Faceoff - DL Charles Grant, New Orleans Saints

Posted 7/19, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by John Norton

A lot of people got off the Charles Grant band wagon after the '05 season but by the end of '07 those people may be running to catch up so they can get back on. This is the same guy who between the '03 and '04 seasons piled up a mark of 115-26-21.5 with 7 forced fumbles a recovery a pick, 14 passes defended and a pair of top 5 finishes. In fact he was the fantasy games #1 defensive lineman in '04 with 67 solo stops and 11 sacks. The '05 campaign was a serious let down when Grant played through a toe injury finishing with a career low 2.5 sacks and very week big play numbers in general, but even with the turf toe he managed to put up 40+ tackles. He fell slightly short of the top 10 last season but rebounded to total 50 tackles, 6 sacks and a solid top 15 finish. Grant is a high energy, hard working player. He could have used the toe injury as an excuse in '05 but instead he tried to keep anyone from finding out about it, he then used the poor numbers as motivation heading into last season. No one mentioned the toe being a problem in '06 but that doesn't mean it was completely healed either. One very strong vote of confidence comes from the Saints who first slapped him with the franchise tag then followed it with a fat new contract that includes $20 in guaranteed money. That speaks volumes about what the club thinks he will do in the future. It's a "what have you done for me lately" game but it's hard to overlook the history and happenings here. I believe Grant is poised for another season of 50+ tackles and double digit sacks.

Downside - by Jeff Pasquino

Charles Grant is a solid NFL defensive lineman, but there are gaps in his stats that should make fantasy owners hesitate a little in drafting him early. Grant finished as the #13 DL in 2006 with just six sacks on the back of 50 tackles, but there are many other players this year that project to top one or both of those stat lines.

Grant has not had a double-digit sack season since 2004, so the odds that he can return to that level of production again seem slim. Only his ability to support the run has kept Grant in the Top 20-30 defensive linemen. Compared to someone like Cory Redding in Detroit (DL#34, 39 solo tackles, seven sacks) or Andre Carter for the Redskins (DL#31, 47 solo tackles, six sacks, but no fumble stats) and the slim margin between Grant's status of a borderline DL1 to becoming a DL3 becomes quite clear.

The good news for Grant (and those who own his services) is that, aside from his apparently diminished pass rushing skills, he certainly can make tackles and stay on the field for all three downs for the Saints this year. There is also no one challenging him for his job, and his franchise player status affirms that New Orleans believes in his ability. Nevertheless, the stats are the stats for Grant and if you want a lineman with upside and the chance to rack up double-digit stats, look elsewhere.