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