Week 10 IDP Upgrades and Downgrades

Upgrades

DT Shaun Rogers, CLE (8 solos, 1 assists, 1 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Rogers is playing the best football of his career. Despite playing in a 3-4 front that normally limits tackle and sack opportunities, he has 21 solo tackles, 4 assists, and 3 sacks over his last 3 games. He's producing like a top-5 defensive lineman and is probably carrying most IDP teams that have him in DT-required leagues.

DE John Abraham, ATL (5 solos, 0 assists, 3 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Abraham seemed to be slowing down after his torrid start to the season but he had a field day against the Raiders this week. In the first half alone, Abraham was credited with 4 solo tackles, 3 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 3 QB hits. Even more amazing is the fact that the Raiders only had 13 total offensive snaps in the first half. Abraham has now reached double digit sacks for 5th time in his 9-year career, and he still has 8 more games to play.

DE Ray Edwards, MIN (6 solos, 3 assists, 1 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - Although Edwards was limited in practice last week with a knee problem that acted up on him during the game, he came through with his best performance of the season. He finished the game tied with Chad Greenway for the team lead in tackles, while also registering his first sack of the year along with 2 other QB hits and a pass defensed. Edwards is a better player than he's shown thus far this year and his situation seems ideal with Jared Allen on the opposite side and two big space-eaters in the middle. Look for him to pick things up in the second half of the season.

DE Bobby McCray, NO - Although the Saints were on the bye this week, Charles Grant was placed on injured reserve, thus opening up a full-time role for Bobby McCray. McCray was held to just a single solo tackle in week 8 but he registered 7 solo tackles and 2 sacks in the two games before that despite playing primarily as a pass-rush specialist. With extra playing time, he should certainly see a bump up in his tackle and sack opportunities going forward.

DE Mike Montgomery, GB (8 solos, 2 assists, 1 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - The Packers released their all-time leading sack artist in Kabeer Gbaja-Biamia last week to make room for DT Justin Harrell, but Montgomery looks like the player most likely to benefit. Montgomery originally took over the RDE job when Cullen Jenkins went on IR earlier this season, but he was knocked out of the lineup with an ankle injury. He returned to action this week, and although he didn't start the game (Jeremy Thompson did), he was very active and finished as the Packers leading tackler while also contributing a sack, QB hit, and pass defensed. Montgomery is a physical player who has been plagued by injuries for much of his career to this point, but if he can stay healthy he has a chance to be a nice late-season pickup playing opposite Aaron Kampman.

DE Jarvis Moss, DEN (4 solos, 0 assists, 2 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Last year's first round pick has been slow to develop, but his confidence is reportedly growing and the coaches are starting to reward him with more playing time. There's a good chance he earned himself a lot more playing time going forward after finishing the game this week with 4 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, and 2 QB hits. The Broncos LB group is also being decimated by injuries with the loss of Boss Bailey and now possibly DJ Williams as well, which could potentially open up even more snaps for Moss.

ILB Bradie James, DAL (9 solos, 3 assists, 1 sacks 0 FF, 1 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - With the pickup of Zach Thomas and quality backups like Bobby Carpenter and Kevin Burnett, James was expected to play just a 2-down role in Dallas this year. His production early in the year reflected that role, but he's really picked it up since Tony Romo went out with an injury. In the past 3 weeks, James has recorded 20 solo tackles combined and he's also been very active as a blitzer, recording a sack in all 3 games. The Cowboys have a bye coming up and they are expected to get Romo back the following week, but James should be one of the hotter free agent pickups this week.

ILB Stephen Tulloch, TEN (7 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 1 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - Even though Tulloch doesn't normally play in the team's nickel package, he's been putting up some solid numbers with 23 solo tackles over the past 5 games. With games coming up against the Bears and Jaguars the next two weeks, the Titans figure to spend more time in their base package, which should keep Tulloch on the field more often than usual and could make him a nice pickup if you're desperate for short-term help at the LB position.

OLB A.J. Hawk, GB (5 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - After a quick start to the season, Hawk suffered a groin injury that limited his range and led to the team temporarily removing him from the nickel package in favor of Brandon Chillar. After resting it during the bye week, however, Hawk returned to a full-time role this week so he should see an improvement in his numbers in the weeks ahead as long as he can stay healthy.

OLB Jamie Winborn, DEN (5 solos, 4 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 3 PD) - Winborn was seeing limited playing time for the Broncos for most of this year, but he saw an increase in playing time with the season-ending injury suffered by Boss Bailey and has made the most of it. Over the past 2 games, Winborn has been credited with 9 solos, 8 assists, half a sack, and 4 passes defensed. With the MCL injury suffered by DJ Williams this week, he could be in line for even more playing time going forward.

CB Tim Jennings, IND (4 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 1 FF, 1 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - With starting CB Marlin Jackson going on IR with a torn ACL last week, Jennings takes over as a full-time CB. He already showed flashes of what he was capable of with a 10-solo performance in week 6, and at just 5'8" tall, there's a very good chance he'll see a lot of action each week as opposing QBs try to test him.

CB Johnathan Joseph, CIN (11 solos, 4 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 2 PD) - Like most Bengals, Joseph was having a disappointing season up until this week when they got their first win. Joseph finished with an amazing 15 total tackles (including 11 solo stops), which were 8 more than the team's 2nd leading tackler. What helped Joseph the most in this game is the fact that the Bengals offense finally had a productive day and actually allowed the defense to play with a lead for almost the entire game. That may not happen again for awhile, but Joseph is certainly a talented young CB who could take advantage of a pretty weak front 7 to put up some solid numbers in most weeks.

CB Karl Paymah, DEN (12 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 1 INT, 2 PD) - Paymah took over for Champ Bailey in the Broncos starting lineup and he was picked on all afternoon by the Dolphins. The Broncos rolled their coverage to deal with deep threat Ted Ginn, but that often left Paymah in single coverage against Greg Camarillo. Camarillo finished the game with 11 catches and Paymah finished with 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops, and also added an interception and 2 passes defensed. Bailey is expected to miss a few more weeks, so Paymah could turn out to be a nice short-term fill in at CB if other teams pick on him as much as the Dolphins did.

S Atari Bigby, GB (4 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Bigby had a breakout season last year but has missed most of the season thus far with a hamstring injury suffered in week 2. He returned to action this week and the Packers put him right back into the starting lineup. He's a big hitter who should help the Packers in run support, and his return also means a lot less playing time for Aaron Rouse who has played very well at times.

S Bob Sanders, IND (6 solos, 2 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 1 INT, 1 PD) - Sanders returned to the starting lineup this week and immediately made his impact felt. He finished with a steady 6 solo tackles against a conservative New England offense and also hauled in an interception on an overthrown 4th down passing play late in the game. He's clearly an impact player who makes the Colts defense a lot better just by having him in the lineup.

S Madieu Williams, MIN (8 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 1 INT, 1 PD) - Williams was a big free agent pickup for the Vikings this week who missed the first 7 games of the season while recovering from an injury suffered during the preseason. In his first game, he took over for rookie Tyrell Johnson as the starter at free safety and finished with 8 solo tackles and an interception. Williams is a great playmaker who should help solidify the deep secondary for the Vikings and he could be a very nice late season pickup if he's available in your league. Tyrell Johnson remains a promising prospect in dynasty leagues as he's expected to replace Darren Sharper at SS next season.

Downgrades

DE Jared Allen, MIN (3 solos, 0 assists, 2 sacks 1 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Allen reportedly suffered a partially separated shoulder during the first half of the game on Sunday. He took some painkillers during halftime to try and play through it and was in and out of the lineup during the second half. The full severity of the injury was not clear as of Monday afternoon, but there appears to be a chance he could miss the Packers game next week. He still managed to get 2 sacks in the game, one of which came on 3rd and 2 late in the game with the Texans trailing by 7 points.

DE Dwight Freeney, IND (0 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Freeney came into the year with questions about how fully he had recovered from a foot injury. He quieted those concerns with 3 sacks in his first 4 games, but he's gone cold since then. In his last 4 games, Freeney has been held sackless and has only contributed 2 solo tackles and 1 assist.

DE Charles Grant, NO - Although the Saints were on bye this week, Charles Grant was placed on IR on Monday with a triceps injury. The timing on this move seemed unusual since Grant is reportedly facing a 4-game suspension from the league after testing positive for a masking agent, but initial reports have suggested that he could serve his suspension while on injured reserve. With the extra roster space that was created, the Saints re-signed veteran DT Hollis Thomas.

DE Patrick Kerney, SEA - Kerney was forced to miss the game this week while recovering from a shoulder injury. He had surgery on the same shoulder during the offseason and will undergo another surgery this week. Pending the results of that surgery, he could miss either a few weeks or the rest of the season. His replacement this week, rookie Lawrence Jackson, was held without a tackle.

DE Juqua Parker, PHI (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - Parker has been one of the year's breakout players at the DE spot so far this season, but he's been dealing with a nagging knee injury and has recorded just 2 solo tackles combined in the past two games. The Eagles love to rotate their defensive linemen, and it looks like Parker may see a slight reduction in his role until he can get healthy. Meanwhile, Darren Howard has been having a surprising rebound season with 6 sacks, including 4 in his last 3 games.

DE Aaron Schobel, BUF - Including the bye week, Schobel has already been out for a full month with a foot injury and the latest report to come out suggests that he could miss another month. He reportedly has a torn tendon in his foot that has been slow to heal. If surgery is needed, he would likely be placed on IR and wind up missing the rest of the season. Even if he gets healthy enough to play, it's hard to imagine him recovering the explosiveness he would need to be an effective pass rusher.

ILB Gerald Hayes, ARI (2 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 1 PD) - Earlier this season, it looked like Hayes had a good chance to push 90+ solo tackles this year but he's cooled way off with just 5 solos and 3 assists in his last 2 games. Part of that can be explained by the matchup this week as the Rams RBs combined for just 29 yards on 17 carries, but his numbers were disappointing the week earlier against the Panthers. It looks like Hayes isn't playing a 3-down role and is being removed in the team's nickel package, which is going to limit his upside in most weeks.

OLB Freddie Keiaho, IND - Keiaho missed practice time last week with a knee injury and was declared inactive for the Sunday night game against the Patriots. Although the WLB spot manned by Keiaho has traditionally been the more productive OLB spot in the Colts defense, he hasn't come through with any big plays and SLB Clint Session has been the more impressive player at times.

OLB D.J. Williams, DEN (4 solos, 4 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Williams suffered a torn MCL this week and will reportedly miss at least the next 3 weeks in a best-case scenario. Williams was one of leading tacklers in the league this year and his loss will be a tough break for Broncos fans and IDP owners alike. Niko Koutouvides appears to be the most likely option to replace him in the lineup, but Louis Green could also get a shot.

CB Ronde Barber, TB (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Not only did Ronde Barber finish with just 1 solo tackle, but he was also beaten badly on a 37-yard TD pass by the Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen on a flea-flicker pass from WR Mark Bradley. Although the Bucs are playing well, Barber just isn't producing like his normal self this year. He has just 10 solo tackles in his last 3 games and he's yet to record a single interception.

CB Marlin Jackson, IND - Jackson was starting to come on of late with 30 solo tackles over his last 4 games, but he suffered a torn ACL in practice last week and was placed on injured reserve. He could be ready for next season but an ACL injury for a CB could be tough to recover from. This move creates a big opportunity for a young CB like Tim Jennings.

CB Dunta Robinson, HOU (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Robinson showed promise in week 8 when he finished with 9 tackles and an interception, but he struggled in a matchup against Bernard Berrian and the Vikings this week. He was beaten repeatedly, looked slow, and only finished with 1 solo tackle. He's also still not healthy enough to start and play a full game so we should probably expect to see more ups and downs from him in the weeks ahead.

S Tyrell Johnson, MIN (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Johnson is a promising rookie who was pressed into a starting role this year when Madieu Williams suffered a preseason injury. With Williams returning to the starting lineup this week, however, Johnson was sent back to the bench where he's expected to stay for the rest of this season. He didn't make a huge impact this year, but he's certainly a key player to keep an eye on for next season when he's expected to take over for Darren Sharper at SS.

S Sean Jones, CLE (1 solos, 0 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - After missing most of the season with an injury, Jones had a very successful return with 15 solo tackles in his first two games back. His knee suffered some swelling after week 8's game, however, and he was listed as questionable going into this week's game against the Ravens. Jones did manage to play in the game, but unfortunately was only credited with 1 solo tackle. It may have just been an unlucky day for him, but the knee problem is certainly cause for some concern if it's going to limit his range and effectiveness.

S Aaron Rouse, GB (1 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - With Atari Bigby returning to action this week, Aaron Rouse will go back to his normal 3rd safety role. Both Bigby and FS Nick Collins have been banged up at times this year, so it wouldn't be a shock to see Rouse back in the lineup again soon but it's probably a good idea to sit him for the time being.

S Donte Whitner, BUF (3 solos, 1 assists, 0 sacks 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 INT, 0 PD) - Whitner had seen his production drop in recent weeks as the team began moving him around to both free safety and even to nickel corner to make up for some injuries in the secondary. He started at strong safety this week, but suffered a separated shoulder and has already been declared out for week 10's game against the Patriots. Bryan Scott will hold down the SS job while he's out.