Week 2: Player Upgrades

WR DeSean Jackson, PHI

Jackson has become a mainstay in my Player Upgrades article, and it is mostly because of his play on the field. After Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown went down in the pre-season, Jackson stepped up and won the starting job out of camp. Philadelphia destroyed the St. Louis Rams 38-3 with the help of the rookie out of California. DeSean Jackson recorded 6 catches for 106 yards, including a 47 yard reception on the Eagles' first drive of the game. With Brown and Curtis out for the foreseeable future, Jackson will play a prominent role in the Eagles' passing game. If DeSean Jackson is still available on your league's wavier wire, go pick him up because he will be the top rookie wide receiver in the NFL this season.

WR Wes Welker, NE

Tom Brady is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, ending his streak of 128 consecutive starts; the loss of Brady will have an enormous impact on the entire Patriots offense. Matt Cassell will take over the starting job in New England, and will be throwing the ball plenty, but lets remember what Belichick did in 2001 when Drew Bledsoe went down and they turned to an unknown 6th round pick named Tom Brady. Belichick had Brady manage the game by running the ball with Antwan Smith and focusing on the short passing game, utilizing screen passes with the likes of Troy Brown and Kevin Faulk. The Patriots have five running backs on their roster, so you can bet they will run the ball more with Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris, LaMont Jordan, Kevin Faulk, and Heath Evans (as well as focus on the short passing game utilizing Kevin Faulk, and Wes Welker). Fantasy owners will believe that Welker's fantasy value will take a hit with Brady gone, but I expect it to go up. Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will find creative ways to get the ball in Welker and Moss' hands, and while I wouldn't expect the Patriots' offense to be anywhere near last season, I believe fantasy owners have an excellent buy-low opportunity here to acquire Wes Welker for a lot less than he is worth.

Remember to read all our columns for this week and use our Who To Start Rankings