Faceoff - DL Will Smith, New Orleans Saints

Posted 6/15, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by David Baker

Will Smith continues to grow as a player in the NFL and entering his fourth season, Smith appears on the brink of stardom. He has increased his sack totals in each season, with 10.5 last year in only 14 games. He has 26.5 sacks in his three seasons, as well as 11 forced fumbles. But what makes Smith a special fantasy force is that he's a three down player who excels nearly as much against the run as he does against the pass. He has become a complete player. If teammate Charles Grant can remain healthy opposite him, it will do a great deal to limit the double teams Smith will face in 2007.

Smith is athletic, fast and powerful. He's a high motor player who hits with the ferocity needed to generate plenty of forced fumbles. He has the quickness to get around the edge and also uses an effective bull rush. He can make plays in pursuit and uses his hands well. He's also an intelligent player who reads plays well and rarely finds himself fooled and out of the play. He works hard and loves to compete. He continues to refine his skills and this improvement is what should push Smith to the next level from a fantasy perspective. A knee injury hampered him slightly last year, but that's in the past and he looks primed and ready for a big 2007.

Smith started off last year with unremarkable numbers, although he had three sacks in his first three games. But he wasn't getting the kinds of tackles necessary to make the next leap. But a midseason streak of seven sacks in five games (not counting his missed game), along with 18 total tackles and two forced fumbles moved Smith toward the hierarchy of DEs. In fact, if Smith doesn't miss those two games, his per game averages extrapolated over 16 games place him in the top ten amongst DEs. His performance led to his first Pro Bowl appearance.

Smith admittedly took a step backward with his number of tackles last year compared to the previous year, but his actual play was no less inspired. Smith is entering his prime and at 25 years old (he'll be 26 in July) there is no reason Smith won't continue to improve his overall skills. There's no reason why he can't obtain similar tackle numbers as 2005, or better, and combined with double-digit sacks place Smith right near the top of the heap amongst DEs.

There aren't that many DEs that are as consistent and well rounded as Smith is. The list of guys that excel against both the run and pass is so short that when you find a player like that, you jump on him and hold tight. 2007 should be another step forward for Smith and you'd be wise to get him on your fantasy squad.

Downside - by John Norton

It's not as if I dislike Will Smith. I rank him on the cusp of the top 10 and see him as a very productive player. In fact I have him in a couple of dynasty leagues. What makes it hard for me to put him in the top 10 is the lack of consistency and very average tackle production he displayed as a full time starter in '06. The measuring stick I like to use for defensive linemen is 40 tackles and double digit sacks. You can trade a couple of sacks for 8-10 extra tackles or vice versa but in general it's tackle production that ensures consistency. With the departure of Darren Howard last season, Smith finally became an every down player and much was expected of him. As anticipated his sack total climbed to double digits for the first time in his career but his tackle production slumped to just 33 solo stops. Granted Smith missed a couple of games but the bottom line is that he produced 3 or fewer points in better than one out of every three games. Smith could rebound and have a top 5 season; he certainly has that kind of potential. On the other hand, the shake up in production could have a great deal to do with the change of role. It certainly wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. I like Smith but need to see some consistency before I can put him ahead of guys like Osi Umenyiora, Leonard Little or even Derrick Burgess.