Fantasy Football Week 8: Tim Tebow and Ascending Starters Worth Picking Up

Week 7 of the 2011 NFL season was a veritable showcase of young stars making their mark in the world of fantasy football. Not all of them will stick in the long run, but these three studs-in-the-making are worth snapping up before everyone else in your fantasy league beats you to it.

Tim Tebow, QB, Denver Broncos

Usually, players and teams switch between Jekyll and Hyde on a game-to-game basis.

Tim Tebow? Well, he really is a special case, since he managed to be awful and awesome in the very same game. Tebow looked terrible for most of the day against the Dolphins before leading the Broncos back from a 15-point deficit to win in overtime.

In the process, Tebow racked up 161 yards and two touchdowns through the air and another 65 yards on the ground.

He'll have every opportunity to pull the very same sorts of stunts for the rest of the season now that Denver's offense is firmly at his disposal, much to the chagrin of head coach John Fox.

Putting up fantasy points against the Lions' defense in Week 8 won't be easy, but he should be productive enough to justify keeping around, at least long enough to light up the Raiders, the Chiefs, the Jets and the Chargers into November.

Christian Ponder, QB, Minnesota Vikings

Contrary to popular belief, that wasn't the first time Tebow had ever started an NFL game—that was the fourth such occasion in his career.

Christian Ponder, on the other hand, was new to the role for the Vikings, but fit the part fairly well against the division-rival Packers. Ponder's two picks left something to be desired, though his 219 yards and two touchdowns passing, along with 31 yards rushing, made him a solid pickup for the week.

He'll have the privilege of operating against a middle-of-the-road Panthers defense this weekend before Minnesota takes off for a bye in Week 9, after which point he'll face Green Bay again (27th in total defense), Oakland (25th), Atlanta (20th) and Denver (21st).

In other words, if you're looking for a quarterback to invest a bit of fantasy capital in, then Ponder is your guy.

DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys

DeMarco Murray didn't even start for the Cowboys, but that didn't stop him from setting a franchise record with 253 yards, albeit against a Rams defense that ranks last in the NFL against the run.

The rookie out of Oklahoma will get plenty of touches until Felix Jones returns from his high ankle sprain, continuing with Sunday's game against an Eagles defense that ranks 23rd against the run.

Murray figures to be a keeper even when Jones comes back, considering Felix's long litany of injuries, not to mention his inconsistency even when healthy.