Photo: Troy Taormina, USA Today Sports

Upgrades

Houston up 2

Struggling rookie left guard Kenyon Green (ankle) was unavailable last week in the overtime loss to Kansas City. The coaches shuffled the offensive line in his place, and the results were positive. Right tackle Tytus Howard moved to left guard (a position he played last year) while Charlie Heck took Howard's spot at RT. It's always good when the best five linemen can get on the field simultaneously. You wouldn't know if from their win-loss record, but the Texans' offensive line grades well above average, 13th before facing a banged-up Tennessee team on the road.

New Orleans up 6

This is a good-news/bad-news type of post. Center Erik McCoy returned last week for the close win over Atlanta. McCoy injured his calf in Week 9 and had been out for over a month. That's the good news. The bad news is that right guard Cesar Ruiz was placed on season-ending injured reserve with a foot problem. Ruiz had played 100 percent of last week's snaps, and the team will turn to Lewis Kidd or Calvin Throckmorton in his place. The good news of McCoy returning outweighs the bad news of Ruiz going down, hence the modest upgrade. It should also be noted that first-round rookie Trevor Penning played 44 percent of snaps last week as an extra lineman. This Saints' offense is a weird quarterback rotation between Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill, with a ton of wildcat thrown in there, but their line is a productive run-blocking unit. The Saints rank fourth before facing a tough Cleveland defensive front on the road.

Tampa Bay up 16

This is a conditional upgrade based on the idea that Pro Bowl right tackle Tristan Wirfs will return to the lineup. Wirfs suffered a high ankle sprain a little over three weeks ago but has been increasing his workload in practice this week before the Sunday Night Football game at Arizona. The coaches' comments indicate Wirfs will play, so we're going out on a limb and trusting them. In other news, left tackle Donovan Smith missed two snaps with a foot injury. But Smith is also included in the model, and the Bucs' line grades at 10th overall this week.

Atlanta up 1

This is a simple upgrade. Usual left guard Elijah Wilkinson returned to the lineup last week and played 100 percent of the snaps against New Orleans. Wilkinson was last seen injuring his knee in Week 8, the end of October, and has spent the last few weeks on injured reserve. His return sends Colby Gossett and Chuma Edoga to the bench and bumps the Falcons' line up one spot to a tie for 15th place with divisional rivals Carolina. The Falcons' line has a tough task this week against Baltimore, but they have been an underrated group all season.

Denver up 7

This upgrade is based on the return of left guard Dalton Risner (shoulder, back) to the starting lineup. Risner is clearly their best lineman, and his return was significant. Last week, Risner played 96 percent of the snaps in the win over Arizona. At right guard, a rotation broke out after Quinn Meinerz went down with an eye injury. Luke Wattenberg and Tom Compton replaced Meinerz, and Compton himself is day-to-day with a back injury of his own. It shouldn't matter, as Meinerz was not listed on the injury report this week and should be in the lineup this weekend against a vulnerable Rams' defensive front. The Broncos' line climbs out of the doldrums and sits at 24th in the latest rankings.

Downgrades

Buffalo down 3

Center Mitch Morse was forced from the Saturday Night win over Miami with a concussion and has not practiced this week. This is Morse's sixth documented concussion, and his long-term health is starting to become a pressing concern. In his place, Greg Van Roten (who was starting at right guard for Ryan Bates) moved to center, and David Quessenberry took Van Roten's place at guard. With Ryan Bates practicing in full this week (ankle), Quessenberry (more of a swing tackle than a guard) will likely be on the bench this week at Chicago. But Greg Van Roten will likely start for Morse, perhaps for multiple weeks. Without their usual center, the Bills' line drops to 12th in the rankings.

Jacksonville down 4

Left tackle Cam Robinson injured his knee (MCL) last week in the big win against Dallas. Robinson has been ruled out for Thursday Night Football, and he's been placed on the season-ending injured reserve. Walker Little will get his fourth career start this week against the Jets. Little is a high-upside prospect but has not yet lived up to his potential. In other news, right guard Brandon Scherff (abdomen) and right tackle Jawaan Taylor (hamstring) have both been limited in practice this week and are officially questionable. We will keep Scherff and Taylor in the model, but the loss of Robinson drops the Jacksonville offensive line to 27th before facing a tough Jets defensive group in the rain.

Tennessee down 1

There's been a lot of injury news coming out of Tennessee this week, none of it good. Backup Dillon Radunz (knee) was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Center Ben Jones left last week's game with a concussion and has not played this week. Corey Levin replaced Jones last week and will likely get the start this weekend against the Texans. Right guard Nate Davis (ankle) and left tackle Dennis Daley (abdomen) missed snaps last week and were limited in practice. Right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere (ankle) and left guard Aaron Brewer (rib) played 100 percent last week but were limited in practice. With all this uncertainty, the team signed Jordan Roos back to the active roster and added Daniel Munyer and Beau Benzschawel to the taxi squad. Just removing Jones drops them one spot, but this could be underrating the damage in Tennessee. The Titans rank 28th this week.

Chicago down 1

Right guard Teven Jenkins injured his neck last week against Philadelphia and was taken to a hospital after the game. The injury was reportedly not serious. But even though Jenkins has not officially been ruled out this week against the Bills, it's likely that Michael Schofield will get at least some of the reps for Jenkins. In other news, right tackle Riley Reiff (illness) has been held out of practice but has been rotating with Alex Leatherwood anyway. Larry Borom (knee) is practicing without restriction, but it's not clear he's in the coaches' plans anymore. The Bears' offensive line lurks near the bottom of the rankings, 30th overall.

LA Rams down 7

So much for stability. Center Brian Allen (calf) left last week's Monday Night Football loss against Green Bay and has been placed on injured reserve this week, meaning he's out for the rest of the season. Starting at left guard, Matt Skura slid over to center in place of Allen, and Oday Aboushi got Skura's reps at guard. There's not much positive to say about this Rams' group without Allen, as he becomes their seventh potential starter on the reserve list this year, indeed a staggering number of injuries. The Rams grade 31st before facing a tough Denver defense.

Other News

ARZ - RT Kelvin Beachum (knee, ankle) left last week's game; Cody Ford replaced him. Right guard Will Hernandez returned and played 100 percent, but it's a bleak lineup, now missing both starting tackles. The Cards' line still ranks last.

CLE - RG Wyatt Teller (ankle) has been limited in practice but played 100 percent of the snaps vs BAL last week and remains in the model.

DAL - All-Pro tackle Tyron Smith swapped over to RT last week, where he rotated with Jason Peters in a 50/50 split. Getting Tyron Smith is good news for the Cowboys' lineup, but through some fluke in the model, they didn't warrant an upgrade from 11th this week.

DET - RG Evan Brown (ankle) played 100 percent of snaps last week against the Jets. Brown is needed as Kayode Awosika (ankle) looks to be out again, and the team doesn't want to turn to Logan Stenberg.

GBP - LG Elgton Jenkins (knee) missed practice but played 100 percent of snaps last week. LT David Bakhtiari (knee, abdomen) has missed practice but could be trending toward a return from his appendectomy surgery. Jenkins is in the model, and Bakhtiari is not. This could be underrating their grade.

LVR - LG Alex Bars (knee) is still not practicing (Hroniss Grasu replaced him last week), and now RG Dylan Parham (knee) is also dealing with an injury of his own. Parham was forced from last week's game, and Jordan Meredith replaced him. But Netane Muti could also be an option for Parham at PIT.

MIA - Terron Armstead (toe, pectoral, knee) did not practice, but he did play 100 percent of the snaps against BUF on Sat night. Also, Eric Fisher (calf) has been limited in practice but could be trending toward his Dolphins debut.

MIN - C Garrett Bradbury (back) missed last week's game and did not practice this week. Austin Schlottmann took 100 percent of the center snaps against IND, and Bradbury remains out of the model.

NEP - RT Isaiah Wynn to IR, but Yodny Cajuste (calf, back) has been practicing in full this week. Look for Cajuste to make a dent in Conor McDermott's snaps against CIN.

NYG - LG Joshua Ezeudu (neck) was moved to IR, but Shane Lemieux (toe) is increasing his workload in practice. Last week, Ben Bredeson and Nick Gates rotated 65/35 at this left guard spot.

WAS - Backup Saahdiq Charles (concussion) missed practice. Trai Turner played 100 percent of the snaps at RG, and the team started Wes Schweitzer at C.