Week 2: Pickups of the Week
QB Joe Flacco, DEN
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Flacco certainly showed promise in his rookie season. But nothing in his solid (if pedestrian) 2008 campaign could have prepared us for the kind of showing he delivered while carving up the Chiefs on opening weekend. The Chargers offer a greater degree of challenge in week 2, but fantasy owners need to be thinking long term here. Baltimore is in the process of becoming a well-rounded offense. Instead of limiting their young pivot's pass opportunities, the strong running game will just make things easier on him. Some QBs grow by leaps and bounds from their rookie to their sophomore NFL season -- Carson Palmer did it, Peyton Manning did it, Joey Flacco looks primed to do it. Stash him away on your bench now, and reap the rewards later on.
QB Jeff Garcia, ---
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With Donovan McNabb banged up and Mike Vick serving out his suspension, the Eagles face the frightening prospect of handing the reigns to Kevin Kolb. Having run out of options, they created a new one by re-signing Jeff Garcia -- whose familiarity with Philadelphia's offense should translate into an immediate chance to start. This is a one-week-only solution and Garcia has next to no long term value behind McNabb and Vick. If you're in a QB pinch this week, you could do worse than old man Garcia against a soft Saints pass defense. Just remember to drop him after the game.
RB Mike Bell, ---
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Before anyone gets too excited about Mike Bell's 143 opening day rushing yards, keep in mind that they all came against a team that gave up a league-high 2,754 yards on the ground in 2008. Still, last week's game against Detroit was an excellent chance for Bell to bully his way into the running back rotation. Bell may or may not lose the lead role to Pierre Thomas when he returns, but it's clear from Sunday's performance that Mike Bell can be a viable weapon for this already potent offense. Neither Bell nor Thomas makes a good fantasy play this week against Philadelphia, but owners who add Bell now could be rewarded in the weeks to come.
RB Michael Bush, ---
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The Chiefs gave up 198 yards to the Baltimore Ravens' rushing attack in week 1. It doesn't get any easier in week 2 as they face another big challenge from the two-headed RB monster that is the Raiders. With Justin Fargas seemingly out of the picture, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush split carries in week one. Bush opened the game and later got the call on the goal line. He may not get McFadden's workload, but he'll likely out-produce his backfield mate in terms of touchdowns this season. The Raiders' passing game showed no signs of improvement, so we can expect a heavy dose of run going forward. Michael Bush scored his first career TD against Kansas City and will have some chances to exploit them again this week.
WR Nate Burleson, ---
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After a nine-TD 2007 season, Burleson tore knee ligaments on opening day 2008 and missed the rest of the year. Back strong again after ACL surgery and nine months of recuperation, he could prove to be a great bargain pickup for fantasy owners. The emergence of John Carlson and the addition of T.J. Houshmandzadeh will mean a lot of single coverage for Burleson. Add a healthy Matt Hasselbeck into the mix and there's an enticing prospect of Burleson notching his first 1,000 yard season since 2004.
