Empty the Bench

Darren Sproles, RB, San Diego Chargers – Sunday’s 317 all-purpose yards to compliment 2 TDs was certainly a monster and somewhat surprise effort, but it didn’t come totally out of the blue. The ‘05 fourth-round pick out of Kansas State has been mostly LT insurance these past few seasons, but showed what he’s capable of when given a chance last year against the lowly Lions: 25 carries, 122 yards, 2 TDs.

He should be owned in every league by every LT owner, yet is still available in 63% of Yahoo! leagues. If you drafted Tomlinson but didn’t handcuff Sproles to him, do it right now. If you didn’t draft Tomlinson but want to sea-hammock the person who did, add him right now. Something tells us LT is going to miss at least a few games this season, and if he does Sproles would likely make for a very fine RB2 or RB3. There’s probably some dead weight on the bottom of your fantasy roster anyway, right?

Bryant Johnson, WR, San Francisco 49ers – 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz loves to run up the score when given the chance, and he just might get that opportunity this week when his former team, the ever-shitty Detroit Lions, come to town. The Lions have now been shredded in successive weeks by Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers, and there’s no reason to think another ex-Lion, J.T. O’Sullivan, won’t join ‘em. Available in 55% of Yahoo! leagues, Johnson is settling in as O’Sullivan’s top target and at a minimum is a fairly solid bet to score in Week 3. If you need help at WR, you could do worse than Johnson this week.

Tim Hightower, RB, Arizona Cardinals – Edgerrin James doesn’t strike us as a very sexy fantasy back. Maybe it’s the fact that he hasn’t topped 3.6 YPC since 2005 when he was still in Indy or the fact that he has yet to score a TD this season. Or, maybe, it’s just that 30-year-old RBs with little to no burst through the hole don’t last very long when there’s a rookie back behind him on the depth chart with 2 TDs in his first two NFL games. Hightower won’t get the starting job for at least a few weeks, but he’s getting the goal-line carries and it’s only a matter of time before he gets more.

Seven more guys to keep your fantasy eye on after the break…

Julius Jones, RB, Seattle Seahawks – Jones is only available in 26% of Yahoo! leagues, but that means he can be had for absolutely nothing in more than 2 of every 10. With Maurice Morris out for a few more weeks and not very good anyway, Jones will be getting plenty of burn with the offensively challeged ‘Hawks. His 141 all-purpose yards and a score in Week 2 are a solid baseline projection for what he could do against those terrible Rams in Week 3.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers – After his 2-TD effort on Sunday against the Bears, the secret is most definitely out on this potential stud rookie and he’s probably not available on waivers at this point (83% owned in Yahoo!). Double-check to make sure he’s not still around in yours, and even if he is keep an eye on the wire next Monday. He’s going to find it tough going in Week 3 on the road in Minnesota, and you and I both know there are impatient owners a-plenty out there who might drop him in haste.

Tony Scheffler, TE, Denver Broncos – All this “Nate Jackson is the Broncos’ starting tight end” talk was typical preseason Mike Shenanigans smoke. Jay Cutler and his Tony Scheffler clearly have a fondness for each other that only a quarterback and a tight end can have, and with Cutler already well on his way to a breakout season Scheffler simply should not still be available in nearly 3 of every 10 Yahoo! leagues. Add him and start him with confidence until further notice (7 catches, 136 yards, 2 TDs in two games).

Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore Ravens – Willis McGahee doesn’t want much to do with the Ravens, and the Ravens don’t seem to want to have much to do with him either. And though Rice, the Ravens’ rookie second-round pick, was unspectacular in his Week 1 debut (73 combined yards, 2.9 YPC, 1 fumble), I will guarantee he’s the starter no later than Week 7… just in time for juicy matchups against the Dolphins, Raiders, Browns, and Texans.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers – Rarely do first-round picks waste away on the sidelines for very long, especially when they play for teams with a penchant for pounding the football down their opponents’ throats whenever possible. The Steelers are one such team, and though Fast Willie Parker has had a nice start to the season, we just don’t see him holding up from start to finish given his current workload. Mendenhall logged 0 carries against the Browns, but that’ll just keep him that much fresher for when he’s a much more important contributor down the road this year. Available in 45% of Yahoo! leagues, he’s at a minimum a must-own right now for Parker owners.

Vincent Jackson, WR, San Diego Chargers – We loved V-Jax last year and touted his talents and potential nearly every damn week here. He then went out and made us look like damn fools, scoring just three times all season and never exceeding 100 yards in any given game and finishing with just 623 yards receiving in 15 games. The 6-5 Jackson was a beast come the postseason, however, with 18 catches, 300 yards, and 2 TDs in three games. He still hasn’t pulled down 100 yards during the regular season–ever–but the early signs are encouraging: through two weeks the man with the massive mits has 9 catches, 120 yards, and a score.

Amani Toomer, WR, New York Giants – I know: you want to add Toomer, much less start him, about as much as you want to watch The Phantom Menace. Both are painful procedures, but at least with Toomer you get some spotty quality mixed in with the nothing-to-see-here moments. Unless youngsters Steve Smith and/or Sinorice Moss significantly step it up, Toomer will stay in the starting lineup and is a fairly decent possession receiver for Baby Eli. If you need a spot starter, Toomer could be in line for similar Week 2 stats (6 catches, 67 yards, TD) against the likes of the Bengals, Seahawks, Browns, 49ers, etc.

Tony Scheffler Photo Credit: Icon SMI