PHILADELPHIA — Many of the fantasy players who dove into the Denver Broncos running-back pool now are all wet.

Despite coach Mike Shanahan's history of playing the maddening game of musical RBs, it was almost impossible for some to stay away on draft day.

Owning the Broncos' starting running back is usually very lucrative. Problem is, this season it's not always clear who that starter will be.

The word out of training camp was that Mike Bell would be the guy. But faster than you can say "Olandis Gary," Mike Bell was carrying the ball 10 times for 58 yards in the season opener and Tatum Bell (no relation) was lugging it 15 for 103.

Tatum Bell then emerged as the No. 1, averaging 22 carries over the next five games, including 115 yards on 24 attempts against Cleveland in Week 7.

When Tatum Bell showed up on last week's injury report as probable, many readers paid it as much attention as the average "Marmaduke" cartoon. Big mistake.

Seems Tatum has been battling a toe injury since September and aggravated it Sunday against the Colts. Mike Bell came off the bench to register 15 carries for 136 yards. Even if you take away the late 48-yard run, he still averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

So, Mike Bell's the guy, right? Maybe.

"I guess we might as well start that controversy and get away from the quarterbacks," a smiling Shanahan said this week.

Because of the difficult matchup at Pittsburgh, it's tough to recommend Mike Bell as a fantasy starter; even though Tatum Bell intimated to the Denver Post that he won't be ready.

"I would expect Mike to get in there and try to help me get back," Tatum said. "The way he's running, hopefully he can carry it on through this next week. There won't be a drop-off if I'm not in there, because we know Mike is going to come in there and get it done."

Yeah, at least until Shanahan starts playing third-stringer Cecil Sapp.

Trivia QuestionCincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson needs three catches to move into second place in team history. Who is the club's all-time leader: Cris Collinsworth, Isaac Curtis or Carl Pickens?

Winner of the WeekA large majority of contestants came up way short on how many passing yards Peyton Manning would pin on the Broncos Sunday. One fellow who didn't was Joel Begelman.Begelman, of Philadelphia, guessed that Manning would throw for 350 yards to win last week's fantasy football contest. The Colts quarterback had 345. For his prescience, Begelman wins a highly coveted Daily News fantasy football T-shirt.

Stuff to Consider• Since running for 125 yards and two touchdowns in Week 4, Patriots rookie Laurence Maroney has 34 carries for 101 yards and no scores. Welcome to the inconsistent world of rookie running backs.• In 12 career starts against Cincinnati, Baltimore's Steve McNair has thrown 19 touchdowns and five picks.• Eagles safety Michael Lewis was the last player to intercept a Brett Favre pass attempt. It's ironic that since then, Favre hasn't been picked off in 108 pass attempts, while Lewis has become a liability in coverage.• Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in four home games and two TD passes and seven interceptions in three road games. The Bears host Miami Sunday, before three straight road games.• With 12 catches over the last two weeks, New England wide receiver Reche Caldwell deserves to be on the waiver-wire radar.

Trivia AnswerCarl Pickens (530) is the Bengals' all-time leader in career receptions, followed by Cris Collinsworth (417), Isaac Curtis (416) and Chad Johnson (415).