen, from the guy who traded for Plaxico Burress last season without realizing he was in jail, to the guy who has a personal vendetta against Antonio Gates for knocking him out of the playoffs (and then actually runs into Gates at a day spa, and hilarity ensues).

I have to warn you the show is "iffy" for viewers younger than 16, as my TV likes to remind me, but other than that I highly recommend it.

Worried about Randy Moss?

You drafted Randy Moss in the first round.

Then he goes out and catches 5 balls for 59 yards and 0 TDs in the Pats' Week 1 rout of the Bengals.

OK, you can live with that, I suppose. Not what you want out of your top wideout, but not unforgivable.



Then, after the game, Moss starts yapping about his unhappiness with his contract situation.

Uh oh. If you remember his days as a Raider, you know an unhappy Moss can be an unproductive Moss. The mercurial wideout has said you won't hear another peep out of him on the subject this year, though, and he's happy to be a Patriot and is "still going to play some football."

That's reassuring. Only problem: this week the Pats face the Jets, and that means Moss can expect a heavy dose of his new nemesis, Darrelle Revis. New York plans to match up its lockdown cornerback exclusively with Moss, who was held to a total of 9 catches and 58 yards (and 1 TD) in two trips to Revis Island last year.

In other words, expect another so-so showing from your best wideout this week.

Things should get better after that, especially with a tasty matchup with Buffalo looming in Week 3, but until then it could be a rough couple weeks for Moss supporters.

Photo by The Associated Press

Week 2 Hot Pickups: Jackson, Vick, Clayton

1. RB BRANDON JACKSON, Packers

Fourth-year understudy gets his chance with starter Ryan Grant (ankle) lost for the season. Jackson has won his coaches' confidence and should be ready to roll vs. Buffalo.

2. QB MICHAEL VICK, Eagles

Assuming Kevin Kolb's concussion keeps him out, Vick's legs (103 rushing yards in Week 1) make him valuable against the Lions in relief.

3. WR MARK CLAYTON, Rams

Former Ravens underachiever had a career-high 10 catches in his 2010 debut, and with Sam Bradford slinging it so much (55 attempts), there should be more.

Week 1 Recap, Part II: Kolb toast?

- So much for Kevin Kolb’s big debut as the official Eagles starting QB (5-for-10, 25 yards, concussion). I’m not ready to declare him a fantasy bust, but hopefully you already recognized the risks with a largely untested QB and have a capable backup ready. If not, it might be time to look Michael Vick’s way.

- Running to the waiver wire to get Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis? Not so fast. Sure, he had two catches, both for TDs. But this is also the same guy whose career high for TDs in a season is two, and who didn’t catch more than 4 passes in a game last year. Maybe he’s worth a grab, but temper your expectations.

- Sam Bradford sure aired it out in his first pro game (55 attempts). But he connected on just 32 of those (4.6 yards per completion), threw 1 TD and 3 picks, and finished with a 53.1 QB rating. He’s not a fantasy option at this point.

- Good luck making sense of the Seahawks’ backfield rotation. Justin Forsett was the most impressive (7 carries for 43 yards, 6.1 average), but Julius Jones and Leon Washington each had 1 more carry apiece. You’ll want to avoid this situation until it gets a little less murky.

- Remember all the hullabaloo about Redskins TE Fred Davis being a fantasy sleeper this year? Davis wasn't even targeted on Sunday night, but starter Chris Cooley caught 6 passes for 80 yards to lead all Skins receivers. Cooley could be in line for a big year if he stays healthy and the synergy with Donovan McNabb continues.

- OK, maybe LaDainian Tomlinson's got some fantasy life left in him (11 carries, 62 yards). But you have to figure Shonn Greene can't be that miserable again (5 carries, 18 yards, a fumble, a dropped pass and a second-half benching). That wasn't how Gang Green drew it up.

- Legedu Naanee had the nicer stat line Monday among Chargers WRs (5 catches, 110 yards, TD), but it was actually Malcom Floyd (3-48) that was targeted a team-high 12 times to Naanee's eight, including three of San Diego's four shots at the end zone on a 1st-and-goal series to end the game. Read into that what you will.

- Saints RB Pierre Thomas might have tough sledding against the 49ers' D this week, but it was good to see him get the lion's share of the carries (19 of the team's 25 rush attempts) as New Orleans pounded the rock last Thursday against the Vikings. That equaled his season high from last year, which came in Week 4.


Photo by The Associated Press

Who's buried in Grant's tomb? Brandon Jackson

OK, maybe the title of this blog post is a little misleading. Ryan Grant is not dead. He's just dead to me and the rest of his fantasy owners.

Grant is out for the year, FOXSports.com reports, after suffering an ankle injury that didn't look that terrible on Sunday against the Eagles. But it's still a terrible blow for anyone who made Grant their No. 1 RB or took him in the first or second round this year (yours truly included).

The obvious replacement is Brandon Jackson, Grant's backup, who carried the ball 18 times for 63 yards in relief of Grant on Sunday. Jackson does have the backing of head coach Mike McCarthy, who believes Jackson can be an every-down back. The fourth-year RB was actually once considered for the Packers' starting job as a rookie in 2007 before injuries and ineffectiveness eventually caused him to lose out to Grant. But he's improved since then and had time to learn the system.

Jackson's a little smaller than Grant but may be a better receiver (2 receptions for 12 yards on Sunday), and in Green Bay's offense he has a chance to at least be a 1,000-yard rusher. I've never considered Grant a supremely skilled guy to begin with; most of his value came from the consistent number of carries he's received and the benefits of the great passing game around him. Slot Jackson into that role and the production shouldn't suffer all that much, provided Jackson's up to the task.


Photo by The Associated Press

Week 1 Recap, Part I: Foster's for real

A few musings from Week 1's action while I thank the football gods for DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket free preview:

- Welcome to fantasy stardom, Arian Foster (231 yards, 3 TDs). We’re waiting with baited breath to see what you do in Week 2.

- Somebody slow down the C.J. Spiller bandwagon. Seven carries for 6 yards isn’t going to cut it as a fantasy star yet.

- For those who were wondering who would be Mike Martz’s most utilized wideout in Chicago (Devin Hester? Johnny Knox? Devin Aromashodu)?), the surprising answer was his RB, Matt Forte, who led the team with 7 catches for a whopping 151 yards and 2 TDs. The other three combined for 9 receptions.

- Roll on, Chris Johnson (27 carries, 142 yards, 2 TDs).

- Guess Wes Welker is OK – 11 targets, 8 catches, 2 TDs. Those who got him at a discount price this year because of the injury concerns have to be smiling right about now, especially with the Jets up next on the Pats’ schedule. In his last four games vs. Gang Green, the Welk Man has averaged 7 catches for 92 yards.

- Giants WR Hakeem Nicks established himself as a fantasy force with 3 TDs against Carolina. Granted, he only had 4 catches, but Eli Manning targeted him 8 times, as many as Steve Smith.

- Roddy White’s stat line against Pittsburgh was strong (13 catches, 111 yards), but the most eye-opening number was the whopping 23 targets. With those kind of looks he could demolish Arizona this week.

- Could Peyton Hillis be a factor in the Browns’ backfield? Sure, given the fact he had 9 carries (as many as starter Jerome Harrison) and also scored a TD.