I see it year after year, folks taking the heralded rookie over the solid veteran. A lot of league titles were won last season with Clinton Portis and Jamal Lewis as the starting running backs. Yes I know that the two dudes are certainly not the most reliable players ever to suite up. The fact remains that when both are healthy they are more consistent than the Reggie Bush's of the league. I too have been guilty of reaching for that sexy pick instead of the solid player, and have paid for it more often than not.

I am an Adrian Peterson owner this season, however regretfully elected not to reach for him last season at all. The best solution to this problem is, if you have to have a rookie or two on your team then take them but first secure your starting spots before reaching for a Desean Jackson or a Chris Johnson. Granted both players could very well end up atop the rankings, however the risk is far too big to sink a 5th or 6th round selection into. If you wanted Darren McFadden this season, you may have had to make the decision to take him in round 1, however the risk associated with a McFadden is far less than that of drafting proven veterans like Joseph Adai, Marion Barber or Edge. Sure the ceiling maybe higher for Forte or a Johnathan Stewart, but don't get caught paying too high of a price for their services when drafting.

It's o.k. to draft sexy, but please make sure your solid before your sexy and your chances of hoisting a trophy should increase.

If you haven't heard by now the Vikings has officially put the Tavarius Jackson experiment on hold and it may remain that way. Jackson was booed throughout almost the entire game at home against the Colts last week even when the Vikings were up 15-0 the boos rained down. Frerotte should take some pressure off of Peterson this week and for weeks to come. If ol' Gus can muster 180 and a score every week it should make an already stellar running attack scary. 37-44-1 is Frerotte's career record in 14 seasons in the league.

Brandon Marshall declared Marshall law on Sunday against the Chargers pulling down 18 balls. Look for the newly activated Marshall to continue to be a top 5 receiver now that quarterback Jay Cutler has his diabetes under control the sky is the limit for this duo.

Steve Smith is expected to make his highly anticipated return this week. However we believe that Smith owners should remain cautious and temper your expectations, at least for this week.

Week 3

Boom

Week 3

Boom

1. N. Folk

2. M. Crosby

3. N. Keading

Week 3

Boom

1. J. Witten

2. T. Gonzalez

3. A. Gates

4. J. Shockey

5. K. Winslow

Bust

1. T. Heap

2. V. Davis

3. M. Lewis

Week 3

Boom

1. B. Westbrook
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Marion Barber
4. Willie Parker
5. Clinton Portis
6 F. Gore
7. M. Lynch
8. Reggie Bush
9. J. Adai
10. M. Forte
11. M. Turner

Bust

1. L.T.
2. L. Johnson
3 S. Jackson
4. D. Macfadden

Brian Westbrook - Showed that he is the premier running back in the NFL this season. Westbrook may have taken the torch from L.T. at least for now. We say 26 carries 110 yards and 2 TD's this week.

Marion Barber - Barber very well may be the best back in the league. He runs with agression and just might plow his way to a peranent top 3 ranking for a RB. We say 19 carries, 80 yards and 2 TD's this week.

Larry Johnson - Wow this cat has fallen pretty far pretty quick, we say benh him this week and if you have a Kevin Smith or Johnathan Stewart let them have a crack at the lineup.

Week 3 Rankings

Boom

1. T.O.
2. A. Boldin
3. Brandon Marshall
4. Reggie Wayne
5. Plaxico Burress
6. Randy Moss
7. Larry Fitzgerald
8. Greg Jennings
9. Calvin Johnson
10.Andre Johnson

Bust

1. T.J.
2. B. Edwards
3. M. Colston

T.O. - Huge game last week vs. Philadelphia. Owens made the best out of limited targets and posted 2 touchdowns. With Romo being sort of erratic at times, Owens may suffer from the same ups and downs that plague most receivers but we like Owens to have the most Touchdown receptions from this point on barring injury. We say, T.O. is now ahead of Randy Moss, if you trade him at this point you are foolish.

Brandon Marshall - We really like the start that the Broncos have had offensively. The zone blocking scheme has given Cutler all day in the pocket, and when the pressure comes Cutler looks even better on the run. Marshall was the most targeted receiver in the NFL last year and could very well do the same this season in only 15 games. We say start him.

Steve Smith - First game back from suspension. We project 6 catches for 76 yards, You decide on the touchdown, we say bench him this week unless your in a huge bind. By week 4 he ought to be back up and rolling.

Edwards/T.J. - At this point you have to bench both players. Edwards has more overall value than does T.J. for the remainder of the season, however both players face stiff schedules throughout the rest of the season. The goo thing is that the Browns do play the Bengals twice.

Boom

1. Tony Romo
2. Peyton Manning
3. Donavan Mcnabb
4. Jay Cutler
5. Eli Manning
6. Kurt Warner
7. Phillip Rivers

Bust

1.Carson Palmer
2.Derick Anderson
3.Jamarcus Russell

Kurt Warner - After having a stellar game last week in which he finished with a perfect passer rating, Kurt Warner looked as if he has the skills to turn back the hands of time, at least for another 15 weeks or so. We say unless you have any of the players on your roster that we rank ahead of him, then you should start him.

Phillip Rivers - Career game last week. Rivers looks as if he is meshing quite nicely with Chris Chambers. Rivers moves up the list to the #7 must start QB this week. We say start him.

Eli Manning - Manning finally has settled down and looks as if he is the player that most folks thought he would become. Manning is much more confident this season and his numbers show it Manning has thrown for over 475 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first 2 outings. Look for Manning to remain consistent all season and possibly to challenge his brother for a top 3 spot.

Palmer/Anderson - If you have either one of these guys on your team right now don't panic. You should certainly bench both of them right now, but don't release either at this time. We like Anderson's value better over the course of the remainder of the season. Cincinnati does play 5 teams with top 10 defenses in the last 5 weeks of the season, making a productive start even more unlikely.