Defensive Upgrades/Downgrades by Brian Roberson and Tom Nadratowski Every week, FootballGuys.com's resident Individual Defensive Player (IDP) Gurus - Brian Roberson and Tom Nadratowski- will be providing you with immediate opinions on what players are stepping up their play, which ones are falling down on the job and which players just happened to have a horseshoe in their pocket for one game. Here are our thoughts after week three's action. ** Some players with asterisks have been kept on this week's list as holdovers from last week because they were on a bye last week and we didn't want you to forget about them. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Upgrades Gary Walker HOU (Roberson) - Walker's stats were deceptive until this week. I couldn't tell if he was grabbing meaningless sacks and padding his numbers or not. If you need a player on the d-line this late in the season, take a look at Walker's numbers. Obviously, Houston's defense is on the field often each Sunday and Walker is an active player. He gets his share of solo tackles which is a good sign for a fantasy defensive lineman. Andre Carter SF (Roberson) - Carter had a bye this past week but just so you haven't forgotten about him, I felt the need to bring him up. Carter tallied two sacks in his last time out against Washington left tackle Chris Samuels. He's capable of getting a sack in every game he plays. Kenny Mixon MIN (Roberson) - Mixon's numbers haven't been stupendous but he has been consistently good each week. He gets a lot of opportunities for sacks because Minnesota opponents are always fading back to pass against that porous secondary. A good pickup in deep leagues. Aberrations LaRoi Glover DAL - Glover managed only 1 solo tackle this time out against the Rams. For whatever reason he just didn't get it done. The Rams are one of those funky teams that skew defensive players' numbers when they throw they're odd packages out there (5 WR, 3 TE, etc.) Downgrades Julius Peppers CAR (Roberson) - Peppers dazzled us all with his three sack game against the Lions in week two. Since then, it's been 'slim pickins.' He's young so he's still seeing schemes week to week that confuse him. If you can stash him away on your bench until the second half of the season, that would be a good way to treat the situation. Otherwise, you may need to look at other options. LINEBACKERS Upgrades Danny Clark JAC (Roberson) - Clark is the new weakside backer in Jacksonville now that TJ Slaughter is serving his four game suspension for drug use. In his first start he tallied 7-0-0 and looked very good doing so. A pleasant surprise for those of you that need depth at linebacker. Don Davis STL (Roberson) - Davis is now starting at weakside linebacker for the Rams due to the injury to Tommy Polley and the fact that rookie Robert Thomas is more suited to play the strong side for now. He may not be there for long but if you need a one or two week filler, he'll do. Dhani Jones NYG (Roberson) - I expected Jones to be a mega sleeper this year taking over for the departed Jesse Armstead. He got off to a slow start but has really looked good of late. He has above average speed and is in the same defense that funnels the play to the weak side and middle linebackers. ** Jesse Armstead WAS (Nadratowski) - With the fun-n-gun out of ammo, it was only a matter of time until the defensive players started to get better fantasy performance. Instead of it being pre-season fave Arrington or highly paid FA Trotter, it was the previously forgotten man Armstead. He posted an astonishing 17 tackle outing, after a solid seven week 2. It's unlikely he'll do this again, but with the offense sputtering all of the LBs remain viable starters. Downgrades Warrick Holdman CHI (Roberson) - Holdman was injured in Sunday's game and thus makes the downgrade list. The severity of the injury is unknown at this time so check his status throughout the week. Levon Kirkland PHI (Roberson) - Kirkland and Barry Gardner have been sharing the middle linebacker duties for the Eagles. This is much like the running back by committee approach that kills fantasy owners on the offensive side of the ball. This is a situation to stay away from. Avoid either of these linebackers unless you're very desperate. **Rob Morris IND (Roberson) - The disappearance of Morris and his nice tackle numbers has befuddled many an owner this year. Typically Morris will put up at least a 6-2-0 on Sunday but he's been falling way short of that. I think he's the victim of opposing offensive coordinators' game plans against him. He just needs to adjust. DEFENSIVE BACKS Upgrades Marlon McCree JAC (Roberson) - McCree's stats have been steady for two weeks now and so I'm recommending you jump on him before he becomes a hot commodity in the coming weeks. He forms a dynamic, hard hitting safety tandem with Donovin Darius in that defense and they're both physical guys that play well in run support. Chris Cash DET (Roberson) - Cash is an unknown in the IDP world right now. He has put together two very nice weeks back to back though and could be emerging as a worthwhile pickup. He's a cornerback and as most of you know, corners aren't the best scorers from week to week but he could be a spot starter against passing opponents. Aberrations Greg Wesley KC (Roberson) - With two interceptions, Wesley's numbers on the surface look outstanding. Don't just stare at the totals and think, "wow, this guy's a certified stud!" Wesley's week to week numbers have been far lower than what was expected of him thus far. Downgrades Kwame Lassiter ARI (Roberson) - I'm not sure why Lassiter's numbers have tailed off so dramatically this season. He has gone from fantasy stud to also ran in four short weeks. Downgrade him in your lineup until he shows signs of life.