Jamal Williams

Williams is widely regarded as the anchor of the Chargers' 3-4 scheme, and in 2008 he managed to start all 16 games despite playing on iffy knees. When healthy, he is an incredibly imposing force who consistently ties up tacklers so that San Diego's talented ends and linebackers can wreak havoc. He enters 2009 about as healthy as he has been in recent memory and seems poised to return to the form that saw him make three straight Pro Bowls from 2005 to 2007.

Williams is considered the heart and soul of the Chargers defense as an immovable object in the middle of the line. He is recovering from two arthroscopic surgeries that he had on both knees this past offseason, and he will take it easy during training camp, but he is actually expected to be more healhty this year than he has been over the past several seasons.

Williams is one of the main reasons why the Chargers have been so successful against the run over the last decade. The 10-year veteran is coming off another stellar season in which he earned his second-consecutive vote to the Pro Bowl. Williams ranked third on the team with a career-high 84 tackles in 2006. He remains at the top of his game and is poised for another strong season anchoring the defense.

Williams has evolved into an excellent nose tackle for San Diego. The final stats show that Williams made only 53 tackles in 2005, but a great deal of his value is in clogging up the middle for his teammates. Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer often credits Williams with being a critical part of the team's stout run defense and the cornerstone of his 3-4 alignment.

Although he only had 32 tackles on the year, Williams was a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the Chargers defensive line last year, and he was given a lot of the credit for the team's stellar run defense. Williams will continue to tie up blockers with regularity this year, and he should also be good for a few sacks.

The starting nose tackle in San Diego is seen as a solid run stopper, but you shouldn't expect significant fantasy numbers.