1. Darren McFadden — The Patriots' pass defense has been so torchable this season that opposing receivers have started wearing flame-retardant uniforms. But alas, there is a risk to picking on a New England secondary that continues to be hung out to dry by the Pats' feeble pass rush. Should you fail to capitalize and instead have a succession of three-and-outs, you'll be putting the ball right back into Tom Brady's hands, and the points can pile up against you in a hurry. As tempted as Raiders head coach Hue Jackson might be to loosen QB Jason Campbell's reins, the better plan is to continue to do what has been working so well: putting the ball in McFadden's breadbasket and letting him do his thing. McFadden gashed the normally staunch Jets defense for 171 rushing yards and a pair of TDs last week (including a 70-yarder) in a win that moved the Raiders to 2-1. McFadden has been running wild early in the season with a league-leading 393 rushing yards, at a rate of 6.4 yards per carry. Why mess with what works?

2. Wes Welker — Peter King of Sports Illustrated had an interesting note in his column the other day about how difficult it will be in the coming years for Hall of Fame voters to determine which wide receivers are worthy of enshrinement in Canton. "You can number yourself to death at the receiver position," wrote King, who suggested that voters should base such decisions on what they saw rather than on numbers alone, and that perhaps prototype receivers deserve special consideration. In other words, uniquely talented receivers might merit special HOF consideration. For example: Cris Carter, whom King calls "the best boundary receiver I've ever seen" (no argument there); Hines Ward, among the best blocking receivers of all time; and Wes Welker, quite possibly the best slot receiver of all time. Welker demonstrated how dangerous he can be out of the slot by making 16 catches for 217 yards and two TDs last week against Buffalo. (He also added a 19-yard run.) Lest you think Welker is in for a letdown this week against Oakland, consider that the Raiders yielded 10 receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown to Bills slot receiver David Nelson in Week Two, and it's safe to say that Nelson's name never will be bandied about in Hall of Fame debates.

3. Chris Johnson — CJ2K owners have been grousing about the star runner's slow start, and it's fair to speculate that the long holdout had something to do with it. Now the Titans will play the rest of the season without their other skill-position stud, WR Kenny Britt, who wrecked his knee last week. What does the Britt injury mean for Johnson? The bright side: The Titans probably will be forced to boost Johnson's workload, which has been lighter than usual. The dark side: No Britt means no fear for opposing safeties, who now can hawk the line of scrimmage in anticipation of a handoff to the Titans' only remaining offensive star.

4. Jermichael Finley — Guess it's safe to say that Finley hasn't lost any of his explosive qualities as a result of last season's season-ending knee injury. Ask the Bears: Finley victimized them last week with three TD catches. Antonio Gates isn't getting any younger, and chronic foot problems are keeping him off the field. The time might be right for Finley to step up and claim the title of "best pass-catching tight end in the game." This week's potential Finley victims: the sad-sack Broncos.

5. Torrey Smith — Quite a first quarter for the Ravens' rookie receiver last week, huh? Smith had TD catches of 74, 41 and 18 yards in the opening quarter of the Ravens' 37-7 blowout of the Rams, and he finished with five catches for 152 yards. But just like Oakland's Denarius Moore a week earlier, Smith's breakout game is followed by a date with the Jets and CBs Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. Smith's fantasy value going forward is difficult to determine, and a quiet game against the Jets would further muddy the waters. Smith in all likelihood becomes a third receiver once Lee Evans returns from an ankle injury. But at least we now know that Smith is a legitimate NFL talent. We couldn't be sure of that before Week Three, but it's never wise to question the talent-evaluation prowess of Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome.

6. Rashard Mendenhall — If the Steelers' offensive line were a SPAM filter, the residents of Pittsburgh would find their in-boxes deluged with come-ons for erectile-dysfunction pills and friendly bank-transfer requests from wealthy African princes. Mendenhall hasn't been able to gather much steam after taking handoffs from Ben Roethlisberger this season, often getting only a second to brace for a hit from an oncoming tackler. Of course, Mendenhall isn't exactly blessed with the elusiveness of Barry Sanders, and there are those who believe that Mendenhall's early-season woes (49.3 rushing yards per game, 3.0 yards per carry) are largely his own fault. Will things get any better for Mendy and the Steelers' running game this week against the Texans? Although the Houston defense is no longer the pushover it used to be, the Texans are still allowing an average of 4.8 yards per carry this season as they adapt to defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' 3-4 defense.

7. Calvin Johnson — Megatron has managed to score a pair of touchdowns in each of his first three games. Not even his greediest owners can hope he'll sustain a 32-TD pace. But let's be greedy anyway: How about a little more in the yardage department, Calvin? You're merely gaining 75 receiving yards per game. How about 100-plus yards against the Cowboys this week as you and the Lions make a bid to go 4-0? Hit the century mark, and we'll forgive you if you only score one TD this week.

8. Fred Jackson — If Jackson was feeling unloved after the Bills drafted C.J. Spiller in 2010 and subsequently sought ways to get Spiller more involved in the offense, Freddie J. must surely be feeling the warmth now. Jackson has settled into featured-back duty and has been a driving force behind the Bills' 3-0 start, rushing for 303 yards and three TDs, with a league-best average of 6.4 yards per carry (decimal points ahead of Darren McFadden). This week, Jackson faces an underrated Bengals defense that put the clamps on San Francisco's Frank Gore last week and should be in a foul mood after losing to the Bengals, 13-8. It's probably safe to assume that plans to increase Spiller's role in the Buffalo offense are on hold.

9. Ryan Mathews — After a disappointing rookie season, Mathews is starting to fulfill his promise. He ran 21 times last week in the Chargers' grind-it-out win over the Chiefs, producing 98 rushing yards and two TDs. He also had four catches for 51 yards (but it was actually his worst receiving-yardage total of the season). Mathews is now gaining 131 yards from scrimmage per game. Is the work-share arrangement between Mathews and Mike Tolbert coming to an end? Tolbert carried the ball only four times last week, and both of Mathews' TD runs came from inside the five-yard line, which is usually Tolbertville. Mathews will try to keep the mojo going this week against a leaky Dolphins defense.

10. Greg Olsen — He didn't fit into Mike Martz's receiver-centric offense, but Olsen fits in Carolina like a comfortable slipper, and no wonder: The Panthers' offensive coordinator is Rob Chudzinski, a former tight ends coach. Olsen had seven catches for 57 yards and a TD last week in the Panthers' waterlogged win over the Jaguars, and this week he returns to Chicago, where he'll attempt to demonstrate for Martz just how much a rangy, athletic tight end can do for an offense.