UPGRADES

• DL Aaron Kampman, Green Bay (4 solos, 3 sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR)
  After 2 games, Kampman is the highest scoring fantasy DL in the league. He almost single-handedly kept the Packers in the game on Sunday with an incredible performance, making him just the 5th Packer in history to record multiple 3-sack games. Kampman set the tone right away on the first series when he sacked Brees, forced a fumble, and recovered it.
• DL Ryan Denney, Buffalo (4 solos, 3 sacks, 1 FF)
  Ryan Denney didn't even start the game for the Bills on Sunday but was a one man wrecking crew with 3 sacks of Daunte Culpepper in the first half (he also added 2 QB hurries in the game). Denney was expected to rotate with Chris Kelsay at LDE all year, but his play yesterday could wind up costing RDE Aaron Schobel some snaps as well.
• DL Trent Cole (4 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks) & Mike Patterson (5 solos, 2 asst, 1.5 sacks), Philadelphia
  The Eagles plan to rotate two full defensive lines has been very successful through the first two games, but a season ending injury to Jevon Kearse this week should create more playing time for Trent Cole who already has 4 sacks in 2 games. While in college at USC, DT Mike Patterson was given the nickname "Baby Sapp" in honor of Warren Sapp, and he showed why on Sunday with a huge game against the Giants.
• DL Darnell Dockett, Arizona (8 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack)
  Dockett was fined by the league for a late hit on 49ers QB Alex Smith in the season opener. That didn't slow him down much this week, however, as he was able to sack Matt Hasselbeck on the very first play. With DEs Bert Berry and Chike Okeafor struggling, Dockett stepped up and helped limit Shaun Alexander to just 89 yards on 26 carries.
• LB Adalius Thomas, Baltimore (7 solos, 2 sacks, 1 INT, 1 PD)
  Thomas is one of the most versatile players in the league and a key weapon of the Ravens 46 defense. He is 270 pounds and incredibly athletic so he can line up anywhere the defense needs him to. Thomas made things miserable for the Raiders on Sunday, finishing with an amazing 7 solos, 2 sacks (including a safety), 3 QB hurries, and then a pass interception on a deep pass late in the game.
• LB Angelo Crowell, Buffalo (5 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 PD)
  After an unexciting statline in week 1, Crowell picked up where he left off last season with a huge game against the Dolphins on Sunday. Crowell was moved to SLB to make room for rookie Keith Ellison while Spikes recovers from a hamstring injury, but he didn't let it hurt his numbers. Crowell is the Bills most athletic linebacker and should be a pretty reliable fantasy option going forward.
• LB Shawn Barber, Philadelphia (8 solos, 1 asst)
  Barber lost out on the starting WLB job to Matt McCoy, but he wound up with more playing time anyway. The Eagles have been using a 4-1-6 formation with Barber as the only true linebacker often over the past two weeks, and they also played him in the nickel package with Jeremiah Trotter. If those patterns hold, Barber could be worth a pickup in deeper leagues.
• LB Napoleon Harris, Minnesota (9 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
  Harris was the Vikings best linebacker on Sunday as he enjoyed the best game of his Vikings career. In addition to leading all players in the game with 9 solo tackles, the former college defensive end was also an effective blitzer, finishing with a sack and QB hurry of Jake Delhomme.
• LB Leroy Hill, Seattle (8 solos, 1 sack)
  Hill missed the season opener with a shoulder injury, but came back with a strong game against the Cardinals on Sunday. In addition to his 8 solo tackles, he also showed his blitzing ability with 1 sack and 2 QB hurries of Kurt Warner. Julian Peterson and Lofa Tatupu were also productive so it looks like it might be possible for all 3 Seahawks linebackers to be viable fantasy starters this year.
• LB Thomas Howard, Oakland (7 solos)
  Howard won the starting WLB job in Oakland as a rookie and has put up 7 solo tackles in both games so far. His speed gives him a chance to chase down plays all over the field. Additionally, the Raiders offense looks like it will struggle to sustain drives all year, so that should mean plenty of snaps for the Raiders defenders.
• DB Jermaine Phillips, Tampa Bay (12 solos, 1 asst, 2 FF, 1 FR)
  Phillips has never been a consistent fantasy producer, but he's still relatively young and any strong safety who puts up 12 solo tackles will generally deserve an upgrade. The tackle numbers were likely inflated by the Falcons running wild on Sunday for 306 yards, but Phillips is a big hitter and the two forced fumbles could be a sign of things to come.
• DB Chris Hope, Tennessee (12 solos, 1 PD)
  Hope had a great season for the Steelers last year while playing FS, but could be huge this year as the Titans SS. The Titans offense looks dreadful so he should be on the field a lot. After 2 weeks, Hope has 19 solo tackles and the only IDP in the league with more is his teammate Keith Bulluck.
• DB Ken Hamlin, Seattle (6 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF)
  Hamlin missed most of last season with a head injury suffered in a bar brawl, but it looks like he's back to 100% health. After 2 weeks, he has 10 solo tackles and a sack compared to 4 solo tackles and an interception for SS Michael Boulware.
• DB Sean Jones, Cleveland (5 solos, 9 asst)
  Jones won the starting SS job in Cleveland this preseason and it looks like he could wind up being a very productive fantasy starter. He was involved in 14 tackles on Sunday and like Chris Hope of the Titans, he will probably be on the field often if his team's offense doesn't improve.
• DB DeAngelo Hall, Atlanta (4 solos, 2 INT, 4 PD)
  Hall probably won't put up enough tackles to be a reliable fantasy starter, but he's one of the best young playmakers in the league at the CB position so big games like this will probably not be too uncommon for him.
• DB Glenn Earl, Houston (8 solos, 2 asst, 1 FF)
  Earl is the starting SS for the Texans and that alone should make him worth a look in most leagues. He's not that talented, but will probably continue to put up good numbers as teams try to run out the clock in the second half against the Texans most weeks.

DOWNGRADES

• DL Erasmus James (0 tackles) & Kenechi Udeze (1 asst), Minnesota
  James suffered a torn ACL in the game and will be lost for the season. He will be replaced by either rookie Ray Edwards or Darrion Scott. Udeze lost weight to start the year after coming off a knee injury himself, but it hasn't helped him. After 2 games, Udeze has only been credited with 1 solo and 1 assist.
• DL Jevon Kearse, Philadelphia (2 solos, 1 asst, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF)
  Kearse was having a monster game with the rest of the Eagles defensive linemen until suffering a serious knee injury in overtime when he collided with DT Mike Patterson. He's expected to miss the rest of the season.
• DL Aaron Schobel, Buffalo (0 tackles)
  Schobel started and played the whole game against the Dolphins on Sunday, but failed to make an impact on the stat sheet. The Dolphins offensive line focused a lot of attention on him, which wound up creating good opportunities for players like Ryan Denney and Chris Kelsay. Schobel remains one of the best fantasy DL in the league, but this was a disappointing game when you consider that the Bills defense sacked Daunte Culpepper 7 times.
• DL Derrick Burgess, Oakland (1 solo)
  Burgess had a decent game in the opener with 5 solo tackles, but was rendered useless against the Ravens this week. If the Raiders offense continues to struggle, teams won't need to pass against their defense, and that could lead to much fewer pass rush opportunities for Burgess this year.
• LB Barrett Ruud, Tampa Bay (0 tackles)
  Ruud got a surprise start in the opener when normal starter Shelton Quarles couldn't go, but Quarles returned to the lineup this week and Ruud returned to the bench.
• LB Matt McCoy, Philadelphia (2 solos, 2 PD)
  McCoy got his second straight start at WLB for the Eagles, but his numbers took a hit. The Eagles wound up playing a lot of nickel and dime against the Giants, which meant more playing time for Shawn Barber and less for McCoy. As long as he continues to be a 2-down linebacker, McCoy's fantasy value will suffer.
• LB Jeff Ulbrich, San Francisco (3 solos, 1 asst)
  Ulbrich has been starting at ILB next to Derek Smith, but Smith has twice as many tackles as him. In 5 starts last season, Ulbrich averaged over 6 solo stops/game and looked like he could be a productive fantasy LB in the 49ers system. With just 6 solo stops through 2 games this year, however, he has been a disappointment.
• LB Channing Crowder, Miami (1 solo, 4 asst)
  Crowder is a talented young LB who many thought was ready to breakout this year as a fantasy contributor. After 2 games against running offenses, however, he has just 4 solo tackles which ranks 9th on his own team.
• DB Marlon McCree (0 tackles) & Terrence Kiel (1 solo), San Diego
  The Chargers came very close to starting off the season with consecutive shutouts, so the defense has obviously been playing very well. McCree has been almost nonexistent from a fantasy standpoint though as he has just 1 solo and 2 passes defensed. Kiel hasn't been much better with just 4 solo stops after 2 games.
• DB Dexter Jackson, Cincinnati (0 tackles)
  As the starting SS, Jackson finished the opener against the Chiefs with just 2 solo tackles and 2 assists. He suffered a sprained ankle in the game against the Browns this week when his cleat got caught in the turf and is expected to be out for at least a week or two. He will be replaced in the starting lineup by Kevin Kaesviharn.
• DB Michael Huff, Oakland (2 solos)
  Huff was a very high draft pick who was valued for his versatility and playmaking ability, but he's failed to make much of an impact through his first 2 games. Despite starting both games at SS in games when his defense was on the field a lot, Huff only has 4 solo tackles and an assist to show for it.
• DB Mike Brown, Chicago (2 solos)
  Brown aggravated an Achilles injury in the preseason but was healthy enough to start both games so far. His numbers to this point have been disappointing, however, as he only has 5 solos and 1 assist after averaging those numbers last season.