Derrick Ward sent packing

Hope you didn't draft Derrick Ward this year.

At least not if you figured he'd be a factor with the Tampa Bay Bucs, who cut Ward on Tuesday, one year after signing him to a four-year, $17.5 million contract. It's also two years after he rushed for more than 1,000 yards with the New York Giants.

The writing was on the wall for Ward, who failed to impress last year or this preseason and whose release will only cost the Bucs about $3 million this year. He was outplayed in 2010 by Kareem Huggins, a 24-year-old Hofstra product who didn't get a carry last year as a rookie with the Bucs but who should be Cadillac Williams' backup on Week 1. And if you know anything about Caddy's injury history, you know that Huggins is just a snapped tendon away from being Tampa Bay's starting tailback. Both Williams and Huggins should be moved up on your draft board accordingly.

As for Ward, I suppose he's still worth keeping tabs on, depending on where he ends up, as the season progresses. Granted, he's 30 and came to Bucs camp out of shape ... but Ward doesn't have a lot of mileage on him for a back his age after spending much of his career as a practice-squad player/third-stringer. He proved what he can do as a change-of-pace back when paired with Brandon Jacobs in '07. I could see him being a fantasy factor later this season if he lands in the right situation, but for now he's not worth a roster spot in all but the deepest of leagues.

Photo by The Associated Press

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.

Breaking down the Bucs' backfield

There was a lot of preseason discussion about how the Bucs would divy up the carries among their running backs. New coach Raheem Morris eventually announced he'd be primarily using a "2-2-1" rotation, giving Cadillac Williams (remember him?) the first two series, free-agent signee Derrick Ward the next two and then holdover Earnest Graham a series.

That's more or less how it played out Sunday against Dallas. Cadillac was the most effective runner (13 carries, 97 yards, TD) and is looking about as good as he ever has after years of injuries. Caddy alternated with Ward (12 carries, 62 yards, TD), the popular pick among fantasy drafters. But surprisingly, Earnest Graham was a non-factor (1 carry, 1 yard). In fact, he didn't even want the ball when his coach offered to get him in the game. Unselfish, or just strange? I'll let you be the judge.

Cadillac has to be picked up off the waiver wire this week, even though there's a decent chance his weary legs won't last 16 games. I stil believe Ward will end up being the most valuable Bucs running back by season's end. And Graham obviously belongs on your bench until further notice.

Three teams I'm trying to avoid

Call me crazy, but an NFL team firing its offensive coordinator less than two weeks before the start of the regular season usually isn't a formula for offensive excellence. That's why I'm trying to avoid most players from these three franchises:

CHIEFS

Of all three of these revamped/reworked/rebuilt offenses I'm talking about, the Chiefs were perhaps the most intriguing. Even though now-departed Chan Gailey was a holdover from the previous (unsuccessful) coaching regime, new K.C. head man Todd Haley is the mastermind behind the Cardinals' electrifying offense from a year ago. The firing of Gailey might not make a huge difference, but there were already warning signs about this offense: the poor offensive line play of the past few years, the decline of Larry Johnson and his various issues, the departure of Tony Gonzalez and the preseason injury suffered by new QB Matt Cassel. The combination of all red flags makes K.C.'s playmakers a little less desirable than they seemed during the offseason. WR Dwayne Bowe and Cassel should probably drop out of the preseason top 10 at their respective positions, and I don't trust LJ as anything more than a No. 3 RB at best. Still like Jamaal Charles as a deep sleeper though.

BUCS

The firing of OC Jeff Jagodzinski kind of came out of left field. Remember when the guy was a big NFL head coaching prospect? Well whatever, I guess being faced with the prospect of Byron Leftwich or Luke McCown as his starting QB, he was probably set up to fail anyway. McCown was traded to Jacksonville over the weekend, and Leftwich is officially the Bucs' Week 1 starter now, which shouldn't excite you much. It doesn't bode well for Antonio Bryant or Kellen Winslow either, so bump them down a peg from wherever they would be with a better QB at the helm. The Bucs do have a promising offensive line and should be able to to run the ball; the problem is they have three decent RBs to share the load, which means you have to be a bit skeptical of Derrick Ward, Earnest Graham and Cadillac Williams until we see their roles.

BILLS

Buffalo's Turk Schonert is another assistant coach who never even got to start the season in his new position. He's blasting head coach Dick Jauron because the offensive playcalling "wasn't simple enough." A little imagination might not hurt after the Bills have been so ineffective on offense the past few years. Terrell Owens certainly livens things up a bit, but I'm proceeding with caution and treating him like a No. 2 fantasy receiver. Trent Edwards is no Tony Romo (or Donovan McNabb or Jeff Garcia) at this point and has a long way to go before he's anything more than a low-end fantasy backup. Lee Evans is tantalizing as always but seems perpetually bound to disappoint no matter what you expect out of him. And it's tough to take a chance on either Marshawn Lynch or Fred Jackson when you know there will be a major shakeup in their roles once Lynch serves his season-opening four-game suspension.

Cadillac rides again

The Cadillac is back!

Cadillac Williams, who starred at Auburn and burst onto the NFL scene with a 1,000-yard, six-touchdown rookie season in 2005, was activated from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' physically unable to perform list and practiced Wednesday.

As big of a fantasy stud Williams was in '05, he was that much of a dud the following year, when his yardaged total plunged to 798 yards and scored just one time. Then came a fateful 2007 season, when Caddy sustained a career-threatening knee injury just four games in. But he's worked his way back and is now in the mix in the Bucs' backfield after they waived Michael Bennett. With Earnest Graham (knee) and Warrick Dunn (back) both dealing with injuries of their own, Williams may eventually get a shot to show he's got something left.

I'm skeptical, and you should be too, but the situation bears monitoring in the weeks ahead. Caddy's still got young legs and a lot of talent, and is perhaps better suited than any of the guys on the Bucs' roster to serve as a feature back. If you have a spot to spare for a fourth or fifth running back, it might pay off with a big week or two down the stretch from Williams.