• DE Patrick Kerney, SEA - the injuries continue to pile up in Seattle. Kerney suffered a groin injury on Sunday and is doubtful for this week.
  
  
• OLB Ernie Sims, DET - after missing Week 3 with a shoulder injury, Sims struggled through Sunday's game before leaving early. Even if he returns this week, rookie DeAndre Levy has established himself and should remain in the mix until (if) Sims returns to full health.
  
  
• OLB Joey Porter, MIA - inactive with a hamstring, should play this week.
  
  
• OLB Michael Boley, NYG - will miss about a month with a partially torn meniscus in his right knee after undergoing surgery this week.
  
  
• OLB Bryan Kehl, NYG - is expected to miss at least this week with a fractured left index finger.
  
  
• SS Roy L. Williams, CIN - after suffering an arm injury in practice late last week, he was a scratch on Sunday. He is likely to be back this week, but watch his status.
  
  
• SS Gerald Sensabaugh, DAL - broke his right thumb on Sunday and is expected to miss at least two weeks (Dallas has a bye in Week 6).

• The Green Bay offensive continues to be an IDP owner's best friend, particularly the revolving door at LT Daryn Colledge is trying to replace an injured Chad Clifton. Colledge made mediocre Cincinnati DE Antwan Odom look like an All-Pro and while Minnesota DE Jared Allen needs no help, a Monday night against Colledge helped pad his stats. Allen had 4.5 sacks, forcing a fumble on one and scoring a safety on another.
  
  
• Odom notched his eighth sack on Sunday, tying his career high in just the fourth game of the season. While his 5 sacks (mostly against Colledge) in Week 2 was an anomaly, his production this year looks like no fluke.
  
  
• Don't look for tackles from him, as Dwight Freeney is almost exclusively as pass rush specialist now, but he remains as consistent as anyone at getting to the QB. Freeney has five sacks for the Colts, at least one in each game this season. On the other side, Robert Mathis blew up on Sunday, getting 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Mathis also has 5 sacks on the season.
  
  
• Since everyone has been abusing Green Bay's offensive line this season, the 2 sacks Chicago DE Adewale Ogunleye registered in Week 1 were losing their appeal after disappointing production the last two weeks. On Sunday Ogunleye exploited young Detroit RT Gosder Cherilius to get 2.5 sacks. You'll want to play him based on match-up if you have another decent option.

Linebacker

• At age 34, Washington MLB London Fletcher remains as productive and consistent as ever. He leads the league in tackles, posting 18 and 16 in Week 1 and 3, respectively, and 9 tackles in his other two games.
  
  
• San Francisco ILB Patrick Willis packed the stat sheet with the type of performance that makes him the top linebacker in real and fantasy football. He had 8 tackles (5 solo), including 2.5 sacks, and returned his second INT of the season for a TD.
  
  
• After being a three-year starter and one of the captains his senior year at Penn State, linebacker Derek Wake went undrafted in 2005 and couldn't stick with the NY Giants as an undrafted free agent. To get a fresh start in professional football, Wake not only moved to the CFL, but decided to go by his middle name, Cameron. A classic twenner, Cameron Wake joined the CFL's British Columbia Lions in 2007 and was made a defensive end. He led the league in sacks both of his two years in the league, winning the Defensive Player of the Year in both. He generated a lot of buzz around the league in the offseason, but the Dolphins held off the competition with an unusually healthy contract for a CFL player. After being inactive for the first two games, Wake broke out in his fourth NFL game when given the opportunity with OLB Joey Porter inactive with a hamstring. Wake posted 6 solo tackles, including his first 3 career sacks, forcing a fumble on one of them. Charlie Anderson got the start in place of Porter and played in the base defense, with Wake doing most of his damage replacing him in nickel and dime packages. Porter's hamstring has been a lingering problem, but he should return this week. Regardless, the emergence of Wake should shake up the OLB rotation, impacting Porter and Jason Taylor, who is showing not to right him off yet with 3 sacks already this season. Wake isn't going to completely replace Porter or Taylor right away, so expect his performance to be sporadic when both are healthy, but you can look at adding him in deep redrafts that score sacks well or dynasty leagues.
  
  
• Versatile OLB Elvis Dumervil is thriving in the Mike Nolan's 3-4 that has revived the defense in Denver. For the second straight game, Dumervil had two sacks. Along with his four sacks in Week 4, he leads the league with 8 sacks on the season.
  
  
• With starter Michael Boley (knee) out for a while, Chase Blackburn starts again (he replaced a suspended Boley Week 1) at WLB for the Giants. His PT looks great this week with promising young back-up Bryan Kehl (broken finger) out at least this week too. Blackburn is a nice bye week fill this week.
  
  
• In Philadelphia, Jeremiah Trotter and his wobbly knees split first-team reps in the middle with Omar Gaither. Trotter shouldn't be more than a two-down player, but could have some value in tackle-heavy scoring systems.
  
  
• After completing his four-game suspension, OLB Calvin Pace returns to the Jets this week. Vernon Gholston has failed to make an impact in Pace's place, so even if he's eased in this week, Pace should be back to a full slate of work quickly.
  
  
• HC Bill Belichick confirmed Junior Seau has taken a physical for the Patriots, but was typically cryptic beyond that. The addition of Seau could be a sign that Jerod Mayo will miss some more time and the team is unsatisfied with Gary Guyton.
  
  
• With a bye this week before a Monday night game, San Diego OLB Shawne Merriman has some time to rest his groin before Denver comes to town for a critical division match-up. Merriman has had a disappointing start, but if someone has given up on him in a shallow redraft league, he's an intriguing boom or bust option for Week 6.

Defensive Back

• SS Troy Polamalu (MCL sprain) could return for Pittsburgh this week. Watch his progress and get ready to put him back in your lineup if all goes well.
  
  
• After returning a pick 97 yards for a TD in Week 2, FS Darren Sharper robbed the Jets of momentum when he returned an INT 99 yards for a TD and a 10-0 lead in the second quarter for the Saints. Sharper had another pick in the game to give him a league-leading 5 on the season. On his five picks, Sharper has 275 return yards this season, a huge bonus in leagues that count return yardage. His quick start makes several single-season interception records worth discussing already. Many players have been on pace to surpass Dick "Night Train" Lane's single-season record of 14 interceptions early in the season, but it has stood for 56 years. Also challenging will be the record of 4 interceptions returned for a TD in a season, shared by 3 players and last done in 1993. A more likely target for Sharper the single-season INT return yardage record held by Baltimore's Ed Reed. Thanks to his pair of 90+ yard returns in the first four games, Sharper needs just 84 more yards on picks to break the record Reed set with 9 picks in 2004. Sharper also now has 10 picks returned for a TD in his career, just two behind the career leader, Rod Woodson, with 12. Sharper will no longer get you many tackles, but he is still a ball hawk with big-play ability that will be a boom or bust pick any given week.
  
  
• As expected when and discussed here last week, George Wilson was the most productive of the replacements in the depleted Buffalo secondary. Struggling to get anything going against Miami, Wilson was utilized as a pass rusher and racked up 2 sacks and a forced fumble among his 8 solo tackles. With safeties, Donte Whitner (broken right thumb) and Bryan Scott (high ankle sprain) out again this week, Wilson gets another start at SS and rookie Jairus Byrd, who had 3 solo tackles and a pass defended, gets another start at FS.
  
  
• Gibril Wilson remained a starter at safety for Miami, but had another tough outing. He couldn't wrap up Marshawn Lynch on a screen pass in the first quarter, resulting in a 23-yard gain for Buffalo. Wilson finished with one solo tackle for the game. As discussed last here last week, Wilson could be on his way out. Tyrone Culver saw more work and could replace Wilson in the starting lineup. It is also about the time of the year they usually try to salvage some value of former first-round pick Jason Allen by fitting him in somewhere for a few games.
  
  
• Tampa Bay's FS Tanard Jackson has completed serving his four-game suspension and should step right back in to a starting role in the battered Bucs' secondary.
  
  
• With Roy L. Williams (forearm) out on Sunday, Nedu Ndukwe got his first start of the season and responded with 8 tackles (7 solo), including a sack. Williams has played well so far and his job isn't in danger, but Ndukwe is lingering and a nice play if injury problems resurface.
  
  
• After a breakout rookie season, Washington SS Chris Horton remains inconsistent and has failed to continue showing the big play ability that made him a promising prospect. Solid veteran Reed Doughty replaced him in the starting lineup on Sunday and led the team with 9 tackles (8 solo).
  
  
• Detroit cast-off Gerald Alexander got the start at SS for Jacksonville with Sean Considine hurting and posted 5 solo tackles, forced a fumble, and grabbed a pick. Considine is solid, but unspectacular, and Alexander could easily replace him.
  
  
• SS Chris Harris is expected to return to the starting lineup for Carolina this week after missing the first three games of the season with knee injury.
  
  
• Tampa Bay CB Aqib Talib feasted on Washington QB Jason Campbell, picking off three passes. They were his first of the season and while the former first-round pick is still a work in progress, he now has 7 picks in the first 19 games of his career (he missed one last season).