Since Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James will be the focus of the Dallas defense this Sunday, the overlooked Terrence Wilkins will scamper free for a touchdown.

Tampa Bay turnaround?
It's not like Zeier faces any pressure in Tampa Bay, taking over for Trent Dilfer on a team that is widely believed to be a quarterback away from great things. Mel Kiper might have been correct in famously criticizing former Colts GM Bill Tobin for selecting Trev Alberts ahead of Dilfer, but the former Nebraska washout of a linebacker was perhaps the only player less qualified for success than Dilfer in that draft class. The Fresno State product repeatedly demonstrated an inability to make the passes and decisions required of a winning quarterback, and Tampa's offense suffered as a result. Dilfer's oft-mentioned Pro Bowl appearance after the 1997 season was more the result of other NFC injuries than his own standout passing, and only served to prolong the Dilfer era. Now it's Zeier's turn and you have to imagine Brian Billick will be among the more interested observers. It was Baltimore who cast off Zeier last spring, opting instead for the abysmal trio of Scott Mitchell, Tony Banks, and Stoney Case.

Zeier, a high school legend and college standout at Georgia, has been in this situation before. At 6-0 he was far from prototypical in terms of NFL physiques, but it didn't take long for the rookie to take playing time away from Vinny Testaverde in Cleveland. Zeier started four games in his 1995 rookie campaign, the team's last in northern Ohio. He was credited at the time with returning a spark to the Browns offense but the results were far from conclusive, throwing only four touchdowns to compensate for nine interceptions. His action since then has been limited but statistically superior, encompassing seven starts the last two seasons. Included in that duty are 11 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions to go along with a healthy 58.5 percent completion percentage. Also, 297 pass attempts spread over two seasons isn't a very good sample, but it does suggest that Zeier has matured from an erratic rookie passer into a capable veteran.

Tony Dungy's offense has been extremely conservative and while that was mostly due to Dilfer's inability to handle anything more freewheeling, don't expect the coach to simply turn Zeier loose. By dint of a solid running game and tremendous defense, Tampa doesn't need passing records, just enough of an option to keep the chains moving and defenses honest. The decision to bench Dilfer also puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the receivers to prove they weren't partly responsible for the offensive failures. That task will be made more difficult by the loss of Karl Williams for the next three to four weeks. Bert Emanuel could return to action this Sunday, but it's tough to count on the frequently injured former college quarterback. Reidel Anthony leads Bucs wideouts with 19 receptions this season, eight fewer than Warrick Dunn but eight more than any other target. Jacquez Green and the emerging Darnell McDonald both have big-play ability, but Zeier would surely be more comfortable with a healthy Emanuel to compliment Anthony.

Look for Zeier to average in the 13-15 point range for Tampa almost immediately. That's a couple of points higher than the deposed Dilfer and in line with fantasy backups like Elvis Grbac and Neil O'Donnell (before Steve McNair's return in Tennessee). The biggest beneficiary might be Mike Alstott, who already ranks 15th among fantasy running backs. Detroit has had a tough time stopping the pass this season and anything to back the safeties away from the line of scrimmage could free the bruising runner for a standout performance.

Raining in Baltimore
Stoney Case was the second quarterback to be demoted this week, losing the starting job in Baltimore a scant few weeks after taking it from Scott Mitchell. Tony Banks now represents the Ravens hopes for salvation, meaning it's time to start thinking about Orioles spring training. Banks actually looked good in the preseason, throwing an 89-yard touchdown pass and displaying accuracy not seen in his scattershot days with St. Louis. It wasn't enough to beat out Mitchell or even Case, however, and Banks found himself buried deep on the bench for the first seven weeks of regular season action. He gets his chance at home against a Buffalo pass defense that was shredded by Seattle, but it doesn't look like a fantasy resurrection is in the offing. Baltimore simply lacks the targets, and talent, to make any sense out of Billick's offensive acumen. The team's showing on Thursday night against Kansas City was one of the worst in memory and not even the extra rest will be enough to heal the mental injuries. Banks won't disgrace himself against the Bills but it won't be a performance worth remembering.

Poised for success
Leroy Hoard, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Denver took advantage of speed and quickness on both lines during their back to back Super Bowl winning seasons. That idea is catching up with them a little in 1999 as teams continue to run with success on the Broncos. Hoard won't break any long runs for those of you using a performance scoring system, but he should pound out a consistent four to five yards a carry on Sunday.

Ricky Williams, RB, New Orleans Saints
The necessary anti-Cleveland pick of the week. Williams had his best game as a pro last week in the drubbing New Orleans took at the hands of the New York Giants. Cleveland is giving up a staggering 160 yards a game on the ground. Look for Mike Ditka to take fate out of the hands of whichever Billy Joe he wants to put behind center and ride Williams to a win.

Frank Wycheck, TE, Tennessee Titans
Whether Wycheck is the third target in Tennessee because he's that good or because there aren't many options after Yancy Thigpen and Kevin Dyson is debatable. What's not up for discussion is the continued production the team gets out of the undersized tight end. St. Louis as a defense has surrendered fewer points than anyone but their linebackers remain somewhat suspect. Look for Tennessee to try and get Wycheck free of the safeties and locked in on an overmatched linebacker.

Terrence Wilkins, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Wilkins' stock actually climbs when he's moved to the slot. While Deion Sanders and Marvin Harrison draw most of the focus, Dallas will be hard pressed to stop the Colts slot receiver. Chan Gailey likes to let Darren Woodson play the run and will be tempted to do so if Sanders can neutralize Harrison. That leaves George Teague to cover Wilkins without much help from linebackers charged with stopping Edgerrin James and the tight end combination of Marcus Pollard and Ken Dilger. The Colts will exploit that matchup so look for Wilkins to find the endzone at least once.

Doug Brien, K, New Orleans Saints
While predicting good things for Ricky Williams against Cleveland, let's not be too hasty to jump on the New Orleans bandwagon. This is still a bad New Orleans team with almost no talent at quarterback and only a moderately better outlook at receiver. They'll be able to move the ball on Cleveland but don't look for any redzone precision just yet. Brien will get plenty of chances and that's all he's been missing so far.

Philadelphia defense
Want to know why Philadelphia keeps hanging around games, even posting the occasional ugly win? It sure isn't thanks to an offense that sometimes appears to be looking for feet to trip over. Instead much of the credit goes to a tough and opportunistic defense which has forced 19 turnovers, the best mark in football. This week they play a Giants team desperate for running backs after losing Gary Brown and Joe Montgomery and unsettled at best in their passing game. Kent Graham looked good against the hapless Saints last week but in Philadelphia it's wise to remember that only half the team is futile.