• DT Sedrick Ellis, NO - out indefinitely with a knee sprain suffered Sunday
  
  
• ILB Takeo Spikes, SF - left Sunday's game early with a shoulder injury, status unknown
  
  
• CB Will Allen, MIA - his season is over with a torn ACL, placed on IR
  
  
• CB Bradley Fletcher, STL - after recently working his way in to the starting lineup, the rookie's season is over with LCL and ACL ligament damage in his left knee
  
  
• S William Moore, ATL - unable to overcome a hamstring injury that plagued him since the preseason, the rookie's season is over before it really got started as he was placed on the IR this week

• StarCaps quietly returned to the headlines this week as a Congressional inquiry, that's the Congress of the United States, will look in to the Minnesota state laws that protected Minnesota DT's Kevin Williams and Pat Williams from having to answer for positive drug tests and are in conflict with the league's labor agreement. The NFL is literally making a federal case out of it because they are upset with the Players Association over this. Interesting case, but it should have no fantasy impact this year. It would seem the next step would be taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, so this will drag on before there is any movement.
  
  
• DE Gaines Adams made his debut for Chicago coming off the bench in the second quarter and batted down a pass on his first play. The Bengals scored their third TD on the next play. Adams also had two assists. He played primarily on the left side, which was unexpected, cutting in to the snaps for starting LDE Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson. Starting RDE Alex Brown saw the most snaps and was the most productive end for the Bears. DT Tommie Harris was inactive to reportedly "rest" his troublesome left knee.

Linebacker

• Talk about paying immediate dividends, newly acquired MLB Will Witherspoon had a dominating debut for Philly in D.C. on MNF. He filled up the box score with 8 tackles (6 solo), including forcing a fumble on his first sack of the season. Witherspoon also snagged a pass deflected by SS Quintin Mikell on a blitz and returned the pick for a TD. An outstanding acquisition by the Eagles for an inexplicably discounted price tag, Witherspoon is a playmaker who will be a fantasy monster behind a strong front line. Thanks to Witherspoon's versatility, WLB might be his best position, the team is well situated when Stewart Bradley returns from injury next year.
  
  
• After ILB Lawrence Timmons left early with a right ankle injury, back-up Keyaron Fox sealed the victory with an 82-yard TD return on a pick with less than two minutes to play. Timmons missed the start of the season with a left ankle injury and Fox replaced him then, as well. Fox is a solid addition if Timmons misses any time, but Pittsburgh is on a bye this week so he won't help you this week and Timmons gets an extra week to heal. OLB LaMarr Woodley returned a fumble recovery 77-yards for a TD earlier in the game. After a brutal start to the season, Woodley has been turning in some plays the last three games and could be worth picking up if he was dropped in leagues that score sacks well.
  
  
• The tenuous hold on his starting ILB role in San Diego could have been lost due to injury for Kevin Burnett. Burnett missed Sunday's game for San Diego with an ankle injury and Tim Dobbins was fantastic in his place, leading the team with 11 solo tackles. Dobbins, considered a liability against the pass, also grabbed his first pick of the season. Burnett is out indefinitely.
  
  
• As discussed here last week as a likely possibility, recently added veteran Chris Draft has nudged undrafted free agent Ashlee Palmer out of the starting lineup at OLB in Buffalo.
  
  
• Rookie Scott McKillop had three tackles in his first opportunity for significant playing time for San Francisco after starting ILB Takeo Spikes left Sunday's game earlier with a shoulder injury. McKillop could be in line for his first career start if Spikes can't play this week.
  
  
• As expected, fourth-round pick Kaluka Maiava got the start in place of D'Qwell Jackson, who is done for the season. Maiava had five solo tackles.
  
  
• Seattle will definitely be without MLB Lofa Tatupu (partially torn pec) as they come out of the bye this week, but he still hasn't decided on surgery so he isn't done for the season yet, much less on the IR. David Hawthorne, who blew up with 16 tackles (15 solo) and a pick replacing Tatupu in Week 3, is a solid play in his place.

Defensive Back

• What was previously reported as a right foot sprain for Minnesota CB Antoine Winfield after their Week 6 game turned out to be a fracture. He is expected to miss at least a month. Benny Sapp and Karl Paymah are seeing more work with Winfield out.
  
  
• San Francisco SS Michael Lewis expects to return from concussion this week, but is yet to be medically cleared.
  
  
• Jacksonville CB Rashean Mathis had surgery on his broken left index finger over the bye and may not be ready to play this week. If he does, he'll have trouble in most facets of defense.
  
  
• Cincinnati was without SS Roy Williams for the third straight game due to a lingering forearm injury. Nedu Ndukwe continues to start in his place. He had just 3 tackles (1 solo) as the Bengals jumped out to a big lead early and went with packages with cover DBs more frequently.
  
  
• Despite rolling his Mercedes two days earlier after a Jay-Z concert and a police statement saying he was "very lucky to be alive", Cleveland CB Eric Wright walked away unscathed and was in the starting lineup on Sunday.
  
  
• First-round pick CB Vontae Davis has big play ability, but needs to be consistent, as he takes over a starting role opposite third-round pick Sean Smith. Smith beat Davis out for a starting role in the preseason, but Davis moves to the starting lineup with veteran Will Allen done for the season.

Milk Carton Player of the Week
The move to a 3-4 is always worrisome situation in terms of the impact to the production of the front seven. For Derrick Johnson in Kansas City, that turned out to be the least of his concerns. After being a starter since his first game in the NFL, Johnson found himself in not just an unusual place, but one he has been unfamiliar with in his entire football career - coming off the bench. What seemed like a motivation ploy by new HC Todd Haley has become a new reality for the 15th overall pick in the 2005 draft. A great physical specimen, Johnson can turn in the big play, but has lacked the consistency that Demorrio Williams and Corey Mays apparently show Haley. Disappointingly complacent with his situation earlier in the season, Johnson has apparently been more vocal about his displeasure and perhaps that is the fire Haley is looking for. For now, Johnson isn't worth rostering in most redraft leagues, but you'll want to pull the trigger quickly if he can work his way back in to the starting lineup.