Defensive Linemen
The Seahawks expect to have Grant Wistrom back in the starting lineup this week just in time to face a Dolphins team in disarray. Miami has already given up the second most sacks in the league at 33 and Seattle is just looking for someone to beat up on. Wistrom is coming off the injury but is expected to play in an every down role. His legs are fresh so barring a late change of plan he should have a good game. Obviously Chike Okeafor also looks good in this one.

The Falcons rank 28th in league with 30 sacks allowed so both Osi Umenyiora and Lance Legree have the odds in their favor. Umenyiora looks like a rising star at this point and is very nearly to the point of being an every week guy. Legree is actually a tackle playing out of position but had a strong week 10 outing. He's a long shot but its hard to argue with the match up.

I have never been a Kevin Carter fan but its hard to argue with his production (4 sacks) in the last two games. Carter had been playing tackle most of the season before moving back to end in week 8. The match up isn't a particularly strong one but its never a bad idea to go with the hot hand. 

Kalimba Edwards has been somewhat of a mystery this year with his inconsistency. That said, he is seeing most of his playing time in passing situations and even with Moss out the Vikings continue to rely on the passing game. They are middle of the pack in sacks allowed but I expect Edwards to see a lot of playing time in this one and it should translate into production.

With Corey Simon expected to sit out Sam Rayburn will get the start against Washington. The Skins offense is a big question mark under a new QB so the match up value is somewhat unknown but consider that Bengals tackles Langston Moore and Robert Geathers combined to go 4-0-2 while sharing time against the Skins last week while Rayburn has totaled 5 sacks on the year while playing a limited role. Rumor has it Rayburn was on the verge of replacing Darwin Walker as a starter. He'll be looking to take another step in that direction.  

Chris Kelsay has overtaken Ryan Denny for the starting job opposite Aaron Schobel and is slowly developing into a decent fantasy option. He has a sacks in each of the past two weeks against teams (Jets and Pats) that are generally very tough match ups for DE's. This weeks opponent is the Rams who continue to struggle with pass protection.  

Bad as it has been for the Niners the news that Andre Carter is ready to return to the lineup is a big plus. Playing Carter before he proves anything would certainly be a huge risk but the Bucks are giving up an average of 3 sacks per game and Carter is the best pass rusher the Niners have left.

Its been a few weeks since Calvin Pace showed up with a decent box score but I have a hunch he could make an impact this week. Karlos Dansby has been playing rush end in passing situations over the Cardinals last three games which has basically cut Pace out of the picture. With Dansby likely to sit this week due to injury, its my guess that Pace will fill the role once again. It certainly doesn't hurt that Arizona is facing a Giants club that has allowed a whopping 40 sacks to date, that's 7 more than anyone else in the league. You can't blame all of that on Warner and changing to Manning isn't going to help the guys up front with their blocking.

Linebackers
Not a great deal of introduction needed here. Hunter Hillenmeyer moves back inside to take over for Brian Urlacher. He's not much of a sleeper but is a guy who certainly belongs in the lineup this week.

The Steelers have 49 more rushing attempts than any other club through week 10 and they proved last week that playing without Staley isn't going to put a kink in their style. Bettis has had some of his career best days against Cincinnati and Brian Simmons has had some very strong games against Bettis. There isn't much trickery in the Steelers offense. They just line up and try to push the D around. It will be a challenge for both Simmons and rookie MLB Landon Johnson, both of whom should have very good numbers in this one.

Na'il Diggs is one of those guys who is very average on most weeks but blows up big about 3-4 times a season. He was off to a good start last week with three tackles early before leaving the game with a minor injury. He's good to go this week and facing a Houston team that is very committed to the run as evident by their 34 rushing attempts in the blow out loss to the Colts. Cato June went 11-2-0 in that game from the WLB position.

With all the injuries at LB in KC there won't be many situational substitutions this week. Scott Fujita is the best option of the group but don't be afraid of Kawika Mitchell either, especially considering the match up. The Pats are riding Dillon and against the Chiefs poor run D you can bet that trend won't be broken. Quentin Caver will likely get the start at WLB and is a worthy consideration as well if your in a tight spot. Monty Beisel looks likely to sit with his injury.

Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson aren't guys you ever expect to hit double digit tackles in a game but if your looking for a solid #3 starter who will contribute one of these guys should fill the need. The Chiefs might be without Holmes, but then Blaylock ran 33 times for 186 yards last week. And they say its the scheme in Denver.... WLB Derrick Rodgers, MLB Orlando Ruff and SS Jay Bellamy combined to make 22 solo stops in that game.

These guys have a lot of risk but Demorrio Williams and Matt Stewart have been on a roll of late, often at the expense of Keith Brooking. Williams isn't even the official starter at MLB yet but he is seeing a lot of time there and making a lot of plays. Stewart has 7 or more solo stops in three of the Falcons last 4 games.

Jeremiah Trotter returned to the lineup last week due to injuries and immediately made a positive impact on the running game as well as in the box score. Trotter was a tackle machine as the Eagles starter in the past and seems to have not missed a beat. I don't particularly like the match up with the Skins weak offense but Trotter should be playing every down with Nate Wayne and Mark Simoneau both expected to sit.

The way he has been putting up points over the past few weeks Orlando Ruff is hardly a sleeper at this point and should be an every week consideration in most leagues. He looks particularly inviting this week against a Denver club that will be looking to establish Ruben Droughns. The Saints are dead last against the run so look for 30-40 carries by Denver backs in this one. Keep an eye on the situation at WLB. Rodgers isn't likely to play this week but so far there has been no announcement about who will replace him. Chances are it will be James Allen though Roger knight might get the call. For that matter Courtney Watson could factor into the picture. He's not 100% healthy but was active last week and could see action. 

Isaiah Kacyvenski is the likely replacement for Anthony Simmons this week and probably beyond. The Seattle LB corps has been thinned considerably by injury leaving Kacyvenski and Chad Brown the only healthy outside backers on the roster. The emergence of Willis McGahee makes this a better match up than the statistics would imply, especially considering the Seahawks recent offensive woes. If your reduced to desperate measures consider Niko Koutivides as well. He has seen considerable playing time of late and could see even more with all the injuries. 

Kendrell Bell hasn't been named starter yet but he saw a considerable increase in playing time last week and is very close. If he doesn't start against Cincinnati he will certainly play a significant role. What remains to be seen is if the Steelers are ready to turn him loose as a pass rusher yet. Bell is an every week fantasy consideration when healthy and could step up at any moment. He's a big risk at this point but could bring a big payoff.

MLB Dan Morgan is out with another concussion and Vinny Ciuriu is expected to make another start this week. Arizona doesn't exactly make an exciting match up, especially with Emmitt gimpy or out but Ciuriu may be even better with Troy Hambrick in the backfield. Hambrick doesn't make anyone miss with his road grader running style.

Defensive Backs
Injuries continue to pile up on the Titans with the latest being SS Tank Williams who is now gone for the season. Williams had been a decent fantasy option much of this season and is expected to be replaced by Donnie Nickey in the lineup. With Gerard at QB last week the Jags were business as usual but they did rely a little heavier on the running game which racked up 50 carries. The Titans front 7 is depleted and the team is struggling so I expect Nickey and FS Lamont Thompson to have plenty of opportunity in this one. 

Mike Green and Todd Johnson have a couple of things in their favor this week. The Colts offensive juggernaut being the biggest one. Indy has been keeping safeties chasing the ball around all season and that isn't likely to change this week. The second factor is the loss of Brian Urlacher. Hillenmeyer is a good player but he's no Urlacher and there are going to be a few more opportunities for the safeties to make plays behind the rook.

Sammy Knight has once again fallen short of expectation but he hasn't been a complete flop. The Miami offense has done nothing to help the D stay off the field and I have to wonder if/when this unit will pack it in. If they don't it speak volumes about the character of this club. Knight has been good for about 5 tackles a week most of the season but I expect to see his numbers creep up slowly down the stretch starting with this weeks match up against the Seahawks and Shaun Alexander.

Browns new starting FS Chris Crocker has been making a name for himself with his production since becoming the starter (12-1-1 in 2 games) and could take another step toward fantasy recognition this week against a Jets club that has proven to be a strong match up for opposing safeties. In the past two weeks alone both Sammy Knight (6-3-0) and Ed Reed (7-1-0) have posted their best tackle numbers of the season against the Jets. Obviously Robert Griffith is also a strong consideration in this situation. 

Jon McGraw has had a lot of problems staying on the field but tends to make a lot of box score noise when healthy. He's expected to be back in the lineup this week against the Browns after missing the last two games. This guy is a big risk big reward type. The Browns are a middle of the road match up but then McGraw went 10-1-0 with a pick in a terrible "on paper" match up with the Dolphins in week 8, so anything is possible.  

With or without Randy Moss the Vikings are going to run the same pass oriented offense, which means FS Bracey Walker corner Dre' Bly are likely in for a busy Sunday afternoon. Its not a coincidence that Packers corner Ahmad Carroll (7-1-0) and FS Bhawoh Jue (7-2-0) led the club in tackles against Minnesota last week. 

There remains a serious risk factor in playing Oakland SS Marques Anderson as the club has a tendency to do some strange things with their safeties at times and Anderson has yet to show enough consistency to earn our trust. He has however proven himself capable of a big game having two of them in his last 4 outings. Considering the match up this week with San Diego, I have to think Anderson has a better than average shot at a strong outing. Not only will he be making a lot of plays on Tomlinson but he'll likely be called on to help cover Antonio Gates.  

There really isn't a good reason to look at Tory James this week other than the fact that he leads the league in picks with 6 on the season (5 since week 6) and the Bengals lead the league in takeaways. His tackle numbers are generally very average but history tells us that when guys get on these interception runs they often keep the string running for an entire season. Playing a guy on the chances he will make a big play is the ultimate gamble but sometimes it pays off. 

Aeneas Williams continues to fight through neck and shoulder injuries and though he will play in passing situations it will be Rich Coady who gets the call at FS. Coady isn't a guy who will hit double digit tackles but he is one you can depend on for 5-7 solo's about every week.

In a match up with the Chiefs there is no doubt Rodney Harrison is going to have a strong game but don't count out Eugene Wilson in this one either. Wilson hasn't been all that consistent but he has at least 5 solo's in 4 of the past 5 games and is always a big play threat with 4 takeaways on the season. A good measuring stick here might be last week when Saints FS Tebucky Jones went 7-2-0 against KC.

If we could be sure who was going to see all the action at safety from week to week in Cincinnati I wouldn't have to put Kim Herring on the sleepers list. Herring didn't start last week but saw the majority of the action at SS and ended up with 5 tackles. He's officially listed as the starter and should get the call from the opening bell this week. Madieu Williams is expected to again get the start at FS and is an every week guy as long as he's in the lineup. Williams has been a star when ever he's played and I think he has finally secured a starting job full time. That said he isn't a sure thing. If you start him be nervous until you see him on the field. If he's playing he'll produce.

That's going to do it for me this week. Best of luck to everyone this weekend,

John