It's just a fantasy ... whoa, oh, oh, oh

Here are some quick fantasy football updates:

Two up-and-coming receivers, Jeremy Maclin of Philadelphia and Hakeem Nicks of the New York Giants suffered knee injuries in camp this week but both turned out to be minor. Maclin is expected to return to practice within in a few days and Nicks could be back as early as this afternoon. Both should be starters for their respective teams and are considered solid No. 3 fantasy receiving options.

New England's Wes Welker is progressing much faster than anybody anticipated from the surgery he underwent after seriously injuring his leg last season. He has already been removed from the PUP list and was involved in full-contact drills this morning. Last year he was a legitimate No. 1 fantasy receiver before he got hurt. Until you can watch him in some preseason games, consider him a No. 2 receiver this year.

In case you missed it, missed it, it appears as if Sidney Rice's hip injury is more serious than first realized. Vikings' head coach Brad Childress said Rice is still a ways away from coming off the PUP list. He'll have to play in a couple of preseason games before his value can be assessed.

The Detroit Lions received some good news Wednesday when second-year tight end Brandon Pettigrew took part in a complete practice after having his rookie season cut short by a knee injury. He was one of the elite tight ends coming out of college last year and will be a nice sleeper candidate if he turns out to be healthy.