Rookies on rise can provide October boost

Despite the lockout limiting their acclimation to the pros, these dozen rookies have shown flashes of promise. And they have appealing October schedules to help them become potential weekly starts like Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. •Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints: Look for the Saints to run more frequently if they jump to big leads against shaky offensive teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7 and the St. Louis Rams in Week 8. Ingram will be more familiar, comfortable and effective as the season progresses. Carolina (Week 5) has allowed solid fantasy games to running backs during the first three contests, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 6) had difficulty with Jahvid Best and Adrian Peterson during the first two games.

•Daniel Thomas, Miami Dolphins: He has attained at least 117 total yards during his first two games. The San Diego Chargers are a tough matchup in Week 4, but they allowed Peterson to total 104 yards in the opener. Thomas had appealing games against the New York Jets in Week 6, the Denver Broncos in Week 7 and the New York Giants in Week8. The Broncos and Jets were both shaky against Darren McFadden in Weeks 1 and 3, respectively. The Giants allowed Tim Hightower and LeSean McCoy to each amass at least 97 total yards and a score.

•Delone Carter, Colts: A 0-3 start puts the Colts on a fast track to a rebuilding season, and Carter will be a part of the process. Indianapolis meets the vulnerable defenses of Tampa Bay, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals in its next three contests. The Chiefs have allowed gigantic games of at least 123 yards and two scores during Weeks2 and 3 to Best and Ryan Mathews, respectively. The Bengals yielded 101 yards and a score to Willis McGahee in Week 2.

•DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys: Felix Jones has experienced early difficulties with injuries and consistency, leaving Murray with a chance to play a larger role in the offense. The Detroit Lions, upcoming foes, allowed Peterson to total 97 yards and a score, and meeting the New England Patriots presents a chance for Dallas to run well against the Patriots' once-formidable defense. The Rams in Week 7 and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8 could be the first opportunities for Murray to be a fantasy starter. The Rams have permitted at least 100-plus total yards to running backs in every game in 2011, while the Eagles have surrendered at least 139 total yards each time out.

•Stevan Ridley, Patriots: He showed strength and speed with his compact frame while averaging 6.3 yards a carry on seven attempts in a loss to the Buffalo Bills. He appears to be the best fit in the current group of backs for New England's passing-oriented offense. Both the Oakland Raiders in Week 4 and the Jets in Week 5 are susceptible to big games by running backs. The Raiders allowed Fred Jackson to total 140 yards and two scores in Week 2, and the Jets had difficulty on the road against McFadden by allowing him to run for 171 yards and two scores. New England will need an improved running game when facing Dallas in Week 6 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.

•Roy Helu, Washington Redskins: Helu should be given more carries, as starter Hightower will likely be unable to carry the full rushing load for all 16 contests. Helu will have great chances to wreak havoc with the susceptible defenses of St. Louis in Week 4, Philadelphia in Week 6, Carolina in Week 7 and Buffalo in Week 8. The Panthers yielded 102 total yards and a score to Chris "Beanie" Wells in the opener, 115 total yards to James Starks in Week 2 and 167 total yards to Maurice Jones-Drew in Week 3. The Bills permitted McFadden to amass 143 total yards and two scores in Week 2.

Wide receivers

•A.J. Green, Bengals: He has a receiving game of 10 catches, 124 yards and a score to his name. Green will have a chance for more big games against the questionable pass defenses of Buffalo in Week 4, Jacksonville in Week 5, Indianapolis in Week 6 and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8. For instance, during Week 3 the Bills allowed Wes Welker to catch 16 passes for 217 yards and two scores and the Colts permitted Mike Wallace to gain 144 yards and one score. The Jaguars also yielded a great fantasy day to a No. 1 wideout when Kenny Britt had 136 yards and two scores in the opener.

•Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens: If the blowout of the Rams was an example, Smith could be left to outrun single coverage for deep scores while opponents try to stop the Ravens' running game. He'll continue to have success extending the defenses vs. the Jets in Week 4, vs. the Houston Texans in Week 6, at Jacksonville in Week 7 and vs. the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. During Week 1, the Jets allowed Miles Austin and Dez Bryant to gain at least 71 yards and a score and the Cardinals let Steve Smith record eight receptions for 178 yards and two scores based upon big plays. Drew Brees threw for 370 yards and three scores against the Texans.

•Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons: He'll aim for his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game against Seattle's shaky defense before meeting the Green Bay Packers in a possible shootout. The Packers are allowing an average of 384 passing yards. Jones will also see much single coverage against Carolina and Detroit, as they'll need to stop proven vets Michael Turner and Roddy White from having gigantic days. Before facing Jaguars rookie Blaine Gabbert at quarterback in Week 3, the Panthers yielded consecutive contests of 300-plus yards and two scores.

•Titus Young, Lions: He has totaled nine receptions for 140 yards during Weeks 2 and 3, and it will only be a matter of time before he puts up those numbers in a single contest. He'll have excellent chances with an October schedule at Dallas in Week 4, vs. the Chicago Bears in Week 5, vs. the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6, vs. Atlanta in Week 7 and at Denver in Week 8. Indicative of their struggles on pass defense, the Bears allowed three touchdown passes during Weeks 2 and 3 and the Broncos yielded back-to-back contests of at least 300 passing yards and two scores. The 49ers showed their vulnerability to big plays when they allowed scoring receptions of 53 and 25 yards and six other catches of 20-plus yards to the Cowboys in Week 2.

•Denarius Moore, Raiders: The Raiders have finally found their dynamic speed demon who can catch and has the size, athleticism and skills to be a reliable target in the end zone. He'll be a force against New England in Week 4, Houston in Week 5 and Kansas City in Week 7. The Patriots are allowing a receiving average of 388 yards and two scores, while the Chiefs permitted eight receiving touchdowns during the first two weeks.

•Randall Cobb, Packers: He's slowly getting involved as a secondary target for Aaron Rodgers. Once he becomes more familiar with the offense, look for Cobb to be an excellent playmaker. He's worth a look at Atlanta in Week 5, vs. St. Louis in Week 6 and at the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7. The Falcons revealed their vulnerability to a great game by a wideout when they allowed Jeremy Maclin to catch 13 passes for 171 yards and two scores in Week 2. The Rams permitted Ravens rookie Smith to connect for big scoring plays of 74, 41 and 18 yards.

10 things to talk about from Week 3 of the NFL season

1. Welcome to pro football rook.
When the Baltimore Ravens selected WR Torrey Smith in the second round of April’s NFL Draft, they were hoping to develop him into a game breaker. It took three weeks, as Smith went nuts to the tune of five catches for 152 yards. Smith’s first three catches as a pro went for touchdowns. Who needs Lee Evans?

2. Tom Brady isn’t perfect.
New England Patriots signal Caller Tom Brady started the season with an alarming 940 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception. But upstart Buffalo got into Brady’s grill and forced the future hall of famer into four picks, one of which went back for a touchdown. The four interceptions equaled a career high and meant far more than his three touchdowns on the afternoon.

3. But Buffalo is…
Perfect. For the second week in a row, the resilient Bills erased a huge deficit -- 21-3 to Oakland last week and 21-0 to the Pats Sunday -- and snatched a late victory to move to 3-0. Not only is Chan Gailey’s team the only undefeated squad in the AFC, they put to bed the Patriots 15-game winning streak against the Bills, which dated back to 2003.

4. Weather slows down Cam Newton.
Arizona couldn’t do it. Either could defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay. It took monsoon conditions to stop rookie Cam Newton’s 400-yard passing streak at two. But you won’t hear Newton complaining about his 158-yard effort considering it was the first win of his NFL career. Not after he completed three passes on the go-ahead drive, which ended with a TD strike to former Chicago TE Greg Olsen.

5. Speaking of being undefeated.
Detroit showed then can set the pace and Sunday they proved they could come from behind, erasing a 20-0 deficit to steal an overtime win at the Metrodome, the first since 1997. Jimmy Carter was in his last year as President (1980) the last time the Lions started the NFL season 3-0. Matthew Stafford continued his stellar play with 378 yards, showing that if he is healthy, he can be an elite quarterback in this league.

6. Another collapse by the Vikings.
Minnesota might be the best team in football if games only lasted two quarters. The Vikings have outscored their opponents 54-7 but have turned around and been blasted by the opposition 67-6 in the second half to fall to 0-3. Maybe someone should text head coach Leslie Frazier and tell him a little less Donovan McNabb and a little more Adrian Peterson in the final 30 minutes.

7. No bang for the buck on Sunday.
Philadelphia signed corner Nnamdi Asomugha and defensive end Jason Babin to combined contracts of $88 million over the life of the deals. That should have been $8.80 after Sunday’s game with the Giants after Asomugha missed a key tackle on a touchdown and was out jumped by undrafted free agent Victor Cruz on another. Babin got an encroachment penalty on a field goal try that led to the Giants last TD.

8. No West Coast hot dog for Mark Sanchez.
Two years ago, New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez was seen eating a hot dog on the sidelines after his team routed Oakland 38-0. He paid for that moment Sunday, as the angry Raiders opened a cut on Sanchez’s face on one of the four sacks they registered during the game. RB Darren McFadden took care of the rest with 171 yards and two scores on that now questionable Jets run defense.

9. Where was the Bears defense.
Brian Urlacher and the rest of the Chicago defense is still looking for Green Bay TE Jermichael Finley. This freakish talent was on the receiving end of three Aaron Rodgers TD passes and finished with seven catches for 85 yards. The good news for the Bears is that QB Jay Cutler was only sacked three times and won’t sound like one of the Muppets during his weekly press conference.

10. Two teams going in different directions.
Atlanta was tabbed as one of the teams to beat in the NFC but in three weeks of play, the Falcons have struggled at times on offense and have been ripped at points on defense, looking like a team that could finish 8-8 at best. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has shaken off a horrendous start against Detroit to score a pair of wins. Now all the Bucs, who had their 10^th consecutive regular season blackout, need to do is get people to fill their stadium.