DL Andre Carter, WAS (5 solos, 3 asst, 2 sacks, 1 safety)
Carter put up 12.5 sacks during his 2nd season in the league but hasn't
come close since then. He finished last season strong, however, and is off
to a great start this year as well with 4 sacks in 4 games played.
DL Jason Taylor, MIA (5 solos, 1 asst, 2 sacks, 1 FF)
Taylor is obviously an elite fantasy DE but he wasn't performing up to
expectations with just 1 sack in his first 4 games. Even though the Dolphins
are struggling, Taylor is too good to not finish among the league's sack
leaders.
DL Will Smith, NO (5 solos, 2 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF)
Smith had gone sackless in his first 3 games but got back on track this week
with a big game against David Carr and the Panthers.
DL Kyle Vanden Bosch, TEN (6 solos, 1 asst, 1 sack)
Vanden Bosch has been an all-or-nothing fantasy option so far this year. In
his two home games combined, he has put up 9 solos, 2 assists, and 2 sacks.
In his two road games combined, he has just 1 solo tackle. He'll try
to reverse that trend over the next two weeks when the Titans go on the road
to Tampa Bay and Houston.
LB Michael Boley, ATL (11 solos, 4 asst, 1 INT)
Boley's strong play this week makes him deserving of another upgrade.
In 5 games played, he now has 40 solo tackles and has finished with at least
8 for four straight weeks. He also added an interception which should ensure
that he remains on the field in passing situations.
LB Karlos Dansby, ARI (14 solos, 1 asst)
Dansby showed his big play potential with a 2-sack game a couple weeks ago.
This week showed that he can rack up plenty of tackles as well. While he won't
be a consistent producer week in and week out, you pretty much have to start
him every week in order to take advantage of his huge weeks.
LB Nick Barnett, GB (6 solos, 3 asst, 1.5 sacks)
Many thought the addition of A.J. Hawk to the Packers defense would knock
down the value of Barnett, but he's having a great season so far. He's averaging
6 solos and nearly 3 assisted tackles per game, and has also contributed 2
interceptions and 1.5 sacks.
LB Will Witherspoon, STL (11 solos, 3 asst, 1 sack, 1 FF)
Witherspoon hasn't been having the big season many expected from him,
but now that the offense is struggling we'll probably see his tackle
numbers improve significantly. He faces some good running teams the next two
weeks in Baltimore and Seattle.
LB D'Qwell Jackson, CLE (9 solos, 5 asst)
Jackson was a highly regarded linebacker a year ago who has been pretty productive
while flying under the radar in Cleveland this year. He has 16 solos and 5
assists over his last two games.
LB Jon Beason, CAR (8 solos, 5 asst, 1 PD)
After a big game against the Saints this week, Beason now has recorded 8 solo
tackles in 3 of his past 4 games. He started at MLB this week in place of
the injured Dan Morgan and looked very natural so we can probably get used
to seeing stat lines like this from him.
DB Kerry Rhodes, NYJ (7 solos, 2 asst, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 TD)
Rhodes emerged as an elite fantasy DB last year and was arguably one of the
most valuable defensive players in the league. His production before this
week was a little underwhelming but he had a huge game against the Giants
this week and should see plenty more action in the next two weeks as the team
faces the Eagles and Bengals.
DB Marlon McCree, SD (4 solos, 1 INT, 1 PD, 1 FF)
Although the Chargers have struggled a bit this year, it hasn't been
McCree's fault. He's provided steady play at the FS position and
has already collected 3 INTs in the first 5 games.
DB Brandon McGowan, CHI (5 solos, 1 INT, 1 PD)
McGowan has filled in for Adam Archuleta over the past two weeks and has put
up very respectable numbers. He also sealed the win over the Packers this
week with an interception in the end zone on the last play of the game.
DB Sammy Knight, JAX (8 solos, 1 PD)
Knight has been a great pickup for the Jaguars this year. The team released
Donovin Darius in the preseason and then lost his replacement Gerald Sensabaugh
to a season-ending injury. Knight provides some veteran leadership to a young
secondary and has already recorded 22 solo tackles and an interception in
just 4 games played.
DB Fakhir Brown, STL (9 solos, 2 INT, 6 PD)
Brown was suspended for the first 4 games of the season, but he made a huge
impact in his first game back. Don't expect this type of production every
week but Brown has a chance to be one of the more productive fantasy CBs going
forward.
Downgrades
DL Simeon Rice, DEN (Inactive)
Rice was on the Broncos inactive list this week and Mike Shanahan said his
surgically-repaired shoulder isn't fully healthy.
DL Bryant Young, SF (0 tackles)
After getting off to a great start with 3 sacks in his first 2 games, Young
has just 1 solo and 3 assists over his last 3 games and he was shut out by
the Ravens this week.
DL Greg Spires, TB (1 solo)
Spires has been playing with an ankle injury that may be limiting his effectiveness.
He has just one sack on the season and only 2 solo tackles over the last 2
games.
DL Ty Warren, NE (1 solo)
Warren enjoyed a breakout season last year but he hasn't been all that
productive so far this year. He has just .5 sack and 13 solo tackles in 5
games played.
DL Robert Mathis, IND (1 asst)
Mathis is a great pass rusher who can be an effective fantasy starter in sack-heavy
scoring systems but his tackle numbers are pretty underwhelming so far. Over
his last 4 games, Mathis has just 4 solos and 1 assist.
DL Mark Anderson, CHI (0 tackles)
Anderson remains a quality starting option after putting up 4 sacks in his
first 4 games but he was shut out this week by the Packers.
LB Scott Shanle, NO (2 solos, 1 asst)
Shanle continues to start in New Orleans but he hasn't been very productive
this year. He has recorded just 9 solo tackles in 4 games played.
LB LaMarr Woodley, PIT (0 tackles)
Woodley had a quick start with 2 sacks in 2 games earlier this year but he
has been shut out for 2 weeks in a row. His playing time on defense has dropped
off considerably so he may need an injury to get back in the mix.
LB Jamar Williams, CHI (1 solo)
Williams did a good job filling in for Lance Briggs with 10 solos and a sack
the past two weeks. However, Briggs returned to the lineup this week so Williams
will move back to the bench.
LB Kamerion Wimbley, CLE (3 solos, 1 asst)
Wimbley had one big game in week 3 against the Raiders, but he hasn't
done much in the other 4 games this year. His 14 solos in 5 games aren't
terrible for a 3-4 OLB, but as the Browns best pass rusher, he needs to generate
more pressure on opposing QBs.
DB Chris Hope, TEN (3 solos)
Hope continues to be a big disappointment to fantasy owners this year. After
finishing with an incredible 89 solos, 32 assists, and 5 INTs last year, he
has just 11 solos, 4 assists, and 0 INTs after 4 games.
DB Brodney Pool, CLE (2 solos, 1 asst)
Pool was supposed to be a big play guy when he entered the league but he's
now in his third year and has just 2 career sacks and 2 career interceptions.
He has yet to record one of either this year and he has just 11 solo tackles
in 5 games. Making matters worse, Pool left the game this week with a thigh
injury.
DB Chris McAlister, BAL (1 solo)
McAlister has never been a great fantasy option because he plays a lot of
man coverage in the Ravens defense and doesn't get many tackles in run
support. While he did have a 6 solo game in week 3, he's only managed
1 solo tackle in the two games since then.
DB Champ Bailey, DEN (4 solos, 1 asst)
Bailey left the game against the Chargers this week with a quad injury and
did not return. As of Monday, the severity of the injury was still unknown.
