Hiccups and Pickups: Week 2

FALLING DOWN

Maurice Jones-Drew. Pocket Hercules got struck by the Lightning on Sunday, gaining just 31 yards on the ground and catching one ball for 17 yards. MJD will be looking for his best Best impression this week, as the Jags host the defensively offensive Lions.

Jamaal Charles. Chiefs fans will take it, but Jamaal's owners will not. Thomas Jones got twice Jamaal's carries in Week 2, as the biggest home-run threat in the AFC West was kept in the park...by Cleveland. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis will look to get Charles more involved in the coming weeks, but at 2-0, can't exactly be criticized either.

Ryan Mathews. Ryan's ankle injury seemed like deja vu after Ryan Grant went down on opening weekend, but that he begged to get back in the game offers Mathews owners some hope. Still, Mike Tolbert looked really good and should eat into Mathews' workload once he's ready to return.

Shonn Greene. A statistical improvement over his Week 1 effort, Greene's 52 rushing yards vs. the Patriots may not have been enough to keep his starting job. LaDainian was the more effective back on Sunday, and to this point in the season has been the more prepared, reliable performer.

Greg Jennings. A game that fantasy owners salivate over often results in a stinker for the team's number one air option. The Bills were able to do one thing successfully on Sunday, which was keep Jennings off the scoreboard. He'll easily improve on his 3/31 outing this week, but Jennings is the type of team-first player that would take that statline in a winning effort every time.

MERCURY RISING

Jahvid Best. Jahvid may have had his best career game in just his second. Owners who had him benched vs. the highly rated Philly D will be chasing this effort all year long, and though he won't top 40 points with regularity, he's worth a weekly start until further notice.

Jason Snelling. Mike Turner's injury gave Snelling the Chance, and now Atlanta fans are beating their Community Chest about their loaded backfield. Though Turner seems to be fine, Snelling is his unquestioned understudy and absolutely worth picking up, especially given Turner's propensity for getting nicked up.

LeSean McCoy. LeSean was able to Run Away from the Lions all game on Sunday, to the tune of 120 yards and three touchdowns. Best guess is The Real McCoy will be in Jim Schwartz's head while he sleeps for at least a few weeks..."Another night, another dream, but always you."

DeSean Jackson. DeSean likes Michael Vick, he just doesn't like it when he calls him "dog." Either way, Jackson's game was unleashed with Vick under center, and calls for Kevin Kolb are fainter than that kid at the spelling bee.

Demaryius Thomas. Georgia Tech recruited Demaryius to replace Calvin Johnson. He did. The Broncos drafted Demaryius to replace Brandon Marshall. He will. If you need to fill a WR or a WR/RB slot, realize that GT and Denver have a lot more riding on their success than you.

Kevin Walter. There's plenty to go around when your QB throws for 497 yards. It won't be that abundant for Walter every week, but that his 11-catch performance came in a monster game for Andre is encouraging. Until Owen Daniels shows that he's a fantasy threat again, view Kevin as the number two receiving option in Houston, which is certainly worth rostering.

Brandon Pettigrew. Opening week starter Matthew Stafford seemed to prefer Tony Scheffler, but that trend reversed completely in Week 2, as replacement Shaun Hill found Pettigrew 7 times for 108 yards against the Eagles. Pettigrew is a nice guy to add if he has a different bye week than the tight end you drafted, or if you went with Jason Witten or Brent Celek and want some insurance.