Upgrades

QB Michael Vick (Atl) - A pair of TDs and 367 total yards is excellent against a quality defense like the Broncos. This is the kind of break-out game that could catapult Vick to close the season strong. It is unfortunate that the Falcons are off in week nine, but Vick should be able continue to build upon this excellent outing.

*** Waiver wire - QB Craig Krenzel (Chi) - He's no Rex Grossman, but he's no Jonathan Quinn either. Krenzel was merely average, but he should at least continue as the team's starter. In a big league where QBs can be scarce, any starting QB is valuable.

QB Jake Plummer (Den) - The 499 yards is a nice chunk of real estate, and the four TDs make the outing simply tremendous. This is a no-doubt upgrade, but don't expect more of the same. The Falcons defense obviously sold-out to stop the run (after the Kansas City debacle). The three INTs were disappointing, but it's still very nice to know that Plummer and the Broncos passing game have this potential.

QB Peyton Manning (Ind) - With Randy Moss sidelined, this is the best passing team in the league. Manning just continues to astound. The Colts have excellent receivers everywhere, and when push comes to shove, Manning doesn't care which guy is catching the ball.

QB Trent Green (KC) - This is the Trent Green that most of the FF community was expecting to see this season. He looked very confident against the Colts and relentlessly found the open receiver. The Chiefs mixed the run and the pass and completely dominated the Indianapolis defense.

QB Kurt Warner (NYG) - It's not often that a 144-yard and 0 TD performance warrants an upgrade. Warner is here because the Giants showed that they are not going away. In dominating the Vikings, New York proclaimed loudly that they are in the playoff hunt. That means Warner will stick as the starting QB.

QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pit) - New England's defense was supposed to be the big test for Roethlisberger. They were going to expose the rookie signal caller as nothing more than...well...a rookie signal caller. Big Ben did OK. After a pair of quick strike TDs to Plaxico Burress, Roethlisberger coasted. That's the stuff of a veteran.

QB Drew Brees (SD) - It's not often that a guy has more TDs (5) than incomplete passes (3), but Brees did just that against the woeful Raiders. With two quality receivers in Gates and the newly acquired McCardell, Brees should continue to impress.

*** Waiver wire - QB Billy Volek (Ten) - He's definitely a capable back-up. If you have Steve McNair, you probably want Volek as well.

RB Troy Hambrick (Ari) - He keeps getting carries and looks ready to perform. Can Emmitt Smith stay healthy?

RB Willis McGahee (Buf) - McGahee has two starts this season. That is identical to the number of 100-yard games he has. Meanwhile, Travis Henry seems to be a shell of his former self. All that adds up to McGahee time in Buffalo.

*** Waiver wire - RB Anthony Thomas (Chi) - After an injury to Thomas Jones, Thomas filled in very well. If Jones is down for any length of time, Thomas would be an excellent free agent find.

RB Eddie George (Dal) - He is getting the lion's share of carries. He's no burner, but he's still got some life left in him.

RB Ahman Green (GB) - The Packers are winning and Green is scoring TDs. Wonder if there's a connection there? With Favre's hand hurting again, look for the Packers to use Green more down the stretch.

RB Domanick Davis (Hou) - What was all of that Jonathan Wells talk? The Texans showed that a healthy Davis is the feature back in Houston as he had 27 touches.

RB Priest Holmes (KC) - How strange to see Holmes leading an impressive Kansas City offense. Oh wait, that's not strange. It's commonplace. Holmes paced the Chiefs with a mere 225 total yards and a trio of TDs.

RB Michael Bennett (Min) - Bennett was heavily involved in the passing game with 6 receptions against the Giants. In leagues where a catch is worth a point, that can be huge. He also has a shot at the starting RB job with Mewelde suffering the ankle sprain.

RB Onterrio Smith (Min) - With Mewelde Moore getting nicked up, the door looks to be open for a battle between Michael Bennett and Smith.

RB Tiki Barber (NYG) - Another game and another 100+ yards of offense for Barber. He even added a pair of scores this week.

*** Waiver wire - RB Mike Cloud (NYG) - It looks like the Ron Dayne experiment is officially over again. He scored a pair of TDs in relief of Tiki Barber.

RB Tyrone Wheatley (Oak) - The Raiders are desperately in search of a ground game. Wheatley only had four carries against the Chargers, but he did score. He also added four receptions and should be the main back again now that he is healthy.

RB Shaun Alexander (Sea) - So that's what Mike Holmgren meant by leaning on Shaun Alexander. He is a true stud.

RB Chris Brown (Ten) - The guy gains 170 total yards with turf toe that is so bad that he didn't practice all week and jumps back into a protective walking boot after the game. Just imagine the performance on two completely healthy wheels.

WR Anquan Boldin (Ari) - He's back on the field ahead of schedule and instantly takes over as the #1 WR for the Cardinals. Despite a long layoff, Anquan still managed 4 catches for 50 yards on Sunday.

*** Waiver wire - WR Travis Taylor (Bal) - After a dismal first half of the year due to injuries, Travis has reclaimed a starting role with the Ravens. He won't put up huge numbers on any week, but is somebody worth adding if you are desperate at wide receiver. He caught 6 passes (on 12 targets) for 80 yards on Sunday.

WR Rod Smith (Den) - Veteran Rod Smith was huge on Sunday catching 9 passes (on a whopping 17 targets) for 208 yards and a TD to lead all wide receivers. The Broncos aren't likely to play from behind a lot, but showed they can air it ut if needed. Despite his age, Rod Smith is the most reliable receiver on the Broncos.

*** Waiver wire - WR Jabar Gaffney (Hou) - Jabar has emerged as the #2 WR opposite Andre Johnson. And with the way David Carr is airing it out, this is big news. He managed 88 yards on 5 catches and should have scored a TD (he lost the ball out of bounds running to the endzone). Andre Johnson continues to see double coverage on a lot of the pass plays. This creates the ideal situation for Jabar Gaffney and could be very solid the second half of the season.

Indianapolis Wide Receivers (Harrison, Wayne, Stokley) - Peyton Manning is red hot. The Indianpolis defense is ice cold. This means the Colts are going to air it out in virtually every contest. Play all of these guys because it's impossible to know which one will explode on any week. Likely they will all have good to great games. This week, Harrison and Wayne were huge. Other weeks we have seen Stokley come up big.

WR Jimmy Smith (Jac) - Only Terrell Owens has more receiving yards in the last 3 games. During those 3 games, Smith has 321 receiving yards on 21 receptions scoring once. He had 13 targeted 13 times on Sunday.

*** Waiver wire - WR Troy Brown (NE) - Troy finally found the field and played well. He finished with 59 yards on 5 catches.

WR David Givens (NE) - He had 101 yards and 2 TDs on Sunday. With Deion Branch's injury lingering on, Givens has become the #1 target in the Patriot's pass attack.

WR Terrell Owens (Phi) - Simply put, he is on a mission. He racked up another 100 yard game this week. He has an impressive 9 TDs in 7 games played. He is averaging just less than 100 yards per contest for the entire season.

WR Plaxico Burress (Pit) - Since Ben Roethlisberger took over as QB, Plaxico Burress sure looks a lot more open. He had another huge game on Sunday pulling down 2 TDs while adding 63 yards on 3 receptions.

WR Keenan McCardell (SD) - He has added a spark to the Charger's passing game. Despite minimal time in this offense, he has emerged as the #1 WR on this team. He caught 4 passes for 55 yards and 1 TD on Sunday.

*** Waiver wire - WR Eric Parker (SD) - The addition of Keenan McCardell has allowed Eric Parker much easier coverage each week. It's exactly the ingredient he needed to elevate his game. He responded with 6 catches for 91 yards on Sunday. He could have a huge second half of the season.

WR Brandon Lloyd (SF) - This is a tough upgrade for us. The offensive line for the 49ers is horrible and making it very difficult for either Rattay or Dorsey to get the ball downfield. Playing from behind often, the 49ers have to throw to catch up. And when they do throw they look to Brandon Lloyd in almost every single instance. He had 11 targets yesterday.

WR Derrick Mason (Ten) - Billy Volek was locked on Mason all game. And for good reason - Derrick Mason has always shown the ability to get separation even when double-teamed. Derrick finished with 8 catches (on 13 targets) for 85 yards.

WR Laveranues Coles (Was) - He was targeted 14 times on Sunday. Now if the passes can just get closer.

TE Alge Crumpler (Atl) - He caught 7 passes (on 8 targets) for 86 yards. Teams are forced to keep a spy back to hold Vick in check. It's no coincidence that Crumpler can get open often because of this.

TE Jason Witten (Dal) - He caught all of his 9 targets with the team hurting at Wide receiver this week. That is getting it done.

TE Dallas Clark (Ind) - He only had 3 passes come his way, but he caught all of them and amassed 88 yards along the way. With defenses worried about stopping the trio of dangerous Indianapolis receivers, Clark is usually open as a safety valve should Peyton need it.

TE Tony Gonzalez (KC) - Teams that don't disrupt his routes (like Indianapolis failed to do this weekend) will be killed by Tony Gonzalez. He exploded for 8 catches (on 9 targets) for 125 yards and 2 TDs.

TE Jeremy Shockey (NYG) - He caught 3 passes for 60 yards and was very close to scoring a TD (Refs ruled him out at the one).

TE Antonio Gates (SD) - He caught all 5 of the passes thrown his way while amassing 63 yards and 2 TDs. He continues to have great games every week.

PK Ryan Longwell (GB) - The Packers continue to put up the points. He only has 5 FGs during the last three weeks, but his 12 extra points are second only to the Chiefs.

*** Waiver wire - PK Lawrence Tynes (KC) - He has had only 3 field goal opportunities in the last 3 weeks, but still is averaging 7 points a game. If the FG opportunities come (and they should), he could become an excellent option at kicker.

PK David Akers (Phi) - The offense continues to roll giving Akers plenty of opportunities to score. He has 31 points in his last 3 starts. He is a perfect 8 for 8 in FG chances during this span.

PK Josh Brown (Sea) - He has 28 points in his last 3 games connecting on all 8 of his FG tries.

Def Chicago - Despite playing without 4 starters they disrupted the 49ers all night. They finished the day allowing just 162 total yards and 6 points while grabbing 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery and 3 sacks. They had countless hurries on Ken Dorsey too.

Def Green Bay - They managed 4 sacks, 2 interceptions and allowed just 14 points against the Washington Redskins. John Kerry is hopeful that it will be this easy on Tuesday.

Def Pittsburgh - They halted the Patriots' impressive winning streak at 21. When the day ended, they recorded 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries and allowed just 5 rushing yards. Wow.

Downgrades

QB Josh McCown (Ari) - McCown is simply not the man. His 101 passing yards against the Bills was the best passing performance on the field, but that's only because Drew Bledsoe was in uniform.

QB Drew Bledsoe (Buf) - The win is nice (give thanks to Willis McGahee), but tossing for 81 yards at home against the Cardinals is pathetic. One wonders how many minutes Bledsoe could hold off a healthy J.P. Losman. Our guess is zero.

QB Carson Palmer (Cin) - There is simply no consistency with Palmer and the Bengals offense. He is very much looking like a first-year starting QB. His turnovers continue to haunt the team.

QB Philip Rivers (SD) - Drew Brees + 5 TDs + 5 wins = clipboard for Rivers.

QB Eli Manning (NYG) - The Giants keep winning, and that leaves Manning on the bench.

QB Ken Dorsey (SF) - With an offensive line that could not hold off the Bears (who were down 4 starters), one has to downgrade all San Francisco QBs. Dorsey also missed low on the attempts he did get off.

RB Travis Henry (Buf) - That sound you heard was Willis McGahee closing the door on this RB controversy.

RB Brad Hoover (Car) - Every year, there are backs that have a good outing or two and then sink back into the shadows. Brad Hoover looks like one of those backs.

RB Thomas Jones (Chi) - An outstanding season hit a snag Sunday night when Jones sprained his ankle. There is no word on the severity, but RBs and ankle sprains are not a good mix.

RB ReShard Lee (Dal) - He simply is not getting any chances.

RB Dominic Rhodes (Ind) - On the ground, the Colts are all James all the time. Rhodes has no role outside of special teams.

RB Mewelde Moore (Min) - The Minnesota coaching staff said Moore would keep the job as long as he was performing well. Going 8 for 29 and an ankle sprain is not performing well. With Michael Bennett rounding into shape and Onterrio Smith returning from suspension, it looks like Moore could be heading to the bench.

RB Moe Williams (Min) - He is now the fourth rung on the Vikings RB ladder.

RB Amos Zereoue (Oak) - Six carries for minus one yard is not the stuff of legends. He could still find a role in the passing game, but it looks like Zereoue will be passed over by Tyrone Wheatley again.

WR Larry Fitzgerald (Ari) - 5 targets + no catches + Boldin return = downgrade for Fitzgerald. Larry should see easier coverage, but he will likely not get the looks as he has in week's past.

WR Steve Smith (Car) - He is gone for the year.

WR David Terrell (Chi) - He had just 13 yards on 1 catch. Although capable of a big game here and there, he is too inconsistent to play on any week. When you can't be counted on for a big game against the 49ers you simply can't be counted on.

WR Terry Glenn (Dal) - He is gone for the year.

WR Derrick Armstrong (Hou) - He had just 1 pass thrown his way. He caught it for 11 yards. Jabar Gaffney has emerged as the #2 WR for the Texans.

WR Randy Moss (Min) - He can barely run right now. Look for the Vikings to sit him down a game or two in hopes of getting his hamstring healthy.

WR Deion Branch (NE) - Each week he appears on the injury report as out or doubtful. The team keeps saying he will be back soon, but he is sinking most fantasy rosters.

WR Ike Hilliard (NYG) - He had 4 targets, but managed just 2 catches for a measly 8 yards. The Giants are winning by running the football. We expect that plan of attack to continue.

WR Todd Pinkston (Phi) - He had 1 target. He caught the pass gaining 16 yards. This is all about Terrell Owens now. When Owens is not open, McNabb looks to get the ball to the tight ends.

WR Curtis Conway (SF) - He had just 2 targets catching 1 pass for 4 yards. With only 1 win, look for the 49ers to get the younger receivers (Lloyd and Wilson) going forward.

TE Freddie Jones (Ari) - He will not be used as much with Anquan Boldin back in the lineup. He caught just 1 pass for 8 yards yesterday.

TE Mark Campbell (Buf) - He had 2 targets and caught no passes. The Bills have no passing game.

TE Stephen Alexander (Det) - The Lions were hurting at wide receiver, but Alexander managed just 2 catches for 25 yards on 4 targets. We expected a lot more production this past weekend.

TE Billy Miller (Hou) - Despite the Texans looking great in the passing game, Billy Miller has been awful all season. Time to bench him permanently.

TE Eric Johnson (SF) - With an offensive line that can't block anyone, he simply did not get opportunities this past game. He is also being asked to stay back and block a lot more. The result - Just 1 catch for 9 yards.

PK John Kasay (Car) - He has just 11 points in his last 3 games. He has only 2 extra points during this span.

PK Jason Elam (Den) - He has just 15 points in his last 3 games.

Def Atlanta - Last week they could not stop the run. This week they gave up 499 passing yards and 4 passing TDs to Jake Plummer. They will need to demonstrate that they can shut down both the pass and the run to become an elite defense again.

Def Indianapolis - They rank last in virtually every defensive category for the season. When you allow 590 yards and 45 points and have just 1 sack, something needs to be done.

Def Oakland - They allowed 448 total yards and 42 points to San Diego. Warren Sapp is seen yelling at his coach on the sidelines. This unit is in serious trouble.