and there were some great performances on the field to match. A few of the rookies got their first starts, and others moved further off the field. Many people forget how long the season is, even at 16 games, and I am truly shocked that more people have not curtailed their investments as a result. Regardless, we are going to be looking at a tight race for ROY and that is a great thing for the future product calendar, especially as the year comes to a close.

Sam Bradford – SCU Rookie of the Week

Bradford really deserves all the credit in the world, mainly because he is doing what no one expected him to. I didn’t give him a snowball’s chance in hell to put the Rams in a POSITION to win, let alone get them into the win column, and he has done that 3 weeks in a row. Washington is not a terrible team, and to see the Rams pull out a convincing victory showed a lot of what Bradford can bring to the table. I expect his cards to jump this week as a result, and if he continues to play well, he may have the edge when the voting goes down at the end of the year.

Jahvid Best

When you play the Vikings, its either feast or famine for a running back. You either find the holes and get downfield or you do absolutely nothing. Best did absolutely nothing, and even left with an injury partway through the game. Best hasn’t had tremendous success on the ground this year, and he had some major trouble against the Williams Wall. The receiving game, a place where he has made his name, wasn’t there either, and he ended up with under 40 total yards for the week. I don’t expect his cards to drop, especially with the massive production he had in the first two weeks, but he is already showing that D-town is not a place to be for anything – YET.

Jimmy Clausen

I felt bad for Clausen, I really did. First he gets the start WAAAAAAAY too early, and then it’s a complete downpour for most of the first half. Players are slipping and sliding everywhere, and the Panthers offense is terrible to begin with. They looked even worse on Sunday, with Clausen fumbling some snaps and not being able to find the endzone through the air. In the second half, he did seem like he was settling in, even showing some flashes of what he is capable of, but to say his first start was a success is wrong. Clausen’s stuff may drop in value a little, but should pick back up as he begins to have success. The silver lining to their putrid start this year? Panthers should end up with a high draft pick, select a OL and be a great team. They have all the other pieces.

Dexter McCluster

I don’t get McCluster at all. One week, he turns on the jets and gets into the endzone, another he is a ghost and does nothing. This week, he managed a nice TD as well as a good portion of production, and his inflated values should hold as a result. McCluster has the tools to be one of those Josh Cribbs type of receivers, but as they said while he was in college, the size may be an issue.

Tim Tebow

I still think its funny that a guy who has yet to make an impact is the top valued rookie of the class. He was off the field for a second straight week, and was even downgraded to third stringer over Brady Quinn. McDaniels brushed it off with a lame explanation, but it still shows that he has a LONG way to go before being relevant.

CJ Spiller

Buffalo is terrible, and yet somehow, they managed to keep the game interesting against the Pats. Spiller had 2 TDs, and was pretty fun to watch, even though none of them were via handoff. The kickoff TD showed that Spiller could end up being a top special teamer in the league, but I doubt Buffalo would be satisfied with their top pick settling into that role completely. He did catch a TD as well, but all this goes to show is that Buffalo should have drafted a lineman.

Dez Bryant

The Cowboys needed a HUGE win over the Texans to avoid the axe, and they pulled it off. Bryant didn’t get into the endzone this week, but he did make some important catches en route to the win. After watching most of the game on Sunday, I can easily say that Bryant is a total freak of nature, but he has to improve in a lot of areas before getting into a realm similar to fellow freak Calvin Johnson.

Demaryius Thomas

Thomas was coming off a big week, and Denver needed him to perform against the Colts for them to have a chance. Although Orton put on a show, Denver lost and Thomas didn’t replicate his earlier performance. He had some results, just nothing spectacular. Thomas could still end up as a top rookie if he gets back on the pace he was at after week 2, but right now, Bryant is still out performing him.

Toby Gerhart

Gerhart’s value on eBay stems completely from the fact that he plays for the Vikings and behind Adrian Peterson. What we found out over the last two weeks is that the Vikings arent really considering him to be as valuable as collectors do. He hasn’t done much other than a carry here or there, and when he got the ball on Sunday, he fumbled. It doesn’t hurt that Peterson has had two RIDICULOUS games in a row, so we will have to see how much Gerhart gets into the mix as the season rolls on.

Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez

The Pats were playing the Bills, which meant they were going to have a big day on offense. Gronkowski and Hernandez benefitted greatly with Gronkowski getting a TD catch and both having some nice final stats. I never think it’s a good idea to invest in tight ends, but Gronk is proving to be a factor in the general scheme of things, along with Aaron Hernandez. Interesting that they are getting looks with both Welker and Moss doing as well as they are.

Mike Williams

The Bucs came down to earth this week losing a close one to the Steelers 38-13. Kidding. Williams did catch 5 for 55 against the league’s best defense, but didn’t manage to score. He is far exceeding the production of anyone else on the team, and has definitely been a nice surprise for Tampa’s offense.

LeGarrette Blount

If you recognize the name, you should, as he was a pretty controversial player in college due to the fight he had on the field. Like Haynesworth’s stomp, that punch will forever haunt him, even though he seems to have become mature enough to make it onto the field. He got a goal line carry in garbage time against the Steelers and scored a touchdown, something that even Ryan Mathews has failed to do.

The Rookie Graveyard

Ryan Mathews – he may deny having a high ankle sprain, but sitting out while the Chargers take it on the chin isnt going to win you any love.

Matchups to Watch

Jimmy Clausen vs the Saints – Moving indoors will help, playing the Saints will not. Im interested to see how he does.

Sam Bradford vs. the Seahawks – If Bradford can pull out another win, expect big things from card values.

Jahvid Best vs the Packers – Best may not play because of the toe injury, but if he does, watch this game.