Defensive Linemen
Bears defensive linemen Alex Brown, Tommie Harris and Michael Haynes could all be decent plays in a pinch this week. Adewale Ogunleye hasn't been ruled out yet but his chances of playing this week aren't looking good. San Francisco has allowed 19 sacks to date and they should be able to get some running going with Barlow having 2 weeks rest on his numerous bumps and bruises. Harris is very active for a DT and is putting up fairly good tackle numbers. He landed his first career sack last week against the Bucks.

Brew Bledsoe and the Bills have improved a little. They have now given up the second most sacks this season at 24. A step up from where they had been previously but obviously still an excellent match up for any pass rusher. Calvin Pace hasn't officially been named a starter yet but Peppi Zellner isn't getting it done and Pace currently leads the club with 4 sacks (in the last 4 games). Bert Berry is second on the club with 3 sacks and would also make a good play this week with the match up.

Injuries have elevated Travis LaBoy into the starting DE job for the Titans. He provided a bang (5-1-2) last week with a big game in his first significant action of the year. LaBoy will replace Carlos Hall (knee) in the lineup this week and could end up starting the rest of the season. This weeks opponent is the Bengals who are middle of the pack in sacks allowed so the match up isn't stellar but after last week there is reason for optimism. 

The match up this week isn't particularly strong but Kalimba Edwards is expected to see an increased role in the game. He is finally healthy and has recorded 3 sacks in the past 3 games including 2 last week against the Giants. Dallas has struggled to run the ball and Parcells has shown that he isn't afraid to let Vinny sling away which should create a lot of pass rush opportunity. Shaun Rogers has also been hot of late with 9 solo tackles and 3 sacks over the last 3 games. The Cowboys "2 yards and a cloud of dust" running game should be good for his tackle production since they like to run George between the tackles.

Robert Mathis lacks size to stand up in the running game but has earned a starting job for the Colts anyway. He has at least 1 sacks in 4 of the Colts last 5 games and posted 10 tackles between the week 5 and 6 games before going 1-0-1 last week. The Chiefs have given up 14 sacks on the season but their 188 pass attempts is at the lower end of the spectrum. They may have to pass more this week to keep pace with the Colts explosive offense.

The Broncos defensive linemen don't hold much fantasy value in general as they are very thin in the talent department in general. That said, Reggie Hayward is the best the unit has to offer and could be a great start this week for owners in a pinch. Denver faces off against a Falcons club that has allowed 24 sacks already (tied with Buffalo). With Michael Vick at QB this is a complete mystery but the stats don't lie.

Between John Abraham getting all the attention in blocking schemes and the Jets going back to a 4-3 base defense in recent weeks Shaun Ellis has seen his numbers and fantasy value spike. With 6 solo's and 2.5 sacks over the past two games he is on the verge of becoming an every week starter for fantasy owners and he should certainly be a strong consideration this week against a Miami club that has allowed a league worst 26 sacks. It doesn't hurt that Ellis plays on Monday night this week for those of us who like the excitement of having a chance to pull one out at the buzzer.  

The Vikings pass rush has been a little weaker than expected so far but they could get fat this week against the Giants who have given up 22 sacks to date. Kenechi Udeze and Kevin Williams are the teams top rush threats but even Kenny Mixon should be worthy of consideration this week.

Linebackers
Kevin Lewis opened the season strong and then faded for a few games when his Giants played some less than stellar competition. Minnesota doesn't fall into that category. Lewis rebounded with a 9 tackle game last week and should continue his roll in this one as the Vikings offense, including the running game are hitting on all cylinders. Nick Greisen should also be a consideration though I am not all that excited about him. Barrett Green could return to the starting job at any time.

Monte Beisel isn't likely to play this week so Kawika Mitchell gets the start at MLB for the Chiefs. Indy's high powered offense is in high gear so all the Chiefs LB's should receive more than their usual consideration as starters this week. The only concern with Mitchell is that he will be pulled in passing situations. Scott Fujita will get the extra snaps in those situations. Don't hesitate to give him a start. 

The Panthers have struggled offensively this year to say the least but they were able to get Brad Hoover going last week for nearly 100 yards. If the defense can keep them in the game all the Seahawks linebackers have potential to be productive. Chad Brown will make his first start of the year and will contribute to the pass rush with his fresh legs. Niko Koutouvides has not yet been officially names the starter at MLB but has received the majority of the snaps at the position in the last two games. Tracy White went last week and will make his second start in place of Anthony Simmons.

Last week saw the Raider return to the 3-4 base defense that they had planned to run before Napoleon Harris was injured. If they stay with it this week as expected, Harris will be on the field full time at last and should begin to give us the production he is capable of. Ladanian Tomlinson is dinged but expected to play and Harris will draw some coverage on Antonio Gates when ever he goes across the middle so Harris should be very active. 

You would have to be in a pinch to go this deep but Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson should have solid tackle numbers this week against the rediscovered ground game of the Steelers. Johnson replaced Roman Phifer as the starting ILB 2 weeks ago and has turned in 6 solo stops in back to back games. Bruschi is inconsistent as a tackler but has as much big play potential as nearly any LB in the league. The Pats will try and confuse the Steelers rookie QB so don't be surprised if Bruschi comes up with a big play. 

I had to laugh when the NFL network guys were making fun of MLB Rob Morris for getting faked out of his jock last week but it points out part of the reason that Jim Nelson has replaced him as the Colts starting MLB. We all know that Holmes and the running game are the base for the Chiefs offense so Nelson will have his work cut out for him but should make a lot of tackles in this one. With speed being his strongest asset Cato June also makes a good match up for the Chiefs running game. There are no fantasy point lost for tackles down the field. June is now working with Nelson in passing situations so he will be on the field nearly full time.

The longer Chris Draft is out the harder it will be for him to get his job back. Especially if Demorrio Williams continues to produce. Atlanta was embarrassed last week by the Chiefs and it doesn't get much easier this week with Denver and new stud back Ruben Droughns next on the schedule. Droughns isn't as elusive as Holmes so maybe Williams and the Falcons can make more of their tackles within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage this week. One thing that is certain is that there will be ample opportunity for the Atlanta LB's including Matt Stewart who has 16 solo stops over the past two weeks. 

E.J. Henderson returned to active duty last week from his knee injury but didn't play a lot. He suffered no setbacks though and should see his role increase this week. He could take over the full time duties he held prior to the injury. The Giants are going to try and get their running game going to keep the Viking offense off the field. If they have any success Henderson should have a solid day.  Raonall Smith has established himself as the teams WLB, at least for the moment. Smith has a ton of ability and has produced respectable numbers over the past 3 games. He isn't likely to have a huge game against New York but should provide very serviceable numbers.

Washington has no offense and the Packers seem to have rediscovered theirs. This points to Ahman Green and the rest of the RB cast getting a lot of action which means Antonio Pierce should have another busy day. With LaVar Arrington having a set back in his recovery from the knee injury Pierce remains the teams top LB in fantasy terms. Marcus Washington also has a lot of potential in this situation. With Arrington out he will remain on the field in the nickel package. 

Defensive Backs
Injuries in the Green Bay secondary are going to be an issue this week. Darren Sharper is expected to sit out with a sprained knee which will put more emphasis on SS Mark Roman and Sharpers replacement at FS Bhawoh Jue. The Packers will also be without starting corner Al Harris for the game. Washington hasn't shown much punch offensively but with Green Bay missing their two best DB's you can bet the Skins will try to exploit the weakness. 

If the game between Carolina and Seattle plays out the way it looks on paper the Panthers will be doing a lot of passing in this one. That isn't a good thing for Carolina who simply isn't built to play that game. On the other hand Ken Lucas and maybe even Michael Boulware could be looking at big opportunities. Only the Raiders and Dolphins have thrown more interception than Carolina's 10 on the season. Meanwhile Boulware, who handling Seattle's nickel duties, has 3 picks already. I mention Lucas because offenses in general have been avoiding Marcus Trufant for the most part. Lucas is a good corner but is undoubtedly the lesser of the two evils for offensive coordinators. If/when Carolina has to throw, look for them to challenge Lucas often.

There are several of reason to consider Mike Green and Todd Johnson this week. Not the least of which is the fact that both have quietly been very productive. Johnson has produced 7,5,6 and 7 solo tackles over the past 4 games while Green has posted 6 or more solo's in 3 of the last 5 games and has 3 takeaways to his credit as well. This weeks matchup with San Francisco could be particularly productive for this pair considering QB Tim Rattay is not 100% and has struggled even when he was. Frisco would love to be able to ride Kevin Barlow this week as both teams are hurting offensively. This should be a low scoring game with a lot of running from both offenses. 

Andre Lott moves into the starting lineup at SS for Washington and Sean Taylor will start at FS despite his recent arrest on DUI charges. Both players are big play threats and we all know that Favre has a habit of throwing the ball up for grabs, he's been picked off 8 times so far. Between that, the injuries at LB and the Ahman Green factor, the Redskins secondary should be a busy place. Taylor should actually be an every week starter at this point but he has yet to put up the real big numbers. They are coming, don't have him on your bench when they arrive.

Eric Brown was supposed to be back for the Texans last game back in week 6 before the bye but didn't play in that game. Coming out of the bye week he is two weeks healthier and should return to the starting lineup against a Jacksonville team who's offense is clearly on the rise. The Texans SS position has been very productive so far this season with all three players who have started there posting very solid tackle numbers.

Despite all the teams struggles the Miami D has remained sturdy. That will be tested this week by the Jets who up until they ran into New England last week had been moving the ball up and down the field on everyone. Arturo Freeman replaces oft injured Antuan Edwards at FS this week. both he and SS Sammy Knight will become well acquainted with Curtis Martin by the time this game is over.

The Bengals have settled on Kevin Kaesveharn and Kim Herring as their starting safeties, at least for the time being, with Madieu Williams serving as the nickel back. Even in their impressive Monday night win over Denver Cincinnati's safety positions continued to be productive. Kaesveharn is the better fantasy option at this point but its very possible that either or both of them could post 6+ tackles this week. Add a little more value to them if McNair isn't able to go as Billy Volek has struggled when filling in.

Kerry Collins has thrown 9 interceptions in just less than 5 full games under center so there is likely to be a lot of opportunity for Quentin Jammer and Sammy Davis to make game breaking plays. Even if they don't land a pick, the lack of a running game by the Raiders means that the receivers will be counted on to carry the offense. That transaltes a lot of tackle opportunity for the Chargers corners as well.

The Jets plan to get Jon McGraw more invlovled in the base defense this week but don't expect his playing time to come at the expense of Erik Coleman. McGraw plays FS where Coleman has been starting but Coleman is a very capable SS as well. When everything is settled look for Coleman to end up at SS full time, sending Reggie Tongue to the bench. This weeks match up isn't exactly strong from the perspective of tackle production but Miami QB's have averaged nearly 2 interceptions a game. Coleman has shown the ability to make big plays with 3 takeaways on the season to date.

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

John