• NT Jason Ferguson, MIA - done for the season with a torn quad. Paul Soliai will replace him.
  
  
• DE Bryan Smith, JAX - done for season with shoulder injury. Rookie undrafted free agent Julius Williams gets a shot at RDE, not former second-round pick Quentin Groves (who Smith replaced as a starter earlier this year).
  
  
• MLB Antonio Pierce, NYG - a surprising late scratch last week after a bulging disc was discovered in his neck. He is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, but probably won't go the IR while the Giants are in contention. Chase Blackburn replaced him and didn't have a great game (7 tackles), but has been a quality sub when given the chance and worth a roster spot if you are hurting at LB in deeper leagues.
  
  
• OLB Keith Ellison - done for the season with after being placed on the IR due to his quad. The injury woes for the Bills continue as converted S Bryan Scott will man the WLB spot and gets a great bump in leagues where he is still eligible as a DB. Scott had his second consecutive double-digit tackle game.
  
  
• OLB Aaron Kampman, GB - done for the season with a left knee injury. Seventh-round pick Brad Jones will replace him.
  
  
• OLB Ricky Brown, OAK - placed on IR with ankle injury. Jon Alston should replace him, but he is battling some post-concussion syndrome issues that have limited his PT lately. Sam Williams is next in line.
  
  
• OLB Landon Johnson, CAR - another LB lost for the season in Carolina. Johnson joins Thomas Davis the IR with a knee sprain. Dan Connor should get an opportunity in his place. Na'il Diggs is also sporting some dinged ribs on the other side, so James Anderson could also play this week.
  
  
• SS Ko Simpson, DET - is done for the season with a knee injury suffered on Sunday. Marvin White should start in his place.
  
  
• CB Al Harris, GB - done for the season with a knee injury. Tramon Williams, who has flashed promise when he has had opportunities.
  
  
• CB Rashean Mathis, BAL - injured his groin while getting beat up by Buffalo WR Terrell Owens on Sunday. He is expected to miss at least this week.
  
  
• CB Fabian Washington, BAL - done for the season with a torn left ACL. Veteran journeymen Chris Carr and Frank Walker will be in the mix for bigger roles, but rookie Lararius Webb, who continues to impress, should be the main beneficiary.
  
  
• FS Eugene Wilson, HOU - done for the season with broken toes. John Busing should start in his place, but the team added Brian Russell this week.

• It's uncertain if Washington DT Albert Haynesworth is ready to return from this ankle injury this week, he remains a dreaded game-time decision. Kedric Golston is his back-up.

Linebacker

• Coming off effectively a one-game suspension when he was benched in Week 10 for "off-field conduct", Miami OLB Joey Porter bounced back with a two sacks last Thursday night, his first multi-sack game of the season, among his season-high 8 tackles (7 solo). As discussed last week, it's not surprising Porter bounced back after one game, but it's been a disappointing season and I'd wait another week before relying on him again. Miami further shook up their LB corps by cutting OLB Matt Roth, who came off career highs in tackles and sacks last year in to a contentious pre-season situation where he missed training camp with a groin injury despite medical tests clearing him. He ended up on the PUP and then has barely played since coming off this month. He stay unemployed long as LB- and talent-starved Cleveland plucked him off waiver. Miami signed former Lion Ikaika Alama-Francis to take Roth's roster spot.
  
  
• With his fourth double-digit tackle game of the season, Atlanta MLB Curtis Lofton became the first player to 100 tackles this year (101) and increase his league-leading margin to 5 over San Francisco ILB Patrick Willis.
  
  
• Despite being held in check by the Chargers, Denver OLB Elvis Dumervil maintained the league lead in sacks with 12 on the season.
  
  
• With OLB Mike Vrabel inactive with a knee injury, the Chiefs gave former sixth-round pick of the Eagles Andy Studebaker his first career start and he made the most of it. He got his first two career interceptions of his career on passes redirected by his teammates. He got the second one two yards deep in the end zone and returned it 94 yards before an outstanding effort by Pittsburgh RB Rashard Mendenhall stopped Studebaker from also getting his first career TD.

Defensive Back

• NYJ SS Jim Leonhard was a surprise starter on Sunday after having surgery just six days early on a broken right thumb. He played with a cast on his right hand and had 5 solo tackles, but was replaced as the punt returner. With Leonhard able to play, Jay Glazer is reporting FS Kerry Rhodes will lose his starting job, at least this week. Eric Smith, who had been tabbed to replace Leonhard, will now start at FS. After establishing himself as one of the top playmaking safeties early in his career, Rhodes has struggled the last two years and has forced no turnovers this year. It is probably a motivational ploy, but Rhodes shouldn't be in your starting lineup in the near future.
  
  
• Returning from a broken arm, Tennessee CB Nick Harper struggled when he lined up against Houston WR Andre Johnson on MNF. He should continue to be picked on, helping his fantasy production.
  
  
• As discussed as likely last week, Minnesota sided with caution with CB Antoine Winfield, who missed his fourth game with a cracked bone in his right foot. Expect him to return this week for a divisional game against Chicago. Watch for his status, but it should be safe to return Winfield to your lineup.
  
  
• Having lost corners Tracy Porter for a month or so and now Leigh Torrence for the season, as well as Randall Gay dinged up, the Saints turned to jobless former Pro Bowl veterans Chris McAlister and Mike McKenzie to add depth. At 33 with a history of knee problem, it is hard to expect much from McKenzie. McAlister's career also appeared to unceremoniously wind down due to injuries last year. The main beneficiary is first-round pick Malcolm Jenkins, who had 7 tackles (5 solo) and his first career pick in his first career start on Sunday.
  
  
• While celebrating their victory over the Broncos out on the town in San Diego last week, a patron at the establishment they were at was hit in the head with a champagne bottle thrown allegedly by one of the Chargers. CB Antonio Cromartie was initially implicated, but recent updates seem to indicate there are witnesses who have cleared him. Interesting, Cromartie's agent, Gary Wichard, opened the door to throw other Chargers under the bus when he was quoted on TMZ.com as saying "…actually there were three other players involved". San Diego police are investigating. Even if Cromartie is cleared, there could be problems for other players.
  
  
• In Buffalo, George Wilson continues to start at SS over a healthy Donte Whitner. Rookie Jairus Byrd, who leads the league with 8 picks, is locked in at FS.

Milk Carton Player of the Week
For all the success (well, at least for the first six games) Denver's defense has had under new DC Mike, one player expected to play a key role has been MIA. Robert Ayers, the 18th overall pick in the 2009 draft, hasn't been able to make the transition from DE to OLB. Ayers is still looking for his first career sack and is firmly behind solid, but unspectacular, journeyman Mario Haggan.