1. Donovan McNabb — D-Mac returns to Philadelphia, and it will be interesting to hear what the boo-to-cheer ratio is among leather-lunged Eagles fans when their former quarterback is introduced. McNabb is coming off a mediocre performance in a dispiriting road loss to the Rams in which the Redskins produced just 16 points and were only 1-of-10 on third downs. The Eagles, meanwhile, are doing just fine without McNabb, thank you very much. Their initial plan was to turn McNabb's job over to Kevin Kolb, but now Philly is getting its big-play fix from Michael Vick. McNabb, the jilted ex, would obviously like to get a measure of revenge in this one, and since Washington is getting next to nothing out of its running game, it's a good bet McNabb will be turned loose.
2. Peyton Hillis — As a reward for his many years of loyal service to the Packers, Browns team president Mike Holmgren was granted permission to travel back in time, borrow Jim Taylor from the early 1960s, bring him back to 2010 and suit him up for Cleveland. Hillis evoked memories of Taylor last week while trampling the Ravens for 144 rushing yards and a TD (not to mention seven receptions for 36 yards). You just don't do that to the Baltimore defense unless you're the real deal, and clearly Hillis is no mere one-week wonder. He is now a legitimate every-week fantasy starter. Browns head coach Eric Mangini doesn't seem to care for Jerome Harrison despite Harrison's strong finishing kick in '09, so Hillis is clearly the lead dog in Cleveland's Dawg Pound. This week he faces a Cincinnati run defense that held the Carolina duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to 77 rushing yards last week. It should be fun to watch the repeated collisions between the hard-nosed Hillis and Bengals LB Rey Maualuga.
3. Kyle Orton — When Orton got his first opportunity to be an NFL starter back in 2005 for the Bears, he was the very definition of a ball-control quarterback. He was asked only to protect the ball and to generate just enough of a passing game to keep opposing defenses from overloading against Thomas Jones and the other Chicago running backs. Five years later, the former Mr. Dink-and-Dunk has morphed into Air Orton. The Broncos' offense isn't just happy these days, it's pass-giddy. Orton ranks second in the NFL with 1,078 passing yards, trailing league leader Philip Rivers by only nine yards. Fantasy owners can no longer let Orton rot on the bench. In fact, Orton has probably been one of the most frequently traded players in fantasy leagues this season, simply because so many owners had him backing up a big-name quarterback and could afford to deal him to a QB-needy owner. After throwing for 476 yards last week against the Colts, Orton will lead his team into Tennessee this week to battle the Titans. Can Orton keep this up? Don't bet against a guy who's managing to make WR Brandon Lloyd look like a superstar.