Although its only week two, it was definitely feeling like we are already further along in the season, especially with the way some of the rookies are playing. Other rookies, on the other hand, havent really found their roles with the team yet, and that is somewhat concerning. Im sure that as the season moves on, we will get a much better picture of who are the contenders and who are the pretenders, but I am not sure if it is even 50% clear at this point. Without further adieu, your Royal Rumble begins.

Jahvid Best – SCU Week 2 Rookie of the Week

What most people don’t get about Best is that he has already put up numbers in two weeks that resemble some entire rookie campaigns. He has 5 TDs, which may actually be tops in the league, as well as close to 300 total yards from scrimmage. Just ridiculous, considering that he plays in Detroit and Stafford is on the shelf. As I said in the previous post, his cards are exploding right now, and I would definitely expect that to continue. They play my Vikings next week, and with the way our defense has been playing, he may continue to do well. With Mathews out with an ankle injury and Bryant only measuring up partially at this early point, Best looks to be in the driver’s seat for the year’s top rookie.

Sam Bradford

If you said that Bradford would have put the Rams in a position to win for two weeks in a row to start the season, I would have scoffed at you. Although he has played two teams that are not looking great, he hasn’t played terrible, and is actually holding his own, considering his O-line has the stopping power that they do. Is Bradford tearing it up? No, but he isnt playing like I expected either. Once he plays a team like Washington next week, I would expect that his true rookie colors will show, but right now, he should feel good about where he is. His cards are holding, which was a complete longshot to start the year, maybe even climbing a little, but I would still sell as quick as you can if you manage to pull his stuff.

CJ Spiller

Where has he been? Seriously, its like the Bills don’t want to get him involved. I get that Fred Jackson has been doing okay, but that doesn’t excuse them not giving Spiller some carries against a team that is destined to tear their faces off. He only had 1 carry during the entire game, and caught a few out of the backfield, but like I said many times before, Buffalo was probably the worst place he could have ended up. I don’t expect much out of Spiller this year, but I certainly do not expect him to become Hey-Bey 2k10.

Dez Bryant

Although the Cowboys slipped to 0-2 this week against a suprisingly tough Bears team, Bryant made the highlight reels with a nice touchdown on a punt return. Bryant is playing well as the slot guy in big D, and should continue to produce as long as Romo continues to do so as well. For a receiver, Bryant’s cards were astronomically priced to start the year, and after yesterday, they have definitely bolstered in value, but I don’t think they are going to be able to sustain their bump unless he starts getting the ball more. With Austin playing the way he is, I don’t see that happening as much.

Jimmy Clausen

Clausen managed to get on the field yesterday, but the results werent anything to write home about. The Panthers got killed by Tampa Bay, who has managed to start the season 2-0, and that alone is more suprising than Clausen’s lack of production. The Panthers have turned into a team in turmoil, and I have a distinct feeling that they will eventually find a way to turn it around. Clausen, in my opinion, has the best shot of any of the QBs to do well in this league, but so far he has yet to show any brilliance. His card values are still 100% speculation at this point, and I doubt they will be effected by some garbage time snaps.

Dexter McCluster

Last week’s national TV highlight performance came back to earth this week, as McCluster barely got the chance to touch the ball. He got one rushing attempt and no receptions, and did very little in the return game. I still cant believe how much money people are paying for a guy drafted to do well on special teams initially, but that’s me. McCluster may eventually turn into a nice option for the Chiefs, but in terms of his value for prospectors, I would much rather put my money somewhere else on the table. Playing in KC is very tough for card values, especially now because of how terrible the team is looking to be.

Jordan Shipley

Last week, Shipley proved to be someone who can eat up receptions and get some yardage when needed. This week, he did so again with 5 for 42 yards. He has yet to get into the endzone, but right now he is looking like this year’s mid round role player, something that can up his value to collectors. I believe he is leading rookie receivers in the reception department, but still has some meat left on the bone in terms of yardage. He has already outperformed his fellow third round receivers, and could end up being somewhat like Austin Collie in Cincy.

Golden Tate

Shutout in week one for receptions, Tate managed one big reception for 52 yards this week in a tough loss to the Broncos. I really expected him to be a much larger part of the offense due to lack of options, but so far he really hasn’t factored in all that much. I still have high hopes for the Golden Domer, but he really needs to step up and show that he is worthy of the values his cards bring in. Golden is an extremely nice guy who really took the time to talk with the fans at the premiere, and I desperately want him to do well as a result.

Ryan Mathews

Mathews was supposed to be the front runner for the ROY, but instead has done nothing but fumble and get hurt. The Chargers cleaned up against Jacksonville but Mathews did not factor into the massive amounts of offense in any way due to an early ankle injury. Its sad really, because he has had more opportunity than anyone to do well in his role, and I think it may take a while for him to live up to expectations if he continues to play like he has.

Mike Williams

Tampa Bay is playing great right now, and Williams has been a solid contributor to the scoring in each of their wins. He had another impressive TD catch this week, and the way his cards have responded on eBay reflected that. I think its definitely going to be a test to see if he develops into TB’s top receiver, but with Arrelious Benn doing absolutely nothing, they may have gotten a bargain in drafting him as late as they did.

Jermaine Gresham

Gresham did not have too much of a part of the big win against the Ravens managing 3 catches for 15 yards, but as a tight end, those types of weeks will happen. I never invest in players like him, mainly because you have to develop into a fan favorite before your cards can be worth anything as a TE. With Ocho and TO pretty much running the show now, that’s pretty much impossible.

The Rookie Graveyard

Its still VERY early, but a few players are definitely deserving of being added to the mix here. Considering the expectations on the two guys below, I think its okay to be put into this category, even if it is temporary.

Ryan Mathews – He was supposed to be THE rookie to watch, not the guy to watch from the bench
CJ Spiller – Has managed just 8 carries for 9 yards. The Bills may be running Lynch out there to bolster trade value, but that is no excuse for this kind of production pitfall.

Matchups to Watch

Jahvid Best vs Minnesota – Its going to be feast or famine, and it all depends on which Vikings team shows up.
Sam Bradford vs Washington – An interesting test to see how he does against a good defense.
Dez Bryant vs Houston – Houston’s pass defense isnt great, and Bryant needs to help Dallas get in the win column.