It happens every year.

Some fantasy player blows up during week one, most of the time unowned in a majority of leagues, and every owner (and his/her mother) rushes to the waiver wire to place a claim.

You know you tried to get Frisman Jackson a few years ago after his now-infamous week one aberration (Eight catches, 128 yards, one touchdown). Those numbers were sick!

By the end of the season, he only doubled his reception total from week one and never found pay dirt again.

But not all fast-starting fantasy football players are created equal. Some are household names. Others — like Jackson — are but skeletons in a walk-in closet of fantasy football failures.

These players do have use to fantasy owners in one way or another. Had Jackson continued to put up sick stat lines, which happens every year off the waiver wire, he would have been a fantasy football Hall of Famer. As it were, a savvy owner could have parlayed his week one performance into a trade of some sort for a more stable prospect.

Injuries, break-out performances and depth chart changes happen every week in the NFL. If you happen to own a fast-starting fantasy player, the pre-bye week period of the regular season schedule may be the best time to assess values and find trade partners. As trade values go, fast-starting players only can go down.

Buyer Beware

Several fantasy players have either (A) been down this road before or (B) have week one fraud written all over them. The following nine stick out like a sore thumb in either or both of those categories.

Tony Romo, QB, Cowboys
Week 1: 353 passing yards, three touchdowns

Few players in recent memory have been as highly criticized and scrutinized as Romo. I guess that comes with the territory when you are the quarterback of “America’s Team.”

And also when you fizzle down the stretch of a regular season — more than once.

Romo got off to another hot start in week one against the Buccaneers with 353 yard passing and three touchdowns. But it is pretty easy when you play against a team in rebuilding mode with a new head coach and the pressure of winning and losing is not so great as, say, when your team needs to win to get into the playoffs.

If Romo can (finally) deliver down the stretch, fantasy owners might be happy to take him among the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees in the future.

Fantasy Spin: Fantasy owners are not trading Romo after week one. More than likely, if you own Romo you are in it for the long haul. Buckle up and try to enjoy the ride.

Donovan McNabb, QB, Eagles
Week 1: 79 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception; 27 rushing yards, one touchdown

Remember when McNabb got benched last year during the second half of the season? His fantasy owners sure do.

D-Nice was not benched for the heck of it. He was playing poorly and the fans were calling for his head. It took that benching to re-motivate the man, which led to a resurgent McNabb and Eagles’ offense in general.

Perhaps McNabb will continue the hot hand through the course of the regular season. Or maybe not. A cracked rib in week one figures to derail his chances of doing so in the early going. Despite the good start for McNabb at Carolina, there always is some concern in the back of fantasy owners’ minds about his ability to hold up over the course of a season.

Fantasy Spin: McNabb cannot be traded right now for fair value. Hold onto him and hope he gets back on the field soon.

Julius Jones, RB, Seahawks
Week 1: 117 rushing yards, one touchdown; Two catches, 19 yards

At this point of his career, I would lump Jones into the fraud category. Every offseason, the JJ hype machine rolls out in full force pumping up Jones’ fantasy value.

So what happens when they start playing real football?

Usually, great disappointment. There is no denying Jones’ talent. But the ability to consistently perform as a fantasy running back? That can be refuted without much of a counter-argument.

Sure, it has not always been his fault. A poor surrounding cast, an offense decimated by injuries and relative ineptitude grounded most of the Seahawks’ offense last year.

Fantasy Spin: Now is a great time to start shopping Jones. See if you can get a higher-ranked running back or wide receiver who performed below par during week one. If nothing great comes along, try again after his next decent fantasy performance or target an owner with a struggling backfield.

Cadillac Williams, RB, Buccaneers
Week 1: 97 rushing yards, one touchdown

Sadly, fantasy owners have been down this road before and met the same grim result.

Williams, always one of ultimate potential, has been snake-bitten by serious knee injuries during his young career. Most fantasy owners and experts agree that it only is a matter of time now — and not much of it — before Williams breaks down again.

You have to give Caddy credit, though: He fought back, twice, when the odds were against him. If fantasy football were all about who had the most heart, Williams would be the consensus No. 1 pick.

Fantasy Spin: Williams’ value is on the rise and will continue to as he stays on the field and puts up nice numbers. But it will be hard to deal him right now, especially with no serious running back injuries in week one. Stash him on the bench, pray for health and hope for a desperate owner in the coming weeks.

Willis McGahee, RB, Ravens
Week 1: 44 rushing yards, one touchdown; Four catches, 31 yards, one touchdown

The writing has been on the wall for McGahee now two seasons in a row — this should be his last in Baltimore.

He will not go quietly, however, after scoring two times in the Ravens’ season opener. His pesky presence — along with Le’Ron McClain’s — is a nuisance to Ray Rice owners, who expect the second-year back to become the feature of the Baltimore offense.

The coaching staff seems ready to transition to Rice as the primary back, but all three of these players will continue to touch the ball. McGahee’s week one success might not translate consistently the rest of the season with a crowded backfield and limited opportunities as the back-up to Rice.

Fantasy Spin: Another nice performance by McGahee — hopefully this weekend — could signal the right time to trade him away. Look for the nervous Rice or McClain owner in your league and try to strike a deal if McGahee has another solid effort.

Devery Henderson/Robert Meachem, WRs, Saints
Week 1 (Henderson): Five catches, 103 yards, one touchdown
Week 1 (Meachem): Two catches, 51 yards, one touchdown

When you play wide receiver on a prolific passing offense, fantasy owners love you. Unfortunately for those fantasy owners, however, that love all too often goes unrequited.

Henderson has always been a tease to fantasy owners and now Meachem is becoming the same. Loads of potential and speed to burn, Henderson and Meachem also have the luxury of playing with the hottest quarterback in the NFL, Drew Brees.

That works against both players, as well, because Brees likes to spread the ball around. And these two generally are used solely in the vertical passing game. Sure, you will get a huge week now and then, but the fantasy scorecard for these two often features a number of bagels.

Fantasy Spin: Savvy fantasy owners will not be baited into trading for either of these guys at this point. Those who own Henderson and/or Meachem are better served holding onto both for now to see how the Saints’ receiving hierarchy shakes out.

Patrick Crayton, WR, Cowboys
Week 1: Four catches, 135 yards, one touchdown

After Crayton took the No. 2 job from Terry Glenn he became an instant fantasy sleeper.

Apparently, his alarm clock is broken.

Crayton never became the receiver fantasy owners hoped he would become when he became a starting receiver on a pass-happy offense. Drops and all-around inconsistency have limited his value and most fantasy owners have written him off at this point.

Fantasy Spin: Now is a great time to shop Crayton, whose value can only come down after such a performance.

Ben Watson, TE, Patriots
Week 1: Six catches, 77 yards, two touchdowns

It seems Watson has his best game of the season during week one every year. And he almost always comes into the season as one of the most highly coveted tight ends.

Fantasy Spin: If he is on your bench — likely — try and ship him out now. Watson is as inconsistent as they come and his value may never be higher. Watch Watson put it all together this season now that I have written him off; Just do not blame me if that happens after you trade him.

Those With Favorable Schedules During the Next Two Weeks

A handful of fantasy players have favorable match-ups — at least based on the first weekend of real football — during the next two weeks before bye weeks set in across the league.

Jason Campbell, QB, Redskins
Week 1: 211 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception; 16 rushing yards
Week 2 v. Rams
Week 3 @ Lions

Fantasy Spin: Campbell has a chance to string three solid fantasy performances in a row together. If he is on your waiver wire, grab-and-stash immediately. Once the bye weeks roll in, look for a QB-needy fantasy owner and talk trade. You could get some nice value after fat stat lines against the Rams and Lions.

Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders
Week 1: 68 rushing yards; Two catches, 25 receiving yards
Week 2 @ Chiefs
Week 3 v. Broncos

Fantasy Spin:

Ryan Grant, RB, Packers
Week 1: 61 rushing yards, one touchdown; One catch, six yards
Week 2 v. Bengals
Week 3 @ Rams

Fantasy Spin: Grant had a nice day against one of the better defenses in the league — at least by reputation — and the schedule gets a little lighter the next two weeks on paper. He should be able to rack up some yards and touchdowns, but I would not put him on the block anytime soon. He could end up being the steal of fantasy drafts considering his modest draft value this summer.

Knowshon Moreno, RB, Broncos
Week 1: 19 rushing yards
Week 2 v. Browns
Week 3 @ Raiders

Fantasy Spin: If Moreno is going to wrestle the job away from Correll Buckhalter and Peyton Hillis, now is the time. You can buy cheap after week one, but be prepared to hold onto him for the long run if the next few weeks go poorly.

Percy Harvin, WR, Vikings
Week 1: Three catches, 36 yards, one touchdown; 22 rushing yards
Week 2 @ Lions
Week 3 v. 49ers

Fantasy Spin: Harvin had a solid opening day showing and draws a pair of favorable match-ups before the start of bye weeks. The Vikings might be required to open up the passing game soon in preparation for the rest of the season, which makes Harvin an interesting play especially in flex formats. His value is too high to trade away right now, but if you can con an owner for cheap it is a great time to invest.

Terrell Owens, WR, Bills
Week 1: Two catches, 46 yards
Week 2 v. Buccaneers
Week 3 v. Saints

Fantasy Spin: Owens did not overly impress against the Pats in week one, making this a nice time to buy low. He actually may have been hurt this preseason which means it could take a few weeks to get up to full speed. He is not a bad buy as a low-end WR2 right now and surely there are Owens’ owners in full panic mode after a two-catch performance on Monday Night Football.

Chris Cooley, TE, Redskins
Week 1: Seven catches, 68 yards, one touchdown
Week 2 v. Rams
Week 3 @ Lions

Fantasy Spin: As Campbell goes, so too does Cooley. He has become Campbell’s favorite target and should continue to be the primary beneficiary in the passing game. If you own him, you are not trading him. And if you do not, you will have to pay a hefty price to get him.

Zach Miller, TE, Raiders
Week 1: Six catches, 96 receiving yards
Week 2 @ Chiefs
Week 3 v. Broncos

Fantasy Spin: The best receiver in the Raiders’ arsenal, Miller draws a pair of weak AFC West opponents in the next two weeks. If he puts together a string of solid stat lines, consider shopping him as a bye-week filler, injury replacement or tight end upgrade by week four.

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