1. Michael Crabtree — The receiver who staged one of the longest rookie holdouts in recent memory finally makes his NFL debut Sunday against the Texans. It's reasonable to conclude that Crabtree's current fantasy value is dubious after the long contract stalemate. But the 49ers will reportedly plug Crabtree into the starting lineup right away, and this is a team that could use new blood at wide receiver. The opportunity is genuine. The Niners also had a bye last week, and Crabtree reportedly got a crash course on the team's offense, working with RB Frank Gore, who was spending a lot of time around the team facilities while recovering from an ankle injury. The interesting question here is whether Crabtree's skills will translate to the NFL. His talent appears genuine, but Texas Tech's spread offense no doubt inflated Crabtree's numbers and his reputation. We'll soon find out just how good he really is.

2. Tom Brady — What is it about this guy and snowstorms? Though not as memorable as the January 2002 "Tuck Rule Game," in which Brady guided the Patriots to a playoff win over the Raiders in a New England blizzard with the help of a generous rulebook interpretation, Brady's six-TD performance in a 59-0 blowout of the Titans last weekend during a snow-bearing nor'easter lingers in the mind. Brady had thrown only six TD passes in five games and was having sort of a so-so fantasy season before lighting up Tennessee for 380 yards (in less than three quarters, mind you) and a half-dozen scoring throws. Is last weekend's explosion a sign that the Pats are about to ramp up the aerial attack to 2007 levels? Safe to say there won't be any snow in London this weekend when the Patriots face the Buccaneers in an overseas extravaganza. Nevertheless, Brady figures to do well against a Tampa Bay defense that has given up 13 passing TDs.

3. Cedric Benson — Let's not overplay the revenge angle, since Benson professes to harbor no animosity toward his former team, the Bears, who visit Cincinnati this weekend. But Benson is bound to have an extra spring in his step against the club that cut him loose after some disappointing seasons and a couple of alcohol-related arrests. He'll need it, since the Bears rank sixth against the run, allowing only 88.4 rushing yards per game.

4. Miles Austin — With the Cowboys on bye last week, we've been waiting a long time to see what Austin can do for an encore after his 250-yard, two-TD rampage against the Chiefs in Week Five. Austin has moved into the starting lineup ahead of Patrick Crayton. And let's be frank: The Cowboys' other starting wide receiver, Roy Williams, pretty much stinks. If Austin is anything close to as good as he appeared to be in that Chiefs game, he'll quickly establish himself as the Cowboys' clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver. This week's game against the Falcons could help him stake that claim.

5. Frank Gore — Gore will be back in the lineup for the 49ers after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. And really, Gore has effectively been out for three games, since he was injured on his first carry against the Vikings in Week Three. Rookie Glen Coffee couldn't get the San Francisco running game started in Gore's absence. If Gore's ankle holds up, he could put up strong numbers against Houston, which has allowed 125 rushing yards per game and 10 rushing TDs.

6. LaDainian Tomlinson — Don't call for that hearse just yet. Tomlinson looked frisky against the Broncos on Monday night, appearing to be at least a reasonable facsimile of the L.T. of old. He had 100 combined yards against Denver, and he might have had his second touchdown of the season if the Chargers' coaching staff hadn't made the odd decision to replace him with Darren Sproles at the goal line on a drive where Tomlinson had looked sharp. L.T.'s owners have to be feeling rare optimism about Tomlinson's Week Seven matchup against the Chiefs, who rank 25th in the league against the run.

7. Sidney Rice — Just when it was starting to appear as if Rice would be an NFL bust, along came Brett Favre, and now the third-year receiver who had only 46 catches for 537 yards over his first two seasons is beginning to look like the Vikings' top wideout. Rice came up big last week in Minnesota's thrilling 33-31 win over the Ravens, catching six passes for 176 yards and setting up what proved to be the game-winning field goal by hauling in a bomb from Favre late in the fourth quarter. The Vikes need the Favre-Rice combo to come through for them this weekend, since Minnesota faces a nearly impregnable Pittsburgh run defense and will probably need to open up the offense.

8. DeAngelo Williams — Williams got his mojo back last week, punishing the Buccaneers with 152 rushing yards and two TDs. It was Williams' first 100-yard rushing game this season, and he doubled his TD total. It was refreshing to finally see the Panthers put the ball in his hands so much. Williams had 30 carries against the Bucs after averaging just under 15 carries a game over Carolina's first four contests. It was preposterous that Williams was getting so few carries and that the Panthers were basically putting games into the shaky hands of nose-diving QB Jake Delhomme. They finally woke up last week and unleashed the lethal one-two combo of Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who added 110 rushing yards against Tampa. If the Panthers are smart, they'll rely on the run heavily again this week against the Bills, who rank dead last against the run and are giving up a whopping 181.8 rushing yards per game.

9. Austin Collie — If there can be such a thing as a stealthy breakout, Collie has been enjoying one lately, with 14 catches for 162 yards and three TDs over his last two games. With Anthony Gonzalez out with a knee injury, Collie appears to be turning into an improved version of Gonzalez. In fact, Collie might now be to Peyton Manning what Wes Welker is to Tom Brady — a slot receiver extraordinaire who dependably rolls up big reception totals. The Colts are coming off a bye, so the rookie receiver from Brigham Young has had some extra time to work with Manning. The savvy quarterback has been helping Collie get up to speed quickly, and Manning already seems to have better chemistry with Collie than he has with Gonzalez. Collie looks like a very viable fantasy play going forward, and he could very well stay on a roll this week against the Rams.

10. Donovan McNabb — The Eagles and their fans have designs on a championship, so last week's 13-9 loss to the downtrodden Raiders was tough to swallow. With people in and around the organization on edge, a Monday-night loss to the disheveled Redskins would be disastrous. McNabb can look like a world-beater one week and a second-rate quarterback the next. His 22-for-46, zero-TD performance against the Raiders puts the pressure on McNabb this week. Let's not forget how well backup Kevin Kolb played a few weeks ago when McNabb was out with a rib injury. A bad performance against the Redskins could put McNabb's job in jeopardy.

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