Marshawn Lynch.

BY ROB SHAW
sportsnet.ca

Week two of the NFL season provided an opportunity for some of last week's Hidden Jewels such as Mark Clayton and Peyton Hillis to confirm their fantasy value. This week we reload with several other talents.

We can confirm that Jason Snelling is a solid insurance pick for the recently injury-prone Michael Turner, and Marshawn Lynch is the Bills running back of the moment.

Here's a look at this week's Hidden Jewels,

Buyer's guide:

1) Look for catches or rushes (how often did the player have the ball in their hands?)

2) Look for touchdowns (are they a part of the goal line or red zone attack?)

3) Look at their age (are they a young player on the rise, a good investment?)

4) Look at their team and roster (were they filling in, and what's their role?)

5) Look at post-game recap (any quotes of encouragement for upcoming weeks?)

SILVER

Louis Murphy, WR, Raiders

The focus of the Raiders offence will once again be on the ground game, but the difference this season is that they can complement their rushing attack with a respectable passing attack. The lead target on Sunday was Louis Murphy, a 6'3 wide receiver out of Florida. Murphy enjoyed a fine rookie campaign last season with 34 receptions for 521 yards and four touchdowns. Even though he came down with four receptions last week, they went under the radar due to a lackluster total of just 28 yards of offence. This weekend, Murphy hauled in six passes for a team-high 91 yards and an integral touchdown. Consider Murphy a solid play as your third wide out in fantasy football.

Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Lions

The 20th overall pick of the 2009 draft, Brandon Pettigrew dealt with some injuries last season, and finished with just 30 receptions for 346 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. He then struggled in the opener this season with a single reception for six yards. Nonetheless, Pettigrew broke through in the second week contest with seven receptions for 108 yards. While this was a solid performance, the concern here is that Lions starter Matthew Stafford was the quarterback in the opener, and backup Shaun Hill was responsible for the second game. Pettigrew will have to form a rapport with Stafford to be considered a serious fantasy contributor.

Joshua Cribbs, WR, Browns

He is a dynamo on special teams, but the Browns are smart enough to realize that it serves their interest to get the ball in Cribbs' hands as much as possible. On Sunday, Cribbs had four touches and it resulted in 75 yards and a touchdown. The big play was a 65-yard reception that finished in the end zone. In week one, Cribbs tossed a nine-yard completion, rushed for 11 yards, and received an additional 11 yards. It seems like he'll find a way to reward fantasy managers on a weekly basis.

GOLD

Peyton Hillis, RB, Browns

The Browns seemed to confirm Peyton Hillis' role on the offence in week two when he accumulated 61 total yards with a touchdown. In the season opener, Hillis combined for 65 yards with a touchdown. Clearly, the goal line option, Hillis will maintain his fantasy relevance with Jerome Harrison failing to outperform the 2008 seventh round pick. Hillis has enjoyed fantasy relevance before. In his rookie campaign with the Broncos, Hillis averaged five yards per carry and finished his final four games of the season with at least one touchdown before succumbing to an injury.

Kevin Walter, WR, Texans

Fantasy managers appeared ready to move on from Kevin Walter with the more athletic Jacoby Jones appearing as the better fantasy option, but clearly Houston's passing game is good enough to satisfy several targets. Quarterback Matt Schaub threw for 497 yards on Sunday, with Walter responsible for 144 yards and a touchdown. Walter has now equaled last year's total with two touchdowns. However, in 2008, Walter was a fantasy star with 899 yards and eight touchdowns. It looks like it will be a bounce back season for Walter.

Demaryius Thomas, WR, Broncos

After missing all four preseason games and then the season opener, Demaryius Thomas was finally healthy enough to make his Broncos debut on Sunday. It was certainly a memorable one, as Thomas led his team with eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. A first round pick out of Georgia Tech, Thomas' week two productive performance was not shocking, however, it is a tad surprising that he is able to contribute so quickly. Expect Thomas to challenge Dez Bryant as the best rookie wide receiver this season.

DIAMOND

Jason Snelling, RB, Falcons

You should recall that last season when Michael Turner missed some time with a hamstring injury, it was Snelling who managed to rack up big numbers. For instance, in the 2009 season finale, Snelling ran loose for 147 yards. This weekend, Snelling racked up 129 yards rushing and 57 yards worth of receptions with three touchdowns. He was, arguably, the most effective running back in the NFL this weekend, and will remain so if Turner misses time. At the moment, Turner is not expected to miss much time at all. In fact, he was cleared to return to the field on Sunday, but with the team well ahead, they chose to rest their veteran running back.

Marshawn Lynch, RB, Bills

If you're keeping track of who the Bills will start from the backfield, the answer at the moment is Marshawn Lynch. The controversial running back who had just 13 yards last week led the Bills with 17 rushes for 68 yards this weekend. Just 24 years old, Lynch still has plenty of talent and if provided with 15 carries per game, 60 yards is a reasonable target. Of course, there is also the chance that the Bills were auditioning Lynch for the opposing Packers. After all, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made it clear that he would like to have his fellow California alumnus on his team now that they lost Ryan Grant for the season. Next weekend we'll find out how secure Lynch's role is with the Buffalo Bills.

Aaron Hernandez, TE, Patriots

The Patriots never have been much of a tight end-targeting team, however, that may change now that one of the team's best playmakers mans the position. Against the Jets this weekend, Hernandez led the Patriots with six receptions and 101 yards. It was a second straight strong performance, as Hernandez enjoyed a fine rookie debut the previous week with a 45-yard touchdown reception. For fantasy managers who are not thrilled with the way that Owen Daniels or Jason Witten have played, Hernandez is a solid talent to consider picking up.