Week 2 Recap, Part II: Bucs worth owning

-Is Josh Freeman a fantasy star? Not yet, but he and WR Mike Williams (2 TDs in first two games) are on their way. Williams has to be owned at this point, and Freeman might be a darkhorse No. 2 QB worth a spot start somewhere down the road. He's got some mouth-watering matchups with St. Louis and Arizona during bye-week time.

-Only six QBs have thrown for more than 600 yards so far this season. The first five? Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Philip Rivers, Matt Schaub. Ho hum. No. 6? Kyle Orton, who’s also got 3 TDs to 1 INT. Unfortunately, he’s about to run a gauntlet of Indy, Tennessee, Baltimore and the Jets in the next four weeks.

-Only two catches for Rams WR Mark Clayton, one of last week’s Hot Pickups, but both of them went for TDs. Clayton had only one other two-TD game in his career, back in 2006 with the Ravens.

-Rookie TE Aaron Hernandez (6 catches, 101 yards, TD) continues to be a big-play threat for the Patriots. The Florida product had a 45-yard catch in Week 1 and a 46-yarder in Week 2 vs. the Jets. How about a 47-yarder this week against Buffalo?

-It’s been a rocky road for rookie RB Ryan Matthews of San Diego – 25 carries for 104 yards (4.2 average) but also 2 fumbles and 1 protective boot after Sunday’s ankle injury. Mike Tolbert stepped in to carry the ball 16 times for 82 yards and 2 TDs against the Jags in Week 2 and figures to hurt Matthews’ value even more, at least in the short term.

-Arian Foster goes from 231 yards rushing in Week 1 to 69 in Week 2. Matt Schaub goes from 107 yards passing in Week 1 to 497 in Week 2. What’s the real deal for these two Texans? Probably somewhere in the middle.

-Brandon Jacobs owners would like to toss their helmets or demand a trade too after their guy’s performance (4 attempts, 8 yards) against the Colts. He’s clearly benchable this week against Tennessee and until further notice.

-I’m loving what I’m seeing out of how the Saints are using Pierre Thomas so far. He touched the ball 26 total times on Monday night, and with Reggie Bush gone for the next six weeks with a broken fibula, Thomas should have even more opportunities.


Photo by The Associated Press

8/24 Sleeper of the Day: Mike Williams

WR MIKE WILLIAMS, Buccaneers



The Bucs are desperate for some playmakers. Why not this kid?

Williams has been a revelation in training camp so far, starring in two preseason games and already capturing a starting job at split end. He’s easily been the most impressive Bucs wideout in a group that includes vets Michael Clayton, Maurice Stovall, Reggie Brown and Sammie Stroughter, plus fellow Class of 2010 draftee Arrelious Benn, who was taken a whole two rounds earlier than fourth-rounder Williams. The Syracuse product - not to be confused with the bust from USC who's attempting a comeback in Seattle - fell that far in April mostly because of character issues, but the Bucs have faith he’ll be a solid citizen in Tampa Bay. He’s rewarded them by looking like a star in the making and a possible go-to guy for franchise QB Josh Freeman.

Let’s not kid ourselves here, of course: The Bucs will have their struggles this season, and it’s always risky to count on a rookie wide receiver. Williams would also lose most of his value if Freeman’s thumb injury doesn’t heal quickly. But when you’re digging for that WR4 or WR5 at the tail end of your draft, this 6-2, 204-pounder is the kind of intriguing option that should catch your eye. I placed him at a generous 40th in my WR rankings for 2010, which would make him one of the last receivers taken in a 10-team league.

Start 'Em: Week 10

- RB LAURENCE MARONEY at Indianapolis: Maroney had 20 carries last week against Miami - his most since December 2007 - and has scored a TD in three straight weeks. Of course the Pats could completely switch things up and throw the ball 55 times this week or decide to give Kevin Faulk 20 carries out of nowhere, but Maroney seems to be on a hot streak.

- WR DERRICK MASON at Cleveland: The veteran Ravens receiver had his best yardage total of the year in Week 3 against the Browns (5 catches, 118 yards, TD) and could do it again on Monday night.

- TE KELLEN WINSLOW at Miami: He seemed to show some chemistry with new Bucs QB Josh Freeman last week (4 catches, 57 yards, TD) and should again serve as his safety valve. The Dolphins have also had trouble defending tight ends this year.


LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Joseph Addai caught a TD, ran for a TD and racked up 112 total yards against Houston.

- The Boom-or-bust DeSean Jackson decided to go bust again (2 catches, 29 yards) after three straight weeks of booming.

- Michael Crabtree only caught 3 balls for 30 yards, though he was targeted eight times. Niners QB Alex Smith decided to concentrate on throwing to Vernon Davis (10 catches) and Frank Gore (7 catches) and somebody named Jason Hill (2 TDs) and the other team (3 INTs).

Hot Pickups: Week 10

FOUR STARS (Out of five)

RB LADELL BETTS, Redskins: Clinton Portis' understudy normally doesn't get a lot of touches, but with Portis knocked out last week, Betts carried the ball 15 times - his most since 2006 - for 70 yards and a TD. You may recall Betts had a dominating stretch of five straight 100-yard games at the end of the '06 season when he served as the Skins' feature back, so this isn't his first go-around. He's definitely worth a grab, and this week's matchup against Denver doesn't seem quite as tough after they let Rashard Mendenhall run wild.

THREE STARS

WR CHRIS CHAMBERS, Chiefs: A perennial disappointment, Chambers got cut by the Chargers just a week ago, then goes out and scores not one but TWO TDs in his first game as a Chief. Both scores came in garbage time, mind you, but K.C. will continue to have a lot of that this year, and Matt Cassel definitely seems to have some kind of a connection with Chambers, so why not give him a shot?

WR ROBERT MEACHEM, Saints: I've been waiting for this kid to break out for about 3 years now, and maybe last Sunday's game (5 catches, 98 yards, TD) was what I've been looking for. Everyone who plays a skill position for New Orleans is worth some fantasy consideration, and Meachem might make a good flex play in the following two weeks against St. Louis and Tampa Bay.

TWO STARS

QB JOSH FREEMAN, Bucs: There was plenty to like in Freeman's starting debut: the strong arm, the quick feet, the poise and the 3 TDs vs. 1 INT. Will there be bumps along the way? Of course. But keeper leagues and those that start two QBs have to take notice.

TE BRANDON PETTIGREW, Lions: The rookie from Oklahoma state had 7 catches for 70 yards - both career highs - and caught his first NFL TD in Week 9. He might be hard pressed to duplicate those stats again this season, but if you're in a deep league that carries two TEs per team he's certainly worth a shot.

Photo by The Associated Press

Week 9 Recap

Some random fantasy thoughts while crafting a petition to the Bucs to wear their creamsicle uniforms every week ...


- Michael Turner topped 150 yards for the second straight game and extended his scoring streak to eight straight games (166, 2 TDs). He's looking like the top-3 back we thought he'd be.

- Turner's counterpart, Clinton Portis, was knocked out against Atlanta and is looking doubtful for what could have been a decent Week 10 matchup vs. Denver. Ladell Betts (15 carries, 70 yards, TD) wasn't bad in his stead and could soon be in a Hot Pickups blog post near you.

- Who needs Anquan Boldin? The disgruntled and disappointing Cardinals WR was scratched because of a nagging ankle injury and the field conditions in Chicago (and he was none too pleased with how he was informed of the benching) ... and Kurt Warner still threw 5 TDs.

- Do Matt Forte's 6 catches for 74 yards make up for his 5 carries for 33 yards? I say no.

- Of course Greg Olsen would catch 3 TDs after I benched him at the last minute Saturday night and subbed in Heath Miller (3 catches, 18 yards).

- I gotta give it to Cedric Benson for proving me wrong so far. He's exceeded all my expectations in Cincinnati (117 more yards and a TD vs. Baltimore) and has become a must-start, even Week 10 against Pittsburgh and beyond.

- Laurence Maroney got his biggest workload of the season (20 carries) and scored for the third straight week. Is he finally a dependable fantasy starter? I'd give him a serious look for this week's showdown with Indy.

- The Packers' James Jones now has 3 receiving TDs this year, or 1 more than teammate Greg Jennings. That ain't right.

- Do we have a new fantasy star in Bucs QB Josh Freeman (14-for-31, 205 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT)? Anything's possible, but let's see what happens after the rest of the league gets some actual film on him. Encouraging start, though.

- So Chris Chambers gets released by San Diego last week, picked up by the awful Chiefs this week, plays his first game for K.C. on Sunday and has his most productive day (70 yards, 2 TDs) since Week 2 of last year. Go figure.

- Twelve carries, 22 yards for LaDainian Tomlinson. How the mighty have fallen. Last time he played the Giants, in 2005, he busted them for 192 yards and 3 TDs. Those were the days.

- Alex Smith sure does love him some Vernon Davis (10 catches, 102 yards, both career highs).