Upgrades

DE Dwight Freeney, IND: It's been a tale of two seasons for Freeney. During the first five games of the year, he picked up a total of three solo tackles and one sack. Over the last three he's given us 11 solo tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles, reminding us why he was a top five defensive lineman coming into the season.

DE Adewale Ogunleye, MIA: It's safe to say that Adewale has arrived. Early struggles had us had us thinking that last years 9.5 sack performance was a fluke, but with seven sacks over the last four games, and nine now on the year, he's proving to be one of the leagues premier pass rushers.

DE Michael Strahan, NYG: Strahan continues to roll, posting at least one sack in each of the last five games. Over that span, he has a total of 24 solo tackles, eight sacks and two forced fumbles.

DE Mike Rucker, CAR: Yet another defensive lineman who's in the midst of an incredible stretch. Rucker's picked up 15 solo tackles and five sacks over the last three games, leaving him with 10 sacks at the seasons mid-point. This is definitely the year of the sack.

DE Willie Whitehead, NO: After playing around at defensive tackle for a couple of games, Whitehead is back at end and back to being very productive. He picked up three sacks on Sunday and has posted 14 solo tackles over the last three games. For a defensive lineman, he has tallied some pretty impressive tackle numbers with five or more solos in five games so far.

DE James Hall, DET: While holding off Kalimba Edwards, who was supposedly going to take his starting job during preseason, Hall has put together a productive first half. He's posted four or more solo tackles in all but two games this year and has picked up 4.5 sacks over the last six.

LB Victor Hobson, NYJ: With Mo Lewis out because of injury, Hobson stepped into the starting lineup and performed very well. In his first career start, he picked up 11 tackles (seven solo), and should become a regular fixture in the Jets defense (although Herm Edwards won't admit it).

LB Eric Barton, OAK: Barton's playmaking ability has been absent this year, leaving him as a bust during the seasons first half, but he's started to pick up the pace tackle-wise. He's totaled 20 solo tackles over the last three games, equalling the output of teammate Travian Smith over that span.

LB Boss Bailey, DET: A mediocre start to the season may have left Bailey as a forgotten man, but it looks like he has turned the corner in his rookie year with 14 solo tackles and a sack over the last two games.

LB Donnie Edwards, SD: Talk about consistency, Edwards has recorded nine solo tackles in each of the last four games. He has just one pick without a sack through eight games, but his pace of 140 solo tackles more than makes up for it.

LB Ray Lewis, BAL: Dangit, this is the week that I was hoping to have good reason to downgrade the NFLs top defensive player. He's been pretty pedestrian of late with just 15 solo tackles during weeks 6-8, but he posted his best game of the year on Sunday (12 solo tackles, forced fumble, interception) and earns a pass...for now.

LB Chad Brown, SEA: Last year, before Brown was injured, he was playing like the Chad Brown who used to be among the top fantasy linebackers in the league. Now playing injured, we're seeing that same production. Over the last four games he's recorded 28 solo tackles and four sacks.

LB Mark Simoneau, PHI: Simoneau has now recorded five or more solo tackles in each of the last five games, including two sacks. He has 34 solos over that span and leads the team by a large margin.

LB Chris Draft, ATL: Draft has been a consistent force for the Falcons, posting 7+ solo tackles in four straight games. One of Draft's strengths is his ability to rush the passer, but but he's yet to pick up his first sack of the year. As Keith Brooking has found out, not many sacks come from the inside linebacker spot in Atlanta's 3-4.

LB Dexter Coakley, DAL: Coakley has been playing very well of late, picking up 18 solo tackles, one sack and one interception over the last three games.

LB Jashon Sykes, DEN: In the three games since Ian Gold has gone down, Sykes has picked up 22 tackles (14 solo), including six solo tackles in each of the last two.

S Gary Baxter, BAL: Baxter is second on the Ravens in solo tackles (42). Does that surprise you? With Ed Hartwell lining up next to Ray Lewis, it probably surprises most, but Baxter is having an outstanding season. Whether he's at cornerback or safety, it hasn't mattered as he's posted five or more solo tackles in five of eight games.

S Damien Robinson, SEA: How much playing time Robinson will steal from super-rookie Ken Hamlin is not yet known, but he started on Sunday and played very well in picking up nine tackles (seven solo).

S Brent Alexander, PIT: Alexander wasn't worth a roster spot during the seasons first four games (12 solo tackles), but he's paid off lately if you held on. He's been productive in each of the last four games, totalling 22 solo tackles, a sack and two interceptions.

S Eric Brown, HOU: After picking up just 16 solo tackles over the seasons first five games, Brown has begun to heat up. Over the last three, he's posted 20 solo tackles with no less than six in each game. Just don't expect a sack or pick from him.

CB Ronde Barber, TB: A star among stars, Barber leads the Bucs defense in tackles (47 solos) to go along with his 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. He's also been very consistent of late with five or more solos in each of the last six games.

CB Marcus Trufant, SEA: The "other" rookie in Seattle's defensive backfield, Trufant has had some impressive games this year. He posted eight solo tackles with two passes defended on Sunday, his fourth game with five or more solos, and continues to start even though Ken Lucas is healthy.

Downgrades

DE Bryan Thomas, NYJ: How can you downgrade a player who's never been up? Filling in for John Abraham, expectations for Thomas were a little bloated, but he's nothing more than a warm body replacement at this point. I guess we shouldn't expect much in a game where Shaun Ellis only recorded a half sack.

DE Alex Brown, CHI: The season started off well enough with nine solo tackles and 1.5 sacks during the first two weeks, but it's gone downhill from there. He's recorded just 16 solo tackles without a sack since (six games).

DE Aaron Smith, PIT: A week six sack (his lone sack on the year) had us thinking that he may (just may) be ready to break out. Nope. Back in his unproductive ways, he has just the one sack and hasn't posted more than three solo tackles in any game this year.

DE Duane Clemons, CIN: Clemons picked up three sacks during week five, reminding us why the Bengals signed him as a free-agent, but he's been held sack-less since with only five solo tackles.

DE Ebenezer Ekuban, DAL: Coming into this year, the Cowboys were saying that Ekuban was primed for double digit sacks. Did they mean tackles? Through eight games, he's picked up 10 solo tackles and 1.5 sacks.

DEs Grant Wistrom, STL & Patrick Kerney, ATL: These guys could have retired during preseason and we wouldn't have known the difference to this point.

LB Lester Towns, CAR: With Dan Morgan missing so much time because of injury, you'd think that his fill-in would be a viable fantasy option. Not the case with Towns. In the past, the Panthers have moved Will Witherspoon inside with Brian Allen coming off of the bench, but Towns was given the starting nod on Sunday and recorded just two solo tackles.

LB Brian Urlacher, CHI: Are you kidding me? Urlacher has just 16 solo tackles over the last four games with 1.5 sacks and zero interceptions on the season. His pace for 80 solo tackles will easily set a career low, as will all of his other numbers.

LB Akin Ayodele, JAC: Ayodele returned a fumble for a touchdown on Sunday, but it doesn't cover up the fact that he hasn't been very good since his early season explosion. He's posted just 16 solo tackles over the last four games without a sack or interception.

S Sammy Knight, MIA: From 00-02, Knight averaged 102 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five interceptions, building a reputation as the top fantasy defensive in the league. A move to Miami has not served him well and he's been a huge disappointment in 03. He's picked up just 11 solo tackles over the last four games without a sack on the year and only one interception.

S Jay Bellamy, NO: Bellamy is in a slump right now which has allowed CB Fred Thomas to take over the team lead in tackles. After starting out the season very hot (27 solo tackles over the first four games), he's posted just nine solos over the last three games. He's yet to pick up a sack or interception.

S Ed Reed, BAL: What happened here? What once looked liked the leagues top fantasy defensive back has given us four solo tackles over the last three weeks. This after 28 solos and four interceptions during the seasons first five games. I wouldn't trade him for Tebucky Jones just yet, but he has earned a spot on the bench.

S Mark Roman, CIN: He looks like a starting safety in the NFL. He's listed as a starting safety in the NFL. Unfortunately, he doesn't play like a starting safety in the NFL. In Roman's eight start this year, he's posted just one game with over three solo tackles, hasn't picked up a sack, and hasn't picked off a pass since week one.

S Michael Lewis, PHI: Lewis hasn't come close to living up to the preseason hype when many had him ranked as a top 10 defensive back. With just one game of five or more solo tackles, he has 28 through eight games while scattering one sack and one interception.

CB Quentin Jammer, SD: Last year, it looked like Jammer would develop into one of the top tackling cornerbacks in the league when he posted seven games with five or more solo tackles. He has just one game with five plus solos so far in 03 to go along with his one interception (from week one).