Quarterbacks

Off The Top

Carson Palmer, OAK (PIT, @DEN, BYE, @ATL) – When his receivers are all healthy, Palmer could impress. It doesn’t hurt that he’s got Darren McFadden, one of the best receiving running backs in the league.

Digging Deeper

Sam Bradford, STL (@CHI, SEA, ARI, @MIA) – Bradford’s rapport with Danny Amendola is developing exponentially, although the next few matchups won’t be quite as peachy as the tilt with Washington. If the young QB can develop more consistency, he’ll be an excellent QB2 with QB1 upside in the right matchup.

Scouring The Barrel

Kevin Kolb, ARI (PHI, MIA, @STL, BUF) – He’s got a live arm and he engineered a win over the Patriots. What more do you need to know?

Updates

Robert Griffin III, WAS (CIN, @TB, ATL, MIN) – Griffin turned in another fantastic performance Sunday (206-1-1, 82 rushing yards, two rushing TDs) and I had him benched in one league where my starter is Drew Brees. Time for a trade!

Mark Sanchez, NYJ (@MIA, SF, HOU, IND) – Sanchez came back down to earth in the loss to Pittsburgh (138-1-0), but his value has ascended since the preseason.

Blaine Gabbert, JAC (@IND, CIN, CHI, BYE) – The Texans clamped down on Gabbert Sunday, holding him to just 7-for-19 passing for 53 yards and a TD. He left the game with an injury to his glute (originally thought to be hamstring and toe injuries), but could still play Sunday against the Colts.

Running Backs

Off The Top

Pierre Thomas, NO (KC, @GB, SD, BYE) – Thomas had nine carries for 110 rushing yards and 4-33-0 receiving in the loss to Carolina. Both he and Mark Ingram are getting carries, with Darren Sproles racking up the catches (13-128-0 on Sunday). Thomas has always been an excellent between-the-tackles runner, and he’ll continue to fill that role in New Orleans when called upon.

Digging Deeper

Andre Brown, NYG (@CAR, @PHI, CLE, @SF) – If there’s anything wrong with Ahmad Bradshaw’s neck, it appears that Brown (2 percent owned), and not David Wilson, will be shouldering most of the immediate load. Brown filled in for the injured starter in Week 2 and contributed 71 rushing yards and a TD on 13 carries, as well as a couple catches for 19 yards. Bradshaw missed the Monday walkthrough, and it’s probably a long shot for him to play Thursday night.

Scouring The Barrel

Daryl Richardson, STL (@CHI, SEA, ARI, @MIA) – Steven Jackson (groin) may not miss any time but if he does, Richardson (83 rushing yards, 2-19-0) will get a lot of work. The rookie out of Abilene Christian played well in the veteran’s stead in the second half Sunday and was a large part of edging out the Redskins. He’s universally available.

Updates

C.J. Spiller, BUF (@CLE, NE, @SF, @ARI) – Spiller stepped up with 123 rushing yards and two TDs on just 15 carries and 3-47-0 receiving. He’s the obvious focal point of Chan Gailey’s offense.

Alfred Morris, WAS (CIN, @TB, ATL, MIN) – Morris continued his production with 89 yards on 16 carries Sunday, although it was RGII who scored the rushing TDs.

Shaun Draughn, KC (@NO, SD, BAL, @TB) – The unheralded back tallied 56 yards on just five carries with one catch for 23 yards in the embarrassing loss to Buffalo.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Off The Top

WR Danny Amendola, STL (@CHI, SEA, ARI, @MIA) – The clear WR pickup following Week 2, Amendola lost a fumble but tallied 15-160-1 receiving and now has 20 catches in two games. He should be owned in all formats, but he’s still out there in about 33-50 percent of fantasy leagues, depending on the format.

Digging Deeper

WR Andrew Hawkins, CIN (@WAS, @JAC, MIA, @CLE) – The undrafted Toledo product had his second straight solid performance Sunday, catching two passes for 56 yards, including a 50-yard TD strike in the fourth quarter that put the Bengals in control. While Hawkins can’t be counted on to be an every-week contributor, he’s a favored No. 2 option after A.J. Green and will benefit from the sophomore’s frequent double-teams. The next few matchups look golden.

TE Martellus Bennett, NYG (@CAR, @PHI, CLE, @SF) – Eli Manning certainly enjoys having Bennett around, and the 6-6, 270-pound TE now has two consecutive games with a TD reception. He’s owned in fewer than half of fantasy leagues.

Scouring The Barrel

TE Dante Rosario, SD (ATL, @KC, @NO, DEN) – I’m not a huge believer in Rosario, but I can’t ignore three TD receptions in one week. This could very well be an aberration, but it’s worth noting as the injury-prone Antonio Gates approaches the end of his career.

WR Donnie Avery, IND (JAC, BYE, GB, @NYJ) – Avery had a career-high nine catches for 111 yards in the win over Minnesota. Targeted 11 times by rookie Andrew Luck, Avery has enjoyed fantasy relevance in the past and could be a huge part of the burgeoning Colts offense, which is a pass-heavy system.

Updates

WR Lance Moore, NO (KC, @GB, SD, BYE) – Moore followed up his auspicious Week 1 with a 2-30-0 stinker in Week 2.

WR Randall Cobb, GB (@SEA, NO, @IND, @HOU) – The Bears won the battle by shutting down Cobb (28 yards rushing, 1-20-0 receiving) but lost the war as the Packers used a dominant defense to win on Thursday night.

TE Coby Fleener, IND (JAC, BYE, GB, @NYJ) – Fleener only saw a few targets on Sunday and finished with a couple catches for 16 yards, but I still believe he’ll be a monster in the red zone this season.

TE Marcedes Lewis, JAC (@IND, CIN, CHI, BYE) – Goose egg. The Texans didn’t give Jacksonville much in this game.

WR Stephen Hill, NYJ (@MIA, SF, HOU, IND) – Ditto. Ryan Clark and the rest of the Steelers secondary were all over Hill, who was nursing a calf injury.

WR Kevin Ogletree, DAL (TB, CHI, BYE, @BAL) – Yikes! Even the shifty Ogletree wasn’t immune to the Week 2 drop-off, catching just one pass for 26 yards.

WR Andre Roberts, ARI (PHI, MIA, @STL, BUF) – Roberts only caught one pass as well, but it was a 2-yard touchdown from Kolb. So there’s that.

WR Jeremy Kerley, NYJ (@MIA, SF, HOU, IND) – Kerley had 67 yards on two receptions, but lost a fumble. Not good.

WR Aldrick Robinson, WAS (CIN, @TB, ATL, MIN) – Robinson had 2-40-0, as it was Leonard Hankerson who did most of the damage via the pass with Pierre Garçon (foot) sitting out.

IDP

Off The Top

DB Dawan Landry, JAC (@IND, CIN, CHI, BYE) – He’s been quietly consistent the first two games, and I love the next four matchups.

LB Mason Foster, TB (@DAL, WAS, BYE, KC) – The sophomore LB had the first huge game of his career on Sunday, racking up 12 solos and an assist, a PD and INT in the loss to the Giants.

Digging Deeper

DL Matt Shaughnessy, OAK (PIT, @DEN, BYE, @ATL) – The word is out that Shaughnessy is talented, but he’s still available in plenty of IDP leagues. He’s got eight total tackles and 1.5 sacks through two games.

DB Patrick Peterson, ARI (PHI, MIA, @STL, BUF) – Not universally available by any means, but Peterson is a big-time playmaker with favorable matchups on the docket. He’s a risk/reward play in the coming weeks.

Scouring The Barrel

LB Jerrell Freeman, IND (JAC, BYE, GB, @NYJ) – For two straight weeks, Freeman has posted great numbers. He had 13 total tackles and sack in Week 2. It’s time to jump aboard while Pat Angerer is still out.

DL Tyson Alualu, JAC (@IND, CIN, CHI, BYE) – He’s developing into one of the better all-around DL in his division, and the next three matchups are favorable. Alualu is definitely worth a flier in deeper leagues.
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Updates

LB Dont’a Hightower, NE (@BAL, @BUF, DEN, @SEA) – Five tackles in the loss to Arizona. Methinks this game didn’t go as planned.

DB T.J. Ward, CLE (BUF, @BAL, @NYG, CIN) – Ward had nine tackles (six solos) in the loss to Cincy. He remains a solid DB2 with upside.

DL Greg Hardy, CAR (NYG, @ATL, SEA, BYE) – The talented young DL had four total tackles. Even with the sacks, he’ll have some decent production.

DL Derrick Morgan, TEN (DET, @HOU, @MIN, PIT) – Another monster game from Morgam, who had seven tackles (four solos) and a sack against SD.

DB Cortland Finnegan, STL (@CHI, SEA, ARI, @MIA) – The top scoring DB through two weeks, Finngean had five solos, an INT and a PD in the Week 2 win.

LB Wesley Woodyard, DEN (HOU, OAK, @NE, @SD) – Woodyard had five tackles and an assist on Monday night, but he could be in for a bigger role if Joe Mays misses any time.

LB Stephen Nicholas, ATL (@SD, CAR, @WAS, OAK) – The Falcons SLB played in every defensive package available and was flying all over the field on Monday night. He finished with eight total tackles.

DB Jerraud Powers, IND (MIN, JAC, BYE, GB) – Powers might be the safest CB to own in the AFC South. He finished Sunday with nine tackles (seven solos) and two PD. Expect plenty of opportunities for him this season.

DL Derek Wolfe, DEN (@ATL, HOU, OAK, @NE) – Wolfe never even sniffed Matt Ryan in the loss to Atlanta as the Falcons’ offensive line kept all Broncos defenders off the poised QB.