Roy Williams

Williams is part of a very good secondary in Dallas and that lets him roam around looking for tackles. He made 89 tackles last season in 15 games (13 starts) and chipped in two interceptions. Williams is one of the best defensive backs in the tackle category, making him a dependable IDP option. He could be headed for his first career 100-tackle season in 2008 if Dallas' strong defense holds down the fort and lets Williams search and destroy ball carriers. Just don't expect many interceptions; Dallas has other players like Anthony Henry and Ken Hamlin that are better bets in that category.

Williams' IDP star dimmed in 2006, as he recorded a career-low 62 tackles and zero sacks, although he did get a career-high five INTs. With Ken Hamlin at free safety and a presumably fiercer pass rush under Wade Phillip's guidance, Williams will be able to play seek-and-destroy near the line of scrimmage far more often than he did under Bill Parcells. Look for his tackle numbers to rebound into the 80-90 range, and for him to top his previous best of 2.5 sacks.

Williams switched from free to strong safety last season and oddly enough had four fewer solo tackles. Some of that might come from how badly Dallas’ secondary played in 2004, leaving Williams at free safety to clean up many a mess his teammates created. Nonetheless, we should expect a player of Williams’ size (6-0, 226), attitude and talent to make upwards of 80 solos per year, given the increased run support duty players see at strong safety. The drafting of rangy Pat Watkins, who could start at free safety, might free Williams to play the strong position for real. It’s certainly where Williams was born to play. He’s a big hitter, and except for 2004 when he was pulled away from the line of scrimmage, he’s always made two sacks per year. Even in 2004, he’s also made two picks each season. Would you want to block a Roy Williams with no guilty conscience about covering up for his teammates?

Given the Cowboys’ troubles at cornerback last year, Williams played off the line of scrimmage and proceeded to register nary a sack for the first time in his career. He won’t have that problem again this year, as a move to strong safety will put him in position to log plenty of tackles and up his sack totals. The picks may suffer, but this position seems more in keeping with Williams’ hard-hitting ways.

Free safeties spend more time in coverage than their strong counterparts, so Williams' drop from 82 to 58 solo tackles over his two years in the league is less out of character than the fall off from five to two interceptions. His other stats—two sacks, two forced fumbles and nine passes defended in 2003—were nearly the same as the year before, so a few more interceptions and a mild, or better, rebound in solo stops would return Williams to fantasy stardom.

Williams exploded onto the scene as a rookie with 81 solo tackles, five interceptions, two sacks and two touchdowns a year ago. At 6-0, 219, Williams has good size for a free safety to go along with cornerback speed. He's the best defensive back on the board and should be one of the top-five defensive players overall in most scoring formats.