UPGRADES

• DL James Hall, Detroit (4 solos, 3 asst, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF)
  Hall had been having a disappointing season with just 13 solos and 2 sacks through the first 5 games, but he turned things around in a big way on Sunday. He repeatedly abused LT Mike Gandy and finished the day with 4 solos, 3.5 sacks, and 2 QB hurries.
• DL Ellis Wyms, Tampa Bay (5 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks)
  Wyms rotated with starter Anthony McFarland at DT on Sunday and badly outplayed him. In addition to slowing down the Bengals running game with 5 solo tackles, he also added 2 sacks and 2 QB hurries. There was some speculation after the game that McFarland could be traded before the deadline.
• DL Philip Daniels, Washington (4 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF)
  Daniels quietly had a productive fantasy season in 2005, finishing with 37 solo tackles and 8 sacks. With Andre Carter and the rest of the Redskins defensive line struggling, he could be a decent pickup if you're desperate for DL help. He now has 2 sacks, an INT, and a FF in his last 3 games.
• DL Bryce Fisher, Seattle (4 solos, 2 sacks)
  Fisher was struggling with just 6 solo tackles and 1 sack in his first 4 game before breaking out against the Rams this week with 4 solos, 2 sacks, and 2 QB hurries. The Seahawks have been using him inside at DT in passing situations to make room for Darryl Tapp and Julian Peterson at DE. That may have taken some getting used to for him, but with 17.5 sacks over the past 2 seasons he is certainly capable of getting on a roll.
• DL Bryan Thomas, NY Jets (7 solos, 4 asst)
  Thomas is a former DE who is pretty much lining up as an OLB in the Jets new 3-4 defense. After recording just 11 solo stops in his first 4 games, he has 15 in the last 2 and could be a nice value as long as your league doesn't classify him as a LB.
• DL John Abraham, Atlanta (2 solo, 1 sack, 1 FF)
  After missing 3 games with a groin injury and resting over the bye week, Abraham returned to the Falcons lineup this week and came through with a big sack, forced fumble, and another QB hurry. In just 2 games played, Abraham has 6 solos, 3 sacks, and 3 FFs.
• LB Scott Fujita, New Orleans (4 solos, 4 asst, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1 PD)
  Fujita continued his excellent season with a huge game against the Eagles on Sunday. He recorded his 3rd sack in his last 4 games and is currently on pace for 67 solos, 43 assists, 8 sacks and 5 INTs. The big plays and high assist numbers clearly help make up for some relatively low solo numbers.
• LB Adalius Thomas, Baltimore (7 solos, 1 sack, 1 PD)
  Although Bart Scott has now had 2 disappointing games in a row, Adalius Thomas appears to be getting even better. He is averaging over 5 solo tackles/game and just recorded his 5th sack of the season to tie Scott for the team lead.
• LB Brandon Short, NY Giants (8 solos, 2 sacks, 1 FF)
  Short got his second straight start at WLB in place of an injured Carlos Emmons and all he did was lead the team in tackles while also adding 2 sacks of Michael Vick and a forced fumble. After a solid 6-solo outing a week ago against the Redskins, Short may have played well enough to take the starting job away from Emmons.
• LB Chris Draft, Carolina (5 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 FR)
  It was announced last week that Dan Morgan would sit out the remainder of the season while recovering from a concussion, which is good news for his replacement Chris Draft. He had his best game of the year on Sunday against the Ravens and now has 22 solos, 6 assists, and a sack in his last 4 games.
• LB Kavika Mitchell, Kansas City (7 solos, 3 asst, 1 FR)
  After an impressive 82 solo, 21 asst, 2 sack, 1 INT season last year, Mitchell seemed poised to build on those numbers and have a huge season for fantasy owners. That didn't work out so well, however, and he only had 13 solo tackles and 1 sack in his first 4 games. His numbers this week were much closer to what was expected of him but don't get too excited yet because the blowout loss to the Steelers probably helped inflate his totals a bit.
• DB Anthony Henry, Dallas (8 solos, 1 INT, 5 PD)
  Henry is a big, physical CB who can match up with the league's bigger WRs and also come up to blitz and make plays in run support. He led the Cowboys in tackles with 8 solos this week while also adding his first interception of the season and 5 PDs. Over his last 3 games, Henry has recorded 16 solos, an INT, and 9 PDs.
• DB C.C. Brown, Houston (10 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
  The Texans opened with their nickel defense this week and FS Brown wound up leading the team in tackles, while also adding a sack (just 1 of the 2 the team had against Bledsoe) and QB hurry. He has now recorded 6 or more solo tackles in 3 of 5 games this season.
• DB Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh (9 solos, 1 asst, 1 INT, 3 PD)
  Polamalu was pretty much a consensus top-3 fantasy DB this year but he was a bit of a fantasy disappointment with just 10 solo tackles in his first 3 games. He's turned things around in a big way though and now has 16 solos, an INT, and 3 PDs in his last 2 games.
• DB Sean Taylor, Washington (8 solos, 2 asst, 1 PD)
  Taylor is an incredibly talented player whose fantasy production has generally failed to live up to expectations. When the Redskins defense was playing like one of the best in the league, he didn't get very many tackle opportunities and had to rely on his playmaking ability. Now that the Redskins defense is struggling, however, look for his tackle numbers to improve as they did on Sunday against the Titans.
• DB Carlos Rogers, NY Giants (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
  Rogers is still a young CB who opposing teams aren't afraid to throw at, so he should see plenty of action each week. He's been remarkably consistent of late with 6 or 7 solo tackles in each of his last 4 games, and he also added a sack of Michael Vick this week.

DOWNGRADES

• DL Greg Spires, Tampa (2 asst)
  Spires has been a productive player for the Bucs in the past and still has a starting job, but with 9 solos and 1 sack in 5 games so far this year he's not really making much of an impact. In limited playing time, however, the much younger Dewayne White has 3 sacks and 2 FF already and he should get more playing time going forward if Spires doesn't turn things around.
• DL Tony Hargrove, Buffalo (DNP)
  Hargrove was inactive this past weekend and was traded to the Bills on Monday. The Bills already have 3 DEs they are happy with in Schobel, Kelsay, and Denney so it's unclear exactly how Hargrove will fit in there. He has good size and may see some time at DT in clear passing situations, but will probably just provide depth for the time being. Rookie DE Victor Adeyanju should benefit the most from his departure in St Louis.
• DL Anthony Weaver, Houston (2 solos, 1 asst)
  The Texans spent a bunch of money to upgrade their defensive line this offseason with the signing of Weaver and drafting of Mario Williams, but it hasn't paid off so far. Weaver recorded a sack in the season opener but has just 8 solo tackles and 0 sacks in his last 4 games.
• DL Will Smith, New Orleans (1 solo, 1 asst)
  Smith got off to a great start with a sack in each of his first three games this year, but he's only put up 4 solos, 3 assists and a PD combined in the 3 games since then. After 6 games, he's on pace for 32 solo tackles this year which is what he put up as a rookie despite not even starting most of the time.
• LB Morlon Greenwood, Houston (1 solo, 1 asst)
  The Texans opened up in a nickel package with Greenwood and Ryans at LB and the Cowboys had a very good day running the ball with 170 yards on 37 carries. Greenwood should have had a good game given those circumstances, but he only finished with 1 solo and 1 assist.
• LB Ian Gold, Denver (3 solo, 1 FF)
  Gold had 74 solo tackles last year and 20 in weeks 2 and 3 combined this year, but he's fallen off a bit with just 6 solo tackles in the last two weeks. He did have a forced fumble this week that helped a bit, but Oakland had 30 rush attempts for 85 yards and 3 solos for Gold while DJ Williams put up 6 is cause for some concern.
• LB Akinola Ayodele, Dallas (1 solo, 1 asst)
  Ayodele starts at ILB next to Bradie James, but has not been very productive. Out of 5 games played, he has finished with just 1 defensive solo tackle in 3 of them. The Cowboys probably expected more when they signed him to a 5-year, $17.5 million contract this offseason.
• LB Mark Simoneau, New Orleans (1 solo, 1 asst)
  Simoneau remains the starting MLB for New Orleans but he had a pretty disappointing week against his former team with just 1 solo and 1 assist. He's now finished with 2 or fewer solo tackles in 4 of 6 games this year.
• DB Gibril Wilson, NY Giants (DNP - INJ)
  Wilson suffered a toe injury in practice on Friday and wound up missing the game. He had to have a toenail removed so he should be fine, but keep an eye on the situation to make sure.
• DB Jermaine Phillips, Tampa Bay (4 solos)
  Phillips got the start at SS this week but he has been getting pushed by Kalvin Pearson lately. The team has been unhappy with Phillips who has a tendency to miss tackles he should make and there was some speculation that Pearson would take over the starting job soon. Phillips appears to be safe for the time being as Pearson left in the 2nd quarter with an abdominal injury, but he still might be a decent sell-high candidate with 30 solos in 5 games played so far.
• DB Erik Coleman, NY Jets (2 solos, 4 asst)
  For whatever reason, Coleman has been much less productive this season than he was in his first two years with the Jets. The new defensive system may not be a very good fit for him, or it just may not be that conducive to production from the FS. The latter argument is supported by the production of Eugene Wilson in New England the past few years. After 6 games played, Coleman is on pace for just 32 solo tackles after averaging over 70 the past 2 seasons.
• DB Kelly Herndon, Seattle (2 solos)
  Herndon is a good example of why CBs make frustrating fantasy options in leagues that combine cornerbacks and safeties. He looked like a nice pickup after putting up 14 solos, 4 assists, a PD and FF in the first 2 games but he has just 7 solos and 3 assists in the 3 games since then.
• DB Pat Watkins, Dallas (1 solo)
  Watkins had a very rough outing against the Eagles in week 5 and was burned on several big plays. There was some speculation that he could lose his starting job, but he remained in the starting lineup on Sunday even though he only finished with 1 solo tackle. Last year's starter Keith Davis was expected to share time at free safety on Sunday but wound up with 0 tackles himself.