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DL Cornelius Griffin, WAS: Unlike most of Daniel Snyder's offseason moves, the signing of free-agent Cornelius Griffin didn't make much noise, but it sure looks like money well spent (also unlike most of Daniel Snyder's offseason moves). Griffin has played very well for a defensive tackle, posting four or more solo tackles in all but two games thus far (31 total) with two sacks on the year.

DL Kevin Williams, MIN: When news came out this offseason that Kevin Williams would be used primarily as a defensive tackle this year, many knocked him way down their cheatsheets thinking that there would be no way he could match his outstanding rookie performance. Don't look now, but Williams is on pace to surpass his production from a year ago, and then some. Through seven games he's posted 20 solo tackles and has been held without a sack in just two of those.

LB Earl Holmes, DET: The Detroit Lions are having a horrible time controlling the ball this year and Earl Holmes looks like the main beneficiary of that. Two weeks ago, against the Green Bay Packers, the Lions lost the time of possession battle 40-20, allowing Holmes to rack up 12 solo tackles. This week, with a similar TOP difference at Dallas, Holmes picked up 11 solo tackles (15 total). Will Detroit get their offense in line so that the defense doesn't have to spend in upwards of 40 minutes on the field? The answer to that likely will be "sometimes". Holmes will undoubtedly have more big games like this, especially when they face ball control offenses. It's not like his production has been limited to just two weeks, he's picked up six or more solo tackles in all but two games thus far.

LB Teddy Lehman, DET: Teddy Lehman has been surprisingly consistent, something that you don't often see from players at this stage in their career. It doesn't look like he'll offer much for big plays, considering that he's still without a sack or interception, but he's picked up five or more solo tackles in each of the last four games (25 total). Like with Earl Holmes, Lehman has benefited from a ton of on-field time of the past few weeks.

LB Keith Bulluck, TEN: Keith Bulluck went through some early season struggles, getting acquainted to his new LB mates with Peter Sirmon and Rocky Calmus missing much of the year, but it looks like he's on a roll and playing up to his to 5 preseason billing. Bulluck posted 22 solo tackles through the seasons first five games and was held without a sack. Over the last three games, he's picked up 24 solos with two sacks.

LB Cato June, IND: With his early season play (12 solo tackles through four games), it looked like Cato June was the leader for overhyped player of the year. Now, it appears that we may not have hyped him enough. June has exploded over the last three games, picking up 24 solo tackles with an interception.

LB Chad Brown, SEA: Brown returned to the starting lineup this week after missing the first six games with a broken leg. He didn't do much, posting just three solo tackles, but he should make for a solid option down the stretch once he gets back in game form. Browns return was a blessing for the Seahawks, especially their pass rush that is without Grant Wistrom, and once Anthony Simmons returns we should also see his production increase.

LB Derek Smith, SF: Smith took two games off with an ankle injury but returned this past weekend and looked like he hasn't missed a beat. He picked up nine solo tackles against the Bears, giving him 37 solos in five games played.

DB Aaron Glenn, HOU: Aaron Glenn is in the midst of a unique season. He's been productive in all six of the games that he's played (he missed week one), but he's gone about it in different ways. Glenn has picked up six or more solo tackles in four games thus far, picking of a pass in the two other games. No matter how he gets it done, the fact remains that he's been a very solid fantasy DB this year, especially valuable in leagues which start cornerbacks.

DB Brian Dawkins, PHI: For years, Brian Dawkins has been one of the leagues elite defensive backs without posting elite-worthy tackle numbers (career high 66 solos in 2002). His on-field play typically outweighed his boxscore contributions. Now, at 31 years old, it looks like the stats are catching up. Dawkins has posted eight or more solo tackles in three of the past four games, he's on pace for a career high with 94 solos, and he's already tied his career high with three sacks.

DB Shawn Springs, WAS: Champ who? Well, I wouldn't go that far, but Shawn Springs has done this year what many didn't he could...stay healthy and contribute as a solid fantasy defensive back. He's had a pretty impressive three game stretch, posting 10 solo tackles, two sacks (a career high in itself) and three interceptions.

DB Kevin Kaesviharn, CIN: If you're wondering what happened to Madieu Williams' production, look no further than Kevin Kaesviharn (say that five times fast). The Bengals starting strong safety has posted 22 solo tackles over the last three weeks.

DB Mike Doss, IND: Doss has been spectacular in his two games since returning from injury, posting a combined total of 13 solo tackles with a sack and two forced fumbles.

DB Marcus Trufant, SEA: Marcus Trufant is a good reason why you don't want to ignore cornerbacks on fantasy draft day. As a rookie last year, he picked up 69 solo tackles with two interceptions and 20 passes defended. He's taken to another level in 2004. Trufant has posted six or more solo tackles in three of the past four games, he's on pace for 80 solos for the year, and he's chipped in three picks with eight passes defended.

Downgrades

DL Marcellus Wiley, DAL: The Cowboys brought in Wiley this year hoping to shore up their pass-rush, forming a nice duo with Greg Ellis. Ellis has done his part, on his to a career high sack total, but Wiley has been absent. He's posted just nine solo tackles through seven games and is still looking for his first sack as a member of the Cowboys. Ellis' production has actually fallen off also. He's picked up just one solo tackle and one sack over the last three games after posting 19 and five over the first four games.

DL Michael Strahan, NYG: It's hard to knock Strahan, because his tackle numbers have been very solid (pace for 60 solos), but he's fallen so far off of his sack totals from the past three seasons that it's hard not to be disappointed. He's been held without a sack for four straight games after picking up three through the seasons first three games.

DL Patrick Kerney, ATL: If you drafted Patrick Kerney this year, kudos. He had an incredible opening month and undoubtedly helped you win a game or two. Unfortunately, it's time to dump him (actually, it was time to dump him a couple of weeks ago). He hasn't had a sack in four games, picking up just nine solo tackles over that span. As the defensive line in Atlanta gets healthy, we could see Kerney start producing again, but his SOS from this point on says otherwise.

DL Tyler Brayton, OAK: Like Kerney, Tyler Brayton started off the season very well (14 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks through three weeks) but has been useless over the last month or so. He hasn't posted over two solo tackles since week three and has been held without a sack since week two.

LB Dan Morgan, CAR: Morgan suffered a concussion this past weekend and there's a chance he could miss this weeks game. Although he was off to an outstanding start this year (51 solos through the first six games), many will say that it was only a matter of time until he got hurt. Considering that it's not his first concussion, we should be concerned, but let's wait to see what news comes out during the week before writing off the season. The big question now is what do the Panthers do at MLB. Previously, Will Witherspoon would slide over from the weakside with Brian Allen coming off of the bench to fill Witherspoon's WLB role. This past weekend, Vinny Ciurciu came in and contributed eight solo tackles. Stay tuned.

LB Brian Urlacher, CHI: Urlacher had a great game on Sunday, posting five solo tackles with two sacks, but he aggravated his hamstring and could miss some more time. There's speculation that the injury could land him on the IR, so this definitely deserves watching. Hunter Hillenmeyer has filled in for Urlacher this year, posting games with seven and eight solo tackles, so he could make for a very nice filler should Urlacher be forced out.

LB Daryl Smith, JAC: The rookie roller coaster, Daryl Smith has looked good at times this year (three games with five or more solo tackles) but his inconsistency takes a big chunk of his value. He's posted three or fewer solos in four of the past five games.

LB Jay Foreman, HOU: Foreman has posted 101 solo tackles in each of the past two seasons, but it looks like he'll fall well short of that number this year. He's posted 19 solos over the last four games and has yet to record a sack, pick or pass defended.

LB Kailee Wong, HOU: Wong's production has fallen off the table. He started off the season very strong with 19 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks through four games, but he's picked up just a single solo tackle in each of the last three games. He does have a sack and a pick over that three game stretch, so he hasn't been completely useless.

LB James Davis, DET: While his LB mates in Detroit have flourished, Davis has hit a snag. He's been dinged up and his status for this past week was in question, but he still started on the weakside and finished the game without recording a solo tackle. Davis picked up seven solo tackles during week seven, which leads us to believe that he does have the capability to be a solid producer, but he just hasn't gotten the job done.

LB Adalius Thomas, BAL: Thomas started off the season well enough, picking up 14 solo tackles with a sack and an interception through the first four games. The last three games haven't gone quite as well as he's picked up a total of just three solo tackles (one in each game) with one sack.

LB Dhani Jones, PHI: Dhani Jones exploded onto the scene last year with 92 solo tackles and three sacks as the Giants weakside linebacker. He signed on with Philly over the offseason and slid over to the strongside, leaving us very skeptical regarding his fantasy potential. It looks like we were right to doubt that he'd match last years numbers as he's picked up just 22 solo tackles through seven games.