Each week I will write about one or more players unfamiliar to many fantasy owners. I will not always recommend them as immediate waiver-wire pickups, but I do recommend knowing who they are and following their weekly progress.

Ronald Curry, WR, Raiders

The Raiders drafted Curry three years ago without a definite position in mind for him. He'd been a quarterback in college, but the Raiders tried him out at quarterback, cornerback, safety, kick returner, and wide receiver. He ended up making the team as a backup wide receiver, and spent a couple years learning from Jerry Rice and Tim Brown. Now that Rice and Brown are gone, Curry is getting a chance to play. He is currently third on the depth chart behind Jerry Porter and Doug Gabriel, but he has more receptions for more yards and more touchdowns than Gabriel does at this point.

Curry has good size (6-2, 220) and good-but-not-great speed. He has become a fine route-runner with a good understanding of how to read defenses, and is a terrific runner after the catch. Because of his overall athleticism (he was the starting point guard for the UNC Tar Heels as well as their star quarterback), Curry has the potential to keep improving. He has fine hands, excellent quickness, and the ability to make big plays with the ball in his hands.

Curry had been somewhat limited by a sore hamstring since the Denver game in week 6, but should be at full strength again coming off a bye heading into week 11. He has become QB Kerry Collins's favorite third-down target, and in fact leads the Raiders with 14 third/fourth-down receptions on 20 targets.

"A lot of plays are called for me on third down," said Curry after last week's game against the Panthers. "It's about a 50 percent chance I'm going to get the ball."

Curry could be the Raiders' best WR down the stretch: he should keep improving over the course of the season; and Jerry Porter seems, if anything, to be regressing. (Doug Gabriel, another young WR with athleticism, is also in the running.) If your team is weak at WR, Curry could provide some immediate help as a WR3 or WR4, and has the potential become a legitimate WR2 by the time the fantasy playoffs roll around.

Clarence Moore, WR, Ravens

Rookie Clarence Moore is still listed as the third WR on the Ravens' official depth chart, but he has gotten more playing time than Kevin Johnson over the last three weeks and should be considered the starter opposite Travis Taylor.

As long as the Ravens' passing offense ranks among the worst in the league, no Raven WR will have a great deal of fantasy value. But when QB Kyle Boller gets OT Jon Ogden (hamstring) and TE Todd Heap (ankle) back from injury, the whole offense should benefit, and Moore's prowess in the red zone could produce decent fantasy points.

Moore is a rookie sixth round pick out of Northern Arizona, a I-AA school. He was recruited by UCLA and Oregon for track (triple jump, long jump, 200m dash), but ended up at Northern Arizona because he wanted to play football. (The bigger schools did not recruit him, in part because of concerns about his slender frame.) He proceeded to set school career records for most receiving yards (2,985) and touchdowns (27).

Moore has excellent size (6-6, 211) and jumping ability, perfect for exploiting smaller corners in one-on-one situations near the goal line. He has enough speed to get down the field on sideline routes, but is somewhat unpolished at getting separation out of his cuts or working the soft spot against a zone. He must also improve his concentration and toughness going over the middle of the field. He will improve with experience, though, and has the athleticism to make big plays.

Moore had 3 receptions for 82 yards three weeks ago against the Eagles in his first game as a de facto starter. He followed that up with just two receptions for 24 yards two weeks ago against the Browns, but used his height and jumping ability to come down with a jump ball on a two-point conversion. Last week against the Jets, Moore was targeted more than any other Raven, and hauled in two touchdowns, going up high in the air for both of them.

Do not expect Moore to score two touchdowns every week. He will probably be too inconsistent to be a decent fantasy option in the very near term, but the rookie could blossom later in the year if the rest of the Ravens' passing game improves. Moore already appears to have become Kyle Boller's favorite target in the red zone. If he starts consistently adding catches and yardage between the twenties, he will become a serviceable WR3.