Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens D has been tough and will get even tougher in the next week or two if/when OLB Peter Boulware returns. He's been practicing on a limited basis for a while now and is expected to be cleared for action as early as this week. It may take a couple of weeks for him to get going but then it may not considering he has been working on his conditioning and will have the advantage of fresh legs.

New York Giants
I can't believe all the owners who cut MLB Kevin Lewis over the past couple of weeks. I was able to pick him up off waivers in 2 leagues last week. Yes last week as in before he led the club with a 9-1-0 in week 7. The way I see it New York has been overachieving in the win column and sooner or later carriage will turn back into a pumpkin. Lets face it, this defense lacks talent. Lewis is in a prime situation on a club that is going to struggle defensively over the second half of the season... Barrett Green was replaced in the lineup at WLB against the Lions by former MLb Nick Greison. Word is Green was considerably late for a practice during the teams bye week which ultimately created a confrontation between Green and coach Coughlin. Memo to Barrett; you NEVER win an argument with your coach. Green is undoubtedly the more talented player but has not played very well which may also have contributed to the benching. At any rate it remains to be seen how far into the doghouse Green has landed and if/when he will find his way out of it. Greisen isn't any better than an average backup so don't get excited about picking him up right away... Second year DE Osi Umenyiora is seeing his playing time increase as the season wears on and is starting to play like a high draft pick. He has a sack in each of the Giants last two games. He's not an every down player yet so his tackle production will probably be lacking but he is worthy of considerations, especially in dynasty leagues.   

St. Louis Rams
When the Rams drafted Tony Hargrove they were looking at him as a probable long term replacement for Grant Wistrom. The rookie saw his playing time begin to increase in week 5 until this past Sunday when he played virtually full time. Strangely he wasn't replacing Bryce Fisher but Leonard Little on most of the plays. There is no news on an injury to Little and he did start the game so this one is a mystery for now. The Rams are heading into their bye this week so there isn't likely to be much news from them until week 9. Hargrove is another young guy that I like a lot and considered a dynasty prospect heading into the season. It looks like he may be getting his chance so stay tuned for further developments.     

New England Patriots
This tidbit doesn't carry much fantasy value but as an interesting note, Eugene Wilson didn't start against the Jets and didn't play in the first quarter. The logical explanation here is that he was receiving some sort of disciplinary action. I mention this because Wilson managed to post a 5-2-0 in 3/4 of a game and is beginning to emerge as a very good fantasy option. He has 5 or more solo tackles and 4 of 6 starts (including 11 in week 6) and racked up 2 pick in one of the other 2. As the saying goes there is no such thing as an ugly win and Wilson is showing consistent fantasy numbers even if he is getting there ugly... Ted Johnson has all but replaced Roman Phifer in the teams base defense and has put up respectable numbers (7-3-0 vs Jets and 5-2-0 vs Miami). He doesn't have much upside but in some large leagues he might serve as a decent backup.  

Indianapolis Colts
Indy has finally found the answer to their pass rush woes in converted OLB Robert Mathis. Mathis is not just small for a full time end but at only about 240 he's tiny. He's been able to use his quickness and outstanding mechanics to overcome the lack of size and has earned the job as starter opposite Dwight Freeney. Mathis leads the club with 5 sacks on the season and should be on everyone's pick up list who is in need at the position. He was dinged last week with a bruised thigh but should be able to go this weekend. Just as importantly here is the fact that Mathis is starting to demand some attention from opposing blocking schemes. He's so quick that tackles are having trouble with his up field move. This forces teams to use TE's or even backs to help pick him up. These are the same ends and backs that were looking solely at Freeney in passing situations earlier in the year... The Indy coaching staff finally pulled the trigger and moved Jim Nelson into the starting lineup ahead of Rob Morris. Against the Jags Morris still saw action in short yardage and obvious running situations but has been phased out it seems as Nelson has proven to be the better all around player... Its no secret why Cato June has seen a boost in production over the past couple of games. He has replaced David Thornton in the nickel package. When the Jags went to 3 receivers Sunday Thornton took a seat leaving June and Nelson on the field. This move makes a lot of sense considering that speed and pass coverage are supposed to be June's strong points. It seems to be working as the Colts D has tightened up greatly over the last month. 

New York Jets
Early in the season rookie safety Erik Coleman replaced an injured Jon McGraw at FS. McGraw was supposed to be the future for the team at the position but just couldn't seem to stay healthy. When week 3 came along and McGraw was pronounced healthy Herman Edwards said the McGraw wouldn't return to the starting lineup until he was in better condition. This is week 8 and McGraw has had plenty of time to get into playing shape. So why isn't he back in the game? Because you don't fix what's not broken and Coleman has been excellent. The fantasy production has been erratic but this kid is a tough one with great upside. Dynasty owners should be looking hard at him... Last week the Jets hinted that Sam Cowart might be active in week 7. He practiced a little last week and apparently wasn't as close as originally thought. Not only did he not play in week 7 but he's now being called "very questionable" for week 8 and could be out until mid November... The Jets have steadily moved away from their earlier intent to play a lot of 3-4 and have increasingly used a 4-3 as their base defense. This is great news for Shaun who didn't record his first sack of the year until week 6 but has 2.5 in the last 2 games. John Abraham is commanding a great deal of attention with his hot start which is leaving Ellis a lot of single blocking. After his big breakout last season there is no reason to hesitate if this guy is available in your league... Quick note: Abraham was dinged on Sunday and left the field late in the game. There hasn't been any word so far of a serious injury but keep your eyes open for news.

Atlanta Falcons
No one realized how big an impact loosing Rod Coleman would make. I'm not trying to claim that his being out single handedly allowed the Chiefs to run all over the Falcons but it was certainly a contributing factor. Coleman is expected to miss one more game and the Falcons have their bye in week 9 so he should be back in action for week 10 just in time for us to start our playoff drive... Coleman's absence may also have contributed to Keith Brooking's lack luster numbers. Without Coleman the Chiefs were able to single block the DT and slide a guard of on Brooking often. They also gained the majority of their yardage by running away from Brooking... Demarrio Williams made some mistakes against the Chiefs but its easy to see why they like him. The kid has a great motor and a lot of ability. Williams once again replaced starter Jamie Duncan at MLB most of the game. Unless Chris Draft returns soon the job could go to Williams on a full time basis.   

Jacksonville Jaguars
Greg Favors managed to land another sack from his new DE position on Sunday which is particularly impressive considering it was only the third sack the Colts have allowed all year. Better is a good thing but Jacksonville is smelling playoff run and they are still working to improve the pass rush with the addition of Jason Gildon this week. Gildon will be used as a pass rusher from the end position. The question now are how much does he have left in the tank and what kind of shape is he in having not played a single down since last year? Give the Jags props for leaving no stone unturned but don't expect a lot to come from this signing... I am still trying to find out what happened to Akinola Ayodele on Sunday. His 1-0-0 combined with the first real playing time for Tommy Hendricks (3-0-0) make me wonder if there was an injury situation. So far now word to confirm such but I suggest you Ayodele owners out there keep looking for news later in the week.   

Minnesota Vikings
It took them a while but the Vikings finally had a break out defensive game against Tennessee. Their young players are starting to find some chemistry as a unit which is a little surprising considering the merry-go-round that has been their LB corps. E.J. Henderson returned to action on Sunday and officially made the start. He played only in running situations as the team tries to ease him back from the sprained knee. It may be another week or two before Henderson is full speed but hopefully he will be full speed for us for the playoff drive... Other VERY interesting news concerning Minnesota's LB situation. Dontarious Thomas didn't move back to weak side when Henderson returned. Instead he was busted all the way to backup and the club is sticking with Raonall Smith at WLB. Thomas saw some action at MLB but it looks like Smith has won the weak side job until further notice (or further injury). Smith hasn't gone large yet but its time we start paying attention to him.

Philadelphia Eagles
Jeremiah Trotter stepped in at MLB for Mark Simoneau against Cleveland and did a solid job as expected. Simoneau is expected to return to practice over the teams bye week and should be back in the lineup come week 9. What we did learn here however is that if Simoneau suffers a setback or further injury, Trotter will be a solid pickup... Jerome McDougle sat out week 7 after experiencing an irregular heartbeat late in the week. He has been checked out and has returned to practice. 

Tennessee Titans
The injury bug continues to spread through the Titans defense but this weeks casualty cloud may have revealed a silver lining. DE Carlos Hall wend down early in the game with a knee injury that may require surgery and will likely keep him out at least a few weeks. Shortly there after Antwan Odom was forced out of the game with a chest injury. Enter rookie Travis LaBoy who proceeded to blow up for 5-1-2. LaBoy is a player I was very high on coming into the season. He fell behind in his bid to start due to issues with a concussion late in the pre-season that landed him inactive for the first several games. He's obviously healthy now. The bottom line here is that LaBoy was expected to challenge for a starting job from the beginning  and has a great deal of potential. He'll likely be in the lineup for at least a few weeks and may very well become a main stay. Dynasty owners should be all over this guy and redrafters may want to take a long look as well... Keith Bulluck missed the last couple of series Sunday with a wrist injury but the team is acting like its not a big deal. At this point its nothing to panic about but lets see if its still so minor when the injury report comes out... One bit of good news at LB for Tennessee. They expect MLB Rocky Calmust to return to practice this week and possible play in week 8. He's been out all season with a bad back and probably won't start for a couple of weeks after he returns. Calmus was expected to hace a greatly expanded role heading into the season so we should keep an eye on this story as it develops.   

Arizona Cardinals
After posting a solid 8 solo tackles against Seattle on Sunday Ifeanyi Ohalete was on the sideline for the last series with some sort of injury. The team has yet to come out with any info on what or how serious it may be. In general no news is good news but if you picked him up or are considering picking him up you need to check out the situation... Peppi Zellner is hanging onto the starting DE position by a thread at this point with both Calvin PAce and Kyle Vanden Bosch pushing him. Zellner posted 2 sacks in week 3 but has been a non factor in the pass rush since. If you need to pick guys up before they do anything to beat your fellow owners to the punch I suggest you consider Pace on this weeks transactions. He didn't play much against Seattle for some reason but had 4 sacks in 3 games leading up to the teams week 6 bye. Arizona plays Buffalo this week so if Pace gets a shot he could go large... I've had about enough of trying to figure out the Arizona LB situation. They seem to shuffle guys into different packages on a weekly basis. Against Seattle Ronald McKinnon was the teams second leading tackler despite playing at MLB only in obvious running situations. Meanwhile James Darling and Ray Thompson were on the field full time but combined for only 4-1-1. Part of the equation to consider is the Cardinals suddenly sturdy play on defense which has cut way down on the number of offensive plays their opponents are running and thus is limiting opportunity for the LB's.    

Cincinnati Bengals
With the national focus on them Monday night the Bengals defense answered the bell with one of their best performances of the past several years. Unfortunately the impressive win was overshadowed by a dirty hit that ended the season of DT Tony Williams. Langston Moore replaced Williams on running downs and Carl Powell in passing situations. Rookie Mathias Askew will also see an increased role and is seen as a future starter for the club... The MLB situation here is looking like one to avoid until some issues are resolved. Rookie Caleb Miller got the start against Denver and looked OK but ran himself out of several plays by over pursuing. He shared time with Landon Johnson who took all the passing down snaps. There is some speculation that Johnson will return to the starting lineup but at this point its looking a lot like a time share... It looks like the club plans to stick with Kevin Kaesveharn and Kim Herring at safety but they haven't given up on Madieu Williams who filled the nickel back role and made several plays. Williams versatility makes him the perfect fit as the nickel DB but his fantasy production will suffer. If Kaesviharn continues to handle the safety duties full time he is going to be a very good fantasy option. If you have room go ahead and pick him up but I don't think I would dump Williams just yet, especially with the injury prone Kim Herring in the mix.   

Cleveland Browns
There are changes in the news out of Cleveland this week where Earl Little has finally been officially benched in favor of Chris Crocker. Crocker had been playing the nickel role and in recent weeks had begun sharing time with Little. The Browns officially named Crocker the starter on Tuesday. He hasn't blown up for big numbers but Crocker has looked good in his limited role and being the full time guy at FS is likely to jump his production to a useful level... The Browns have also made the change official at SLB where Kevin Bentley has taken over the starting job. This wouldn't have much fantasy significance but for the fact that Bentley is also remaining on the field in passing situations with Warrick Holdman heading to the bench. Chances are that under these circumstances Bentley won't make a great fantasy option but the extra snaps will likely give him enough action to become solid depth for a fantasy squad. He had 13 solo stops over the past two games including a 7-0-0 against Philly in his first "official" start of the season.  

Dallas Cowboys
Before anyone assumes that Bradie James team leading 7-2-0 against Green Bay holds some greater meaning, understand why it happened. Dallas is hurting in the secondary at FS and corner so in an attempt to compensate they came out in a 4-4-3 alignment with James as the extra LB. His job for the game was to play a spy technique on Ahman Green which was supposed to free up the DB's to cover receivers. The plan was solid and James did a decent job on Green for the most part (remember 90 of his yards came on one big play). It takes a team effort to stink as bad as the Cowboys did on Sunday. Obviously the idea didn't work all that well and we probably won't see it again anytime soon... Greg Ellis is playing with a painful foot injury that severely limited him against Green Bay. Another week of healing will help but it may be a good idea to bench him until he he starts producing again. 

Detroit Lions
The Lions last DT Shaun Rogers for a couple of series on Sunday when he suffered a deep shin bruise. While he returned to the game the injury was very painful on Monday. These injuries often get worse after the fact and Rogers may have a tough time lining up this week. If he doesn't play look for Cory Redding to move back inside with Kalimba Edwards moving back into the starting lineup at end. Edwards has been very productive in two of the Lions last 3 games and is finally healthy. He should be a strong consideration for owners in need of help at the position.  

New Orleans Saints
Rookie MLB Courtney Watson was benched in favor of Orlando Ruff in week 7 against Oakland but don't jump the gun and cut Watson. Keep in mind that he had his knee drained after week 4 and missed week 5 all together with the injury. Watson played in week 6 and 7 but continues to be bothered by soreness in the knee. Watson is a much more talented player than Ruff and will return to the lineup once healthy... Darren Howard will sit out practice this week but is expected to return next week and play in week 9 after the Saints bye week. Howard is an excellent option when healthy but if you picked up Will Smith last week you should hang onto him for a while if you can spare the roster space. Howard is a fragile player and may suffer a hang nail during practice next week... A quick note on Tebucky Jones; he is playing through a quad injury that has limited him in practice for a couple of weeks now. The bye week will help that to heal but he may not be at 100% by week 9.   

Seattle Seahawks
There is a mad rush to pick up OLB Tracy White after his monster outing against Arizona but don't count on him to be the savior of your line backing corps just yet. For starters the position still belongs to Anthony Simmons who could return by week 10. There may be a big shakeup coming at LB in Seattle over the next two weeks. Chad Brown has been practicing and is expected to be in the lineup this weekend and Niko Koutouvides is on the verge of being named the starter at MLB. By week 11 White may be a special teams player again. Remember last year when Tommy Hendricks filled in for Zach Thomas and put up 14 solo tackles? He's now a backup for the Jaguars. White could serve as a solid fill in for a couple of weeks and is a good pickup so long as your not looking for him to be a long term answer.  

Oakland Raiders
For the first time this season the Raiders opened week 7 in the 3-4 base defense that they had planned to use before Napoleon Harris was injured. After they were run over in week 6 the club made the decision to change things up a bit in an effort to better stop the run. While the end outcome was the same on the score board, Oakland's run D improved significantly. Danny Clark and Napoleon Harris handled the ILB positions which is no surprise since they were projected to do so all along, but the OLB starters weren't exactly expected. DeLawrence Grant and converted DE Bobby Hamilton manned the OLB positions. Grant was OK but Hamilton didn't look comfortable in a 2 point stance. Oakland hopes to get projected starter Sam Williams more involved if his sore shoulder holds up. If Williams can't/doesn't step up don't be surprised to see Tyler Brayton shift back to OLB with Hamilton at end. 

Buffalo Bills
Buffalo's D got a boost this week with the return of Lawyer Milloy at SS. Milloy didn't make a big box score impact but is a very solid and consistent producer who is worthy of picking up in large leagues... The Bills continue to have Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney share time at DE but Kelsay has been the most productive of the pair and could/should secure the starting job before long. Neither of the youngsters started Sunday because Buffalo came out in a 3-3-5 to match up with Baltimore who unexpectedly opened in a 3 WR set. This is strange in that normally a LB leaves the field to make room for the nickel DB but the Bills feel at this point that they get a better pass rush from their LB's. Takeo Spikes actually lined up as a rush end several times during this game which is good news for those who have been setting on him all year with little production. It means the club is looking for ways to get him more involved and to get him in play making situations. It working as Spikes has a pick and a sack in the last 2 games... This club continues to play excellent defense and could be a contender if only their offense could score. 

Washington Redskins
Just when those of us long suffering LaVar Arrington owners though we were finally going to get some production from our investment, it look like the rug may be pulled from under us again. Arrington practiced all last week with no problems but reportedly had a "problem" pop up on Monday that may blossom into a full fledged set back when its all said and done. Arrington was set to meet with team doctors for an evaluation on Tuesday and we are all waiting to hear the results of that visit. Its already week 8. If he doesn't get back on the field in the next couple of weeks he's going to be useless to us this season.     

Green Bay Packers
We are still waiting for an injury update on safety Darren Sharper's knee. Again no news is good news and the initial prognosis of a sprain may well be accurate. That said the Packers went out and re-signed FS Curtis Fuller who was with the team up until September 5th. This pretty much tells us that Sharper is going to miss some time with the injury. Blawoh Jue is expected to take over at FS until Sharper returns and could be a decent fantasy option if the recovery is a slow one... Corner Al Harris was also injured against Dallas and could miss some time, in which case Michael Hawthorne would return to the starting lineup opposite newly anointed rookie starter Ahmad Carroll.  

Until next week, Just Win Baby!

John