Week 3: Pickups of the Week

QB Matt Hasselbeck, ---

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For the last three years, fans have believed the Seahawks' offensive struggles were largely the fault of Matt Hasselbeck. But maybe the opposite was true. Seattle's offense is currently a laughing stock while the newly liberated Hasselbeck looks refreshed in Tennessee. In Kenny Britt, Hasselbeck now has a legitimate number one receiver he can rely on, while in Chris Johnson he has the game-breaking weapon who can keep defenses honest and take some of the pressure off. Hasselbeck looked great taking apart an always deadly Raven secondary, but he's better suited to picking on weaker teams. The Broncos, who may be without Champ Bailey, fit that profile as do the Browns in Week 4. In fact, looking over the Titans' schedule only Pittsburgh stands out as a truly threatening opponent. Matt Hasselbeck might just be in line for a monster season.

RB Roy Helu, ---

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I won't oversell this guy -- he now has a grand total of one noteworthy performance on his thin NFL resume. But he's worth keeping an eye on. In Washington, running backs have no job security. Though Mike Shanahan had been touting Tim Hightower as his feature back, last week he chose to work in ten carries for the rookie Helu in a tight contest versus the Cardinals. Hightower is the man until further notice -- but that notice comes quickly in Shanahanland and owners may wish to have Helu on standby.

RB Thomas Jones, ---

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Following the dismal news that Jamaal Charles won't play again in 2011, fantasy owners are left with two fallback options: Thomas Jones or Dexter McCluster. Jones is more suited to play the workhorse role, pounding it between the tackles multiple times during a drive and answering the call in short yardage and goal line situations. Jones has ten years more NFL experience than McCluster, has been a featured back before, and has the build to sustain (and deliver) abuse. The two will share a role in the backfield, no doubt. But it's Thomas who's likelier to perform on a weekly basis and who now stands in position to notch his sixth 1,000-yard rushing season.

RB Dexter McCluster, ---

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Thomas Jones is the safe bet. Dexter McCluster is the intriguing gamble.
At this stage in his career, Jones isn't going to surprise anyone. He's basically a straight ahead runner who will look to punish defenders and grind out yardage. His yards per carry average has declined in each of the last three seasons and will probably take another hit since the Chiefs' passing attack isn't scaring anyone and teams are able to stack the box to stop the run. Jones will likely get more carries and more goal-line touches, but his ceiling is limited. If the Chiefs offense is going to salvage their season, they'll need to employ some dynamic playmaking ability. Jones has exhausted his; McCluster has plenty to spare. Not only can he turn seemingly harmless draws and pitches into long gains, he can also line up as a receiver and embarrass defenders in open space. In addition to an increase in carries, he should retain his kick return duties and will continue to be featured in several gadget plays per game. A threat to score at any time and from anywhere, McCluster is a high risk, high reward waiver add who offers the bonus of having RB/WR eligibility in most leagues.

WR Eric Decker, ---

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With Brandon Lloyd a surprise scratch on Sunday, Eric Decker slid into the starting lineup and shined with the opportunity. In Week 1 he made his mark as a return man (128 return yards and a touchdown); in Week 2 he showed that he could ably step in as the team's top go-to receiver (five catches on nine targets, 113 yards and two scores). Lloyd should be healthy for Week 3, but Eddie Royal's groin injury means Decker will continue to start. Another big performance could make Royal's health a moot point as Decker is already looking like the better long-term option.

WR Denarius Moore, ---

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If there was a silver lining for the Silver and Black in last week's heartbreaking loss to the Bills it was the emergence of Denarius Moore. On a receiving corps decimated by injury, Moore stepped up in a big way with a touchdown on 146 receiving yards and a flashy 25 yards on a reverse. This performance spotlighted Moore as a capable alternative to Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Raiders'(consummately underachieving) deep threat. True, he did most of his damage in the fourth quarter and will have a tougher fight for targets once Heyward-Bay, Jacoby Ford, Kevin Boss and Louis Murphy are all healthy. Still, the speedy wideout is on the fast track up the Oakland depth chart and well on his way to weekly fantasy relevance.

TE Scott Chandler, ---

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Buffalo currently owns the league's highest-scoring (and most surprising) offense. We know about the primary components -- Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson -- but most of us had never heard about emerging red zone specialist Scott Chandler. Let's take a peak at this journeyman's circuitous route to waiver stardom --
Drafted in 2007 by the Chargers, never played a down and was waived in 2009, picked up by the Cowboys, waived again, re-signed to their practice squad, signed by the Giants late in 2009, waived again in 2010, signed once more by the Cowboys where he cracked the active roster for a few months before being cut in December and eventually signed by the Bills, who decided to give this road warrior a crack at a starting job.
Through the first two weeks, Chandler has shown two things: limited athleticism and a sneaky scoring touch. He's no superstar, but he holds value as the outlet valve on a high-octane passing attack.

TE Ed Dickson, ---

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Dickson is a work in progress who is getting more looks every week. He continues to build a solid rapport with QB Joe Flacco and is second on the team behind Anquan Boldin in targets. Those targets didn't amount to much in Week 2, but Dickson has clearly distanced himself from fellow TE Dennis Pitta and is displaying a lot of growth potential. He makes a good stash-on-the-bench or TE2 candidate in fantasy leagues.

PK Jason Hanson, ---

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The Lions have been electric this young season and have launched Jason Hanson as a prospective league scoring leader. On the strength of his extra points alone, Hanson is positioned as a weekly fantasy contributor, but his avenue to fantasy success is paved as much by the Lions' stalwart defense as their brilliant offense. Detroit has no qualms about settling for field goals because they know their D can keep them in any ball game.
And never mind that Hanson is 41 -- it's not like the act of kicking a football requires much athleticism anyway.

Arizona

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I know I ripped on them last week (and I'll probably do it again a few times before the season is over), but the Cardinals have a chance next Sunday for some redemption against an offense that's setting a new standard for futility. The Seahawks can't run, can barely pass and have failed at protecting their QB. Even in the comfort of Qwest field, their outlook is grim.