• DT Shaun Rogers, CLE - done for the season with a broken leg. Ahtyba Rubin replaces him at NT. Don't expect similar results.
  
  
• DE Jeremy Jarmon, WAS - the supplemental draft pick is done for the season a torn ACL. An injury like this late in the year is going to carryover to next season.
  
  
• MLB Antonio Pierce, NYG - his season is officially over after being placed on the IR with a bulging disc in his neck. Chase Blackburn will be the primary Mike, but Jonathan Goff could get some work so the team can evaluate if he is the future at the position.
  
  
• OLB Lance Briggs, CHI - suffered a left knee sprain on Sunday and is questionable. With LB depth a problem in Chicago, they signed Cato June this week. Jamar Williams probably gets first shot if Briggs is out, but June is familiar with the Tampa-2 and should be up-to-speed quickly.
  
  
• OLB Shawne Merriman, SD - HC Norv Turner said he could be rested this week to help a lingering foot injury. The team hasn't lost much when first-round pick Larry English has been in there and they have an easy date at Cleveland this week.
  
  
• CB Charles Tillman, CHI - suffered a concussion on Sunday and is very questionable this week. Nathan Vasher should replace him if he's out.
  
  
• CB Rashean Mathis, JAX - will miss his second straight game as he has already been ruled out this week with a groin injury.
  
  
• S Michael Johnson, NYG - left Thursday night's game with a groin strain. C.C. Brown replaced him.
  
  
• S Brodney Pool, CLE - expected to miss this week, if not the rest of the season, with another concussion. Mike Adams is expected to take over at S, with Brandon McDonald returning to the starting lineup at CB, where Adams recently replaced him.
  
  
• S Eric Weddle, SD - expected to miss a couple weeks with a knee injury. Steve Gregory will start in his place.

• Oakland DE Greg Ellis exited his return to Dallas early on Thanksgiving due to swelling in his recently surgically-repaired left knee. He has been battling arthritis in the knee and had a procedure over their Week 9 bye. He missed their Week 10 game, then notched a sack in their Week 11 upset of the Bengals, but the short week caught up to his 34 year-old body. After a quick start to the season which saw him get 4 sacks over the first 4 games, he has been a fantasy non-factor. Trevor Scott took advantage of more work on Thursday, posting a season-high 6 tackles, including 2 sacks. Scott, who after an impressive rookie debut last year has been lost in the shuffle with additions of ends Ellis and Richard Seymour, looks to have value the rest of the season as Ellis shouldn't be relied on the rest of the year.
  
  
• Washington expects to have DT Albert Haynesworth back from this ankle injury this week.
  
  
• Indianapolis waived Josh Thomas this week, a good sign DE Dwight Freeney will be back from an ab injury.

Linebacker

• The Thanksgiving feast for Denver OLB Elvis Dumervil on Thursday night featured NYG QB Eli Manning. Dumervil had two more sacks to boost his league-leading total to 14, a new career high. He also forced his third fumble of the season on his second sack.
  
  
• Miami OLB Joey Porter continued to play with some fire after his Week 10 benching. Porter had 2.5 sacks on Sunday, giving him back-to-back multi-sack games. He has 13 tackles (10 solo) and 4.5 sacks in the last two games, compared to 12 tackles (10 solo) and 3 sacks his first seven games (missing two of their first nine games). You have to ride him while he's hot.
  
  
• In Baltimore, Tavares Gooden is not looking like the future at ILB the Ravens hoped when they drafted him in the third round last year and let Bart Scott walk before this season. Rookie UDFA Dannell Ellerbe continues to impress and force a committee inside, proving solid against the run despite being undersized. Gooden has battled injuries (a knee and two concussions) that have stunted his development, but there has to be some concern about the future. Despite another fantastic season for Ray Lewis, he turns 35 before next year and can't keep this level of play up much longer. Neither Gooden or Ellerbe is worth rostering in all but the deepest redraft leagues, while Gooden's upside still gives him more dynasty potential. Versatile former UDFA Jameel McClain was also in the picture inside earlier in the season, but he has been working outside more especially since Terrell Suggs has been out. DC Greg Mattison employs McClain like a poor man's Adalius Thomas, moving him around to confuse offenses as he can be used as both a rushers and in pass coverage. McClain has his first two career starts with Suggs out the last two game, rotating with Paul Kruger, who got his first career pick on SNF to help the Ravens win in OT. Suggs missed his second straight game with a sprained MCL and his status is still in question for this week.
  
  
• Carolina MLB Jon Beason was arrested Monday on an aggravated assault charge related to an incident a few weeks earlier at…believe it or not…a strip club. Beason posted bail and issue will probably carry in to the off-season. This shouldn't impact him this year.
  
  
• Former Dolphin OLB Matt Roth wasted no time making an impact for his new team in Cleveland. He started despite just being signed last week and had a sack.
  
  
• Philadelphia rotated MLBs between Joe Mays and Jeremiah Trotter. Will Witherspoon jumped to WLB, as expected. The moves were necessitated by WLB Akeem Jordan being out with a knee injury.
  
  
• With his seventh double-digit tackle game of the season, San Francisco ILB Patrick Willis closed the gap on the league-lead in tackles to within two of Atlanta MLB Curtis Lofton, who has 109 on the season.

Defensive Back

• Green Bay CB Charles Woodson continues to play at a dominant level as he celebrated Thanksgiving in Detroit with 2 more picks, returning the second for a TD, getting his second sack of the season and forcing a fumble on a nice strip late in the game that was awarded on replay. He puts up good tackle numbers in addition to being an elite playmaker.
  
  
• Knee problems continue to cost Pittsburgh SS Troy Polamalu time. He's doubtful for this week after missing the last two games with a PCL sprain. He missed four games early in the season with an MCL sprain in the same knee.
  
  
• Police have recommended charging San Diego CB Antonio Cromartie with misdemeanor assault related to the bottle-throwing incident discussed here last week. A city prosecutor should be making a decision soon. This could a problem for Cromartie in the off-season and there could be other Chargers dragged in to it.
  
  
• CB Terrence McGee could return for Buffalo this week after missing a few games after a knee procedure.
  
  
• As expected, Minnesota was cautious with CB Antoine Winfield and he sat out Sunday's easy win over Chicago. Expect him back this week for a tougher tilt at Arizona.
  
  
• It was a shock that CB Mike McKenzie didn't find work this year after his outstanding performance for New Orleans on MNF. I didn't expect much from the 33 year-old with bad knees, but he locked down Randy Moss and had a great pick, then almost another later in the game. McKenzie appears to have plenty of real and fantasy value left in him this year.
  
  
• Indianapolis waived DB Anthony Madison this week, a good sign CB Kelvin Hayden could return from a knee injury.
  
  
• Washington CB DeAngelo Hall is expected to miss another week with his knee injury.

Milk Carton Player of the Week
Despite missing the final nine games last year due to a broken jaw, Cincinnati OLB Keith Rivers finished second in the Defensive ROY voting in 2008 to Jerod Mayo, the player selected immediately after him in the draft. Expectations were high for the former ninth overall pick coming in to this season as his spot on the weak side looked like the only locked down position in the LB corps. He had a quiet first half of the season, posting just one double-digit tackle game (@CLE in Week 4) and disappointing fantasy owners with his lack of playmaking ability. He suffered a calf injury in Week 9 and is finally expected back this week after missing the last three games despite the injury originally being reported as a strain and not serious. Brandon Johnson has been solid, but unspectacular, in his absence. Rivers will resume his starting role, but there seems little to be excited about. In 15 career games, almost a full season, Rivers has 80 total tackles or 5.3 per game, with one interception, one other pass defensed, and nothing else. He is still young with plenty of upside, but he has to start either racking up tackles regularly or turning in some big plays before being inserted back in fantasy lineups.