by Mike Harmon

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Granted, owners of LaDainian Tomlinson are still concerned about the status of his toe, and they've already bid most of their FAAB (free agent acquisition budget) for the right to add Darren Sproles off waivers. However, Ike dominated the headlines.

The Ravens-Texans tilt was rescheduled for Monday, and damage to Reliant Stadium forced the movement of several contests down the line. Additionally, a number of games were impacted by the remnants of the storm, most notably the two games played in Ohio, where strong winds certainly changed the course of action.

In our continuing coverage of "Decision '08" for fantasy purposes, we saw a classic example of youth against experience, as Matt Cassel made his first start since high school, and it just happened to come against Brett Favre. The Rams taunted their fans by hanging around for a while before being blown out by the Giants. Peyton Manning ran for his life against the Vikings, but made them pay late as Tarvaris Jackson's ineffectiveness let the Colts hang around.

Ed Hochuli, normally known for bringing out "the gun show" in zebra stripes, made a colossal mistake to drop the Chargers to 0-2 (they still needed to make a play, so I'm not absolving them of all responsibility). And then, there's the next step in the evolution of a young quarterback in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers rolled into Motor City and rolled a terrible Detroit defense. He leads my list of Week 2 "Stars."

Stars

The Lions focused all of their energies to stop the run following last week's thumping by the dynamic duo of Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood. Unfortunately, the Detroit defense failed to produce a complete effort and forgot that the forward pass is allowed. Rodgers posted his second straight monster start to open the year, completing 24-of-38 pass attempts for 328 yards and three scores. (Donald Driver had seven receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. James Jones caught four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Jordy Nelson had one catch, a 29-yard touchdown.) Rodgers operated effectively out of the pocket once again and distributed the ball well. The only blemish on his record in this game was a lost fumble following a sack. He offset the lost points for the fumble with 25 rushing yards. Can he keep the momentum rolling when the Packers take on the Cowboys in Week 3?

Greg Jennings has yet to find the end zone in 2008, but he continually blows past would-be defenders off of the line for big gains. He caught six passes for 167 yards against the hapless Detroit pass defense. It was the second straight week in which he caught a pass over 50 yards.

The Green Bay defense terrorized Jon Kitna, save for that brief comeback period, sacking the veteran quarterback five times and intercepting him three times. Two of those interceptions, one by Charles Woodson and one by Nick Collins, were returned for touchdowns.

Sleeper selection Brandon Jackson took advantage of a smallish workload, carrying the ball just seven times for 61 yards and a touchdown. Jackson offered fantasy owners a 19-yard touchdown scamper late in the fourth quarter to save those who inserted him into the Flex position.

Second-year receiver Calvin Johnson shone brightly against the Packers, racking up six receptions for 126 yards and two scores. He knows how to use his big frame and accelerates to another speed once he hits the second level. He's topped 100 yards in each of the Lions' first two games this season.

It appeared Justin Fargas was going to run wild like Hulkamania against the Chiefs, but he was sidelined early with a groin injury. Rookie Darren McFadden picked up the torch and rumbled to 164 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, while losing a fumble. However, the drop wasn't enough to dampen the coming out party as the Raiders pulled off a road win despite a positively abysmal passing game. McFadden ran well inside the tackles, bouncing to the edge before kicking things into another gear.

Michael Bush also got into the action as the Raiders tried to grind out the game. He piled up 90 yards and a touchdown of his own. Bush also lost a fumble, something Tom Rathman will be working on with his young running backs this week, to be sure.

As expected, Minnesota superstar Adrian Peterson ran wild against the Indianapolis front, racking up 160 yards on 29 carries. He set the tone in this game with several long runs in the early going, but the Minnesota offense sputtered in the red zone and relied on the right foot of Ryan Longwell (another stud with his five field goals). Peterson's rushed for 263 yards in his first two games this season with an intriguing matchup against Carolina in the offing.

The Indianapolis offense sputtered terribly for three quarters, as the offensive line could not protect Peyton Manning from a relentless pass rush. The Colts finally broke through late, and Reggie Wayne was the recipient of Manning's lone touchdown pass. He finished with five receptions for 93 yards, and also added 17 yards on a strange lateral play as he took a pitch from Anthony Gonzalez on a big pass play. Owners who watched that game live are still contesting the call on the field. They want their second touchdown.

Indianapolis played without tight end Dallas Clark, and the second-year receiver elevated his game nicely. Gonzalez caught nine passes for 137 yards, including the 58-yard grab downfield that ultimately set up Joseph Addai's one-yard rushing touchdown.

Rookie Jonathan Stewart was the difference in a hard-fought battle between the Panthers and Bears. Stewart gained the tough yards against a hard-hitting Chicago defense, ultimately rushing for 77 yards with the first two touchdowns of his young career. He averaged a robust 5.5 yards per carry, including a 24-yard sprint.

Matt Forte couldn't match his Week 1 brilliance, but I'd be remiss if I failed to acknowledge his 92 rushing yards against the Panthers. The selection of Forte in this year's draft has already paid great dividends for the Bears. He's averaging 4.7 yards per carry. The Bears averaged a dismal 3.3 yards per carry in 2007.

The Giants dominated Sunday's game against the Rams, but didn't put the home team away until late. Fantasy owners expected Eli Manning to generate a high point total in this matchup, and they certainly didn't walk away disappointed. He completed 20-of-29 attempts for 260 yards with three touchdowns. He was sacked twice. However, he didn't commit a turnover.

Manning connected with his veteran receivers Plaxico Burress (five catches for 81 yards) and Amani Toomer (six receptions for 67 yards) for two of his three touchdown passes. Brandon Jacobs plowed his way for 93 yards. His backup, Ahmad Bradshaw, produced two touchdowns and 70 total yards in limited work. Bradshaw caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Manning midway through the fourth quarter and later added a 31-yard sprint to cap the scoring.

The Rams appear to be destined for a horrible season. For all of the misery, veteran receiver Torry Holt still gets the job done. Holt caught six passes for 76 yards including a 45-yard touchdown strike from Marc Bulger.

The Redskins took full advantage of their 10-day layoff between games and the fact that New Orleans entered the contest without many of its defensive starters. Sleeper Jason Campbell capped a Washington comeback with a 67-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss. It was Moss' second touchdown of the season. He finished the game with seven receptions for 164 yards. Campbell passed for 321 yards and took two sacks. He didn't commit a turnover in the game.

Clinton Portis scored two touchdowns and keyed the Skins' comeback win over the Saints on Sunday. (Drew Hallowell / Getty Images)

Campbell took full advantage of running back Clinton Portis' huge effort. Portis amassed 96 rushing yards on 21 carries (4.6 yards per carry) with two touchdowns. The line showed improvement between the Week 1 matchup and this weekend's tilt against New Orleans (granted, it was a step down in class defensively). As Campbell grows into his role, Portis will continue to see more running space.

The Atlanta-Tampa Bay game registered as a yawner overall, but fantasy owners did receive a jolt when Earnest Graham busted loose for a 68-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Graham finished the game with 115 rushing yards on 15 times. Longtime Falcons tailback Warrick Dunn performed well against his former team, rushing for 49 yards on 12 attempts, including a 17-yard touchdown run.

With wide receivers falling by the wayside in rapid succession, the Seahawks leaned heavily on tailback Julius Jones against the 49ers. Jones carried the ball 26 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. He added three receptions for 14 yards. Maurice Morris will be sidelined for several more weeks, and while super vulture T.J. Duckett remains in the mix at the goal line, it's Jones' team. Mike Holmgren literally has no choice.

I need to give a nod to Seattle tight end John Carlson. I promoted him heavily during the preseason, and given the litany of injuries sustained by the Seahawks, the rookie tight end stands tall, literally and figuratively. He caught six passes for 78 yards and appears to have established a solid rapport with Matt Hasselbeck. Again, he has no choice.

Bryant Johnson's just now rounding into game shape after missing much of the preseason. Johnson caught a touchdown pass from the resilient J.T. O'Sullivan and finished the game with six receptions for 78 yards. Veteran Isaac Bruce caught four passes for 153 yards, a phenomenal effort after being shut out in the opener.

There's only one stud from the Jets-Patriots game for me. No, it's not either of the quarterbacks, although Matt Cassel performed admirably under a heavy rush. I'm giving the nod to Chansi Stuckey, the second-year receiver from Clemson. Stuckey scored for the second straight week and finished the game with four receptions for 43 yards.

There was a buzz surrounding the Denver-San Diego game on Sunday afternoon, given the high-powered offenses involved and the return of Brandon Marshall. I'll forgo an analysis of the blown call by Hercules late in this contest and rant on that in a blog posting later today. Let's just go inside the numbers. Marshall returned from his one-game suspension with a ridiculous 18-reception, 166-yard performance that included catching one of Jay Cutler's four touchdown strikes. Cutler passed for 350 yards and threw an interception and was sacked once. That interception was a horrible decision, as Denver was moving deep into San Diego territory. A swarm of white jerseys surrounded his receiver, and the subsequent Chargers drive ended in a 66-yard sprint to the end zone by Darren Sproles off a short pass from Philip Rivers. Cutler should have lost two for a fumble and that last touchdown and two-point conversion shouldn't have been on the board, but so be it. The calls stands, and fantasy owners celebrate.

Eddie Royal had a quiet second game until that final drive. He finished the game with five receptions for 37 yards, a touchdown and the aforementioned two-point conversion.

Tony Scheffler got the party started for the Broncos with two early touchdown receptions. He was non-existent in the second half as the San Diego defense stiffened, so he finished the game with six receptions for 64 yards.

I mentioned Sproles and Rivers before, and they both performed brilliantly. Sproles may have worked his way into a few Flex positions given the pregame reports concerning Tomlinson's foot, and those owners were rewarded with 125 yards of offensive production (53 rushing, 72 receiving) and 192 return yards, including a brilliant 103-yard kickoff return touchdown. If Michael Turner is "The Burner," what shall we call Sproles? "The Flame?" Remember, I'm the "Firestarter."

Rivers pass for 377 yards and three touchdowns with a sack and an interception. He connected with Chris Chambers (four catches for 83 yards) on two of his touchdown strikes and made things interesting with his final heave toward the end zone. Fantasy owners happily watched the ball fall incomplete once it was clear Chambers wasn't going to catch the desperation throw.

I remain concerned about the pass-blocking of the Arizona line, but they gave Kurt Warner enough time to shred the Dolphins on Sunday. Warner completed 19-of-24 attempts for 361 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were caught by Anquan Boldin, who caught six passes for 140 yards, including the opening 79-yard strike. Teammate Larry Fitzgerald matched Boldin's six catches, finishing with 153 receiving yards of his own.

The conditions weren't ideal for the Sunday night affair in Cleveland, and owners who started Browns and Steelers players were left crossing their fingers as kickoff loomed. The Steelers produced two stars in this contest, receiver Hines Ward and running back Willie Parker. Ward caught five passes for 59 yards from Ben Roethlisberger, his third touchdown of the season. Parker forged ahead for 105 yards on 28 rushing attempts. His YPC average was a smallish 3.8, but his 19-yard sprint late in the game (which looked like he could make a sprint to paydirt) sealed a Pittsburgh win. Parker's averaged 121.5 rushing yards per game.

Rookie tailback Chris Johnson of the Titans posted his second straight sterling effort to open the year, rushing for 109 yards on 19 attempts. He's averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 34 attempts in 2008, the perfect speed complement to the smashmouth style of LenDale White.

The Titans defense played well once again, generating two interceptions, a sack and a blocked punt return for a touchdown. Keith Bulluck, who openly stated his desire to take his shots on Chad Johnson, scored the touchdown.

As expected, Justin Gage benefitted from the insertion of Kerry Collins at quarterback. Gage caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, an 11-yard score toward the end of the first half. He's one of the top claims on the wire this week, with a Week 3 date against the Texans on tap.

Finally, I feel the need to give some love to the Bengals. It's temporary, as I'll bash the rest of the offense in the "Flops" section below. Running back Chris Perry posted a solid, albeit unspectacular, day with 64 rushing yards on 21 attempts. He receives a mention here, because he found the end zone on a fourth-down carry.

LenDale has already seen his carries cut in half with the emergence of Chris Johnson in the Tennessee backfield. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

Tweeners

LenDale White had a good weekend. His USC Trojans thumped the Ohio State Buckeyes, and he helped lead the Titans to a win over Cincinnati with 59 rushing yards and a plunge into the end zone. Chris Johnson might be the leader in the timeshare, but White's always going to get his carries and goal-line opportunities. Why change the formula? Play good defense and pound the rock.

Buffalo tailback Marshawn Lynch didn't post a monster game, but he did find the end zone. He welcomed Jason Peters back to the line and rushed the Bills to victory with 59 yards. His quarterback, Trent Edwards, was efficient against the Jaguars, completing 20-of-25 attempts for 235 yards. Edwards absorbed three sacks and threw a beautiful seven-yard touchdown pass to rookie red zone monster James Hardy in the back of the end zone. It was a pretty toss, and undoubtedly the first of many touchdown hook-ups to come for this duo.

Frank Gore appears here because of his end zone appearance, but he needs to hang onto the ball. He lost another fumble that resulted in a Seattle touchdown. Gore finished with 61 rushing yards with five receptions for 38 yards.

Quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan performed well for the 49ers against the Seahawks, although he was punished thoroughly. He was sacked eight times during this game and was seemingly running for his life with regularity. He demonstrated great poise in this game, ultimately finishing with 321 passing yards and a score. Despite the constant pressure, he didn't commit a turnover.

Offensive production was at a minimum in the Sunday night game in Cleveland. I noted the efforts of Hines Ward and Willie Parker above. Ben Roethlisberger managed the game well and narrowly missed on a couple of deep balls (one of which was thrown to Parker out of the backfield early in the game). He passed for 186 yards and a touchdown while absorbing three sacks. His shoulder might be a problem long-term, but he threw well on Sunday. Santonio Holmes, who was non-existent in Week 1, finished with five receptions for 94 yards. While we'd like to see Holmes in the end zone, it's a start.

Kellen Winslow caught seven passes for 55 yards. Unless you're in a PPR league, he wasn't much help, but I'd be remiss if I failed to at least acknowledge his heavy participation in the sputtering Cleveland offense.

I'm putting Sammy Morris here just because I love the stat line. Morris carried the ball eight times for zero yards, but he did score against the Jets. LaMont Jordan ran for 62 yards on 11 carries and figures to become the lead tailback in New England should Laurence Maroney miss time because of his latest injury.

Wes Welker caught seven passes for 72 yards as Matt Cassel efficiently worked short routes against the Jets. Cassel passed for 165 yards and didn't commit a turnover.

Brett Favre passed for 181 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Sunday's loss to the Patriots.

Reggie Bush was of great help to those in PPR leagues with seven receptions for 53 yards, while his 28 rushing yards offered little support. He made his presence felt in the return game with a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown. He's not doing it in a convention fashion, but he's been a steal for fantasy owners early this year.

Jon Kitna's day represents what some would argue as the problem with fantasy football. He passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns while taking five sacks and throwing three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. In leagues where sacks aren't penalized and the impact of turnovers is minimized, he still produced a strong fantasy day.

Joseph Addai failed miserably against the Minnesota run defense behind a banged-up offensive line, but his touchdown saved the day. He finished Sunday's win with 20 yards on 15 carries.

Flops

The Cincinnati offense is a disaster. There's no need to dance around it. Carson Palmer is set for a difficult 2008 campaign given the offensive line woes and injuries to his top targets. Palmer posted another horrible outing, completing just 16-of-27 attempts for 134 yards with two interceptions and a sack. He's averaged 114 passing yards through two weeks of play and has yet to throw a touchdown. Oh, boy! He gets to try and evade the Giants' pass rush in Week 3. Find another option.

Palmer's top receivers were invisible once again, quite obviously. Chad Ocho Cinco caught four passes for 37 yards. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught three passes for 26 yards. There's no need to elaborate.

Although he found the end zone, personal hero Maurice Jones-Drew struggled once again. Jones-Drew carried the ball seven times for 17 yards (he had no rushing attempts at halftime), adding three receptions for 25 yards. Unfortunately, those modest gains were negated somewhat by a lost fumble.

Backfield mate Fred Taylor carried the ball 14 times for 49 yards with one reception for five yards. The Jaguars are salivating with a Week 3 matchup against the run-friendly Indianapolis defense.

The final head shake goes to David Garrard, who struggled terribly against the Bills. He passed for a mere 165 yards with an interception and absorbed a sack. The normally-efficient Garrard's already thrown three interceptions. He did rush for 32 yards, though, so that at least negated the interception.

Fantasy owners were high on Greg Olsen entering the year, but he's a chief reason the Bears failed to sneak out of Carolina with a win. He caught two passes for 17 yards and lost two fumbles. I need to get another order of "Stick 'Um" in, as fumbleitis has run rampant through two weeks of play.

OK, so it's not his fault, but I have to put Matt Hasselbeck of the Seahawks below the line. He completed half of his pass attempts for 189 yards with one sack and two interceptions.

The Cleveland offense sputtered for the second straight week. You can blame the weather all you want. Something's amiss in Ohio. Jamal Lewis rushed 19 times for a miserable 38 yards against the Pittsburgh front. Derek Anderson struggled again, completing 18-of-32 pass attempts for 166 yards with two interceptions and two sacks. In his defense, Braylon Edwards, who caught anything and everything thrown to him in 2007, dropped several passes. He finished with three receptions for 32 yards.

Chad Pennington didn't commit a turnover against the Cardinals, but he didn't exactly light up the sky, either. He completed 10-of-20 attempts for 112 yards with two sacks before being relieved of duty by rookie Chad Henne. Anthony Fasano, a Week 1 waiver hero, didn't record a single reception on Sunday. One week after catching eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, Fasano wasn't targeted at all.

Ricky Williams has struggled so far this season, working behind a revamped offensive line in Miami. (Marc Serota / Getty Images)

Ricky Williams carried the ball 11 times for a miserable 28 yards. Ronnie Brown wasn't much better with his 25 rushing yards, but he saved himself with a meaningless touchdown late in the game.

The passing game lit up the scoreboard in Arizona, and rookie Tim Hightower powered to the end zone for a touchdown. As such, Edgerrin James receives a "Flop" label this week. James carried the ball 18 times for a mere 55 yards.

I don't often have cause to put Randy Moss down in this area, but he was invisible on Sunday. He caught two passes for 22 yards and failed to catch a deep ball from Matt Cassel late. Granted, he blew past coverage, and a good throw would've resulted in an easy score. He came back for the ball, and it bounced off of his chest. Alas, there was a long gain possibility wasted.

Jerricho Cotchery was taken out of the game by the New England scheme. He caught one pass for 20 yards, finishing the game with just three looks.

The Atlanta offense took a huge step backward against the Buccaneers. Matt Ryan failed to find a rhythm, completing just 13-of-33 attempts for 158 yards with four sacks and two interceptions. The Buccaneers contained Michael Turner, limiting the Week 1 star to 42 yards on 14 attempts. Jerious Norwood contributed 18 yards on six carries. Each tailback recorded one catch (eight and six yards, respectively).

Drew Brees and Jeremy Shockey posted terrible days against the Redskins. Brees passed for 216 yards with a touchdown, two sacks and two interceptions. Shockey, who was expected to take on a larger role in the absence of Marques Colston, caught two of the three passes thrown to him for 22 yards and lost a fumble.

Steven Jackson of the Rams generated 90 yards of total offense (53 rushing and 37 receiving), so it wasn't a horrible day. Owners in PPR leagues did benefit from his seven receptions. However, I want more from a top-five pick, so to the "Flops" list he comes.

Randy McMichael was a non-factor following a huge Week 1, as he was forced to try and contain the New York rush. McMichael finished Sunday's game with two receptions for 24 yards.

The Packers dominated early, then let the Lions back in the game. Jon Kitna connected with Calvin Johnson for two touchdowns, and suddenly Detroit had the lead. Unfortunately, fantasy owners received no help from Kevin Smith and Roy Williams in this outing. As good as Smith might be down the line, fantasy owners have to hope for an early strike from him, because this team will be playing from behind with great regularity. Smith finished with 10 carries for 40 yards. As for Williams, he missed on a couple potential scoring opportunities early, then watched Johnson finish the job. He completed the game with three receptions for 48 yards.

Larry Johnson's openly questioning his role in Kansas City, and so are we. Johnson carried the ball just 12 times for 22 yards against the Raiders. That's just embarrassing in a winnable game against the dreaded Oakland squad at home. I suppose we can point to the fact that the Kansas City defense couldn't get off the field as the three-headed monster in the Oakland backfield ran wild, but that's just ridiculous.

Marvin Harrison was a non-factor in Sunday's strange game between the Colts and Vikings. Peyton Manning faced heavy pressure all day and couldn't establish a connection with his longtime running mate. Harrison caught a single pass for 16 yards and was targeted just four times.