Upgrades

• DL Justin Smith, Cincinnati (5 solos, 3 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR)
  Smith was moved back to RDE this season and responded with a huge opener against Chiefs LT Kyle Turley. Smith finished with 3 of the Bengals 7 sacks and also had 2 other QB hurries, leading to a pretty miserable day for the Chiefs QBs.



• DL Leonard Little, St. Louis (5 solos, 2 sacks, 1 FF)
  After putting up 12 or more sacks in three straight years from 2001 to 2003, Little failed to reach double digits in each of the past two seasons. Based on his performance against the Broncos on Sunday, it looks like he could be in for a huge season. In addition to getting 2 of the Rams 4 sacks, he also added 3 QB hurries and helped force Jake Plummer into a miserable 3-INT game.



• DL Shaun Rogers, Detroit (5 solos, 2 sacks)
  Rogers is one of the league's best defensive tackles and he led the charge in shutting down the potent Seahawks offense on Sunday. His 5 solo tackles were instrumental in slowing down Shaun Alexander, and he also added an impressive 2 sacks and 2 QB hurries to put pressure on Matt Hasselbeck. To top things off, he also blocked a field goal.



• DL Brian Young, New Orleans (4 solos, 1 asst, 3 sacks, 1 FR)
  The Saints boast one of the league's better DE tandems in Charles Grant and Will Smith, but it was DT Brian Young who enjoyed a breakout performance on Sunday with 3 sacks, 3 QB hurries, and a fumble recovery. Probably only worth a look in leagues that separate DTs from DEs though.



• LB Shawne Merriman, San Diego (6 solos, 3 sacks)
  Everybody knows Merriman is a stud player in the NFL but his fantasy value was a little uncertain given that he's playing OLB in a 3-4 defense and relies so heavily on sacks for his production. But, on a night when the Raiders offense did practically nothing, he still managed to lead his team in tackles with 6 solo stops while also adding an impressive 3 sacks and 3 QB hurries.



• LB Bart Scott, Baltimore (5 solos, 2 sacks, 2 PD)
  Scott started at WLB and picked up where he left off last year even with Ray Lewis back in the lineup. In addition to his 5 solo stops, he got plenty of chances to rush the passer and finished with a very impressive 2 sacks, 3 QB hurries, and 2 passes defended (one of which was caught by Haloti Ngata and returned for 60 yards).



• LB DeMeco Ryans, Houston (12 solos, 1 asst)
  Ryans won the starting MLB job in Houston and enjoyed a breakout performance right away. He was making plays all over the field and finished with a league-high 12 solo stops. He might not make too many big plays, but the Texans defense figures to be on the field quite a bit and that should lead to consistent tackle numbers from Ryans all year.



• LB Matt McCoy, Philadelphia (7 solos, 1 asst, 1 FF)
  McCoy was a 2nd round pick last year who beat out Shawn Barber for the starting WLB job this preseason. He had a very strong game and looks like he could be a quality fantasy contributor this year. In addition to his team-high 7 solo stops and forced fumble, he also added a QB hurry and a special teams tackle.



• LB Gerald Hayes, Arizona (5 solos, 1 sack, 1 FR)
  Hayes' strong preseason play carried over to the regular season on Sunday as he finished with a very solid stat line despite the 49ers only rushing the ball 18 times. As long as Karlos Dansby is out of the lineup (and probably after he returns as well), Hayes should be a very good LB3.



• DB Fakhir Brown, St. Louis (4 solos, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 PD)
  Brown was brought over to the Rams by Jim Haslett who used to coach him in New Orleans and he was probably their most impressive CB during the preseason. He had a very good all-around debut with 4 solos, a sack, a QB hurry, an interception, and a pass defensed.



• DB Donte Whitner, Buffalo (4 solos, 4 asst, 1 INT, 1 PD)
  Coy Wire started the game at SS for the Bills but looked lost out there and was completely outplayed by Whitner. In addition to his 8 tackles, he also had a huge interception return for a TD that was called back on an illegal block. It will be impossible for the Bills to keep him out of the lineup with more games like this.



• DB Antrel Rolle, Arizona (7 solos, 1 asst, 2 PD)
  Rolle is a big CB who is built more like a safety so he should be able to rack up impressive tackle numbers this year. In the first game against the 49ers with QB Alex Smith attempting 40 passes in a comeback attempt, Rolle led his team in tackles and also added a couple passes defensed.



• DB Shaun Williams, Carolina (8 solos, 2 asst)
  Williams won the starting SS job in Carolina and was very active trying to slow down the Falcons running game. Warrick Dunn and company had 47 rush attempts in this game and Williams finished as the Panthers leading tackler with 8 solos and 2 assists. The loss of Dan Morgan to a concussion probably raises Williams' value.



• DB Roman Harper, New Orleans (5 solos, 1 sack)
  Harper won the starting SS job in New Orleans and had a very strong game on Sunday against the Browns. He was very active in run support and also added a sack. His counterpart FS Josh Bullucks also had an impressive game with 5 solos and an interception.

Downgrades

• DL Chike Okeafor (1 asst) & Bert Berry, Arizona (0 tackles)
  The 49ers offensive line lost two of their best starters to injury early on, but the Cardinals pass rush couldn't take advantage. Berry did finish with 3 QB hurries but neither him nor Okeafor made much of an impact in this game despite Smith dropping back to pass over 40 times.



• DL Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis (1 asst)
  Freeney was a non-factor on Sunday night, finishing with just 1 assist and 0 QB hurries even though Eli Manning had 34 pass attempts. This is what makes Freeney such a frustrating fantasy player - when he isn't sacking the QB, he becomes almost worthless because his tackle numbers are so low and inconsistent.



• DL Cornelius Griffin, Washington (1 solo)
  Griffin started for the Redskins after missing most of the preseason with a knee injury but failed to make much of an impact. He did manage 1 QB hurry, but only finished with 1 solo tackle despite 31 rush attempts from Chester Taylor averaging only 2.8 yards per carry.



• DL Kevin Williams, Minnesota (0 tackles)
  The Vikings defensive line failed to generate any pressure on Mark Brunell and Kevin Williams was not credited with any type of stat in the gamebook. Many people were expecting a rebound season from this player who put up 22 sacks from 2003 to 2004, but it looks like he might have a long way to go.



• DL Reggie Hayward, Jacksonville (0 tackles)
  Hayward suffered a torn Achilles injury in the 3rd quarter on Sunday and will be lost for the season.



• DL Patrick Kerney, Atlanta (0 tackles)
  Kerney injured his triceps in the first quarter of the game on Sunday. He returned to the game, but only for a few plays and was not very effective.



• LB Alfred Fincher, New Orleans (0 tackles)
  Fincher was considered a favorite for the starting MLB job not too long ago, but the team has recently traded for Mark Simoneau and also signed Danny Clark off waivers. Simoneau got the start on Sunday and wasn't too impressive, but Fincher was relegated to special teams duty and could wind up being buried on the depth chart once Clark gets up to speed with the Saints system.



• LB Dan Morgan, Carolina (2 asst, 1 PD)
  Morgan left the game early after suffering the 5th concussion of his career and his status for the upcoming game is uncertain. He was replaced by Adam Seward who finished with a respectable 5 solo tackles.



• LB Larry Foote, Pittsburgh (1 solo, 1 asst)
  Foote's numbers were hurt by the fact that the Dolphins offense didn't get too many plays off, but his stat line was pretty disappointing after he finished last season with 76 solo tackles.



• LB Shelton Quarles, Tampa (DNP)
  Quarles was ruled inactive with a groin injury, which provided an opportunity for Barrett Ruud to get a start. Ruud didn't do too much with the opportunity (3 solos, 5 assists), but with Quarles getting up there in age, this is a switch that will probably become permanent at some point this season.



• DB Tony Parrish, San Francisco (1 solo)
  Parrish was a non-factor against the Cardinals on Sunday. The Cardinals had 37 pass attempts and 29 rush attempts, but Parrish somehow only managed 1 solo tackle. Meanwhile, every other starting member of the 49ers secondary finished with at least 5 solo tackles.



• DB Nate Clements, Buffalo (1 solo, 2 asst)
  The Bills new cover-2 defense was expected to help CBs Clements and Terrence McGee's fantasy value by giving them even more opportunities in run support. While it seemed to benefit McGee (9 solos), Clements wasn't very involved at all. If he struggles again against the Dolphins next week, it might be time to start worrying.



• DB Brodney Pool, Cleveland (1 solo)
  Pool lost out to Sean Jones in the competition for the starting SS job and was mostly relegated to special teams duties on Sunday. Looks like he'll need an injury to Jones or Brian Russell to make a fantasy impact.



• DB Lito Sheppard, Philadelphia (0 tackles)
  Sheppard left the game in the 1st quarter with a sprained ankle and didn't return. Recent reports suggest he will miss 4 to 6 weeks.