Charles Woodson

Woodson played a full 16 games for the first time in three years and showed up in a big way defensively. Although his interception numbers have dropped with his shift to safety, he recorded a career-high 97 tackles in 2013 and still showed an ability to blitz off the corner, recording two sacks. The 37-year-old veteran signed another one-year contract with the Raiders and could be in line for another season of high tackle counts.

Instead of choosing to finish out his playing days with a contender, Woodson opted to return to Oakland in the offseason, where his career began in 1998. A broken collarbone limited Woodson to just seven games last year, and the 36-year-old has lost some his cover skills, but he'll bring much-needed veteran leadership to the Raiders' secondary. Plus, Woodson has a knack for making the big play, and should see plenty of opportunities to make those types of plays while roaming the free safety position.

Woodson’s career might be at a crossroads entering 2012, as it’s not clear whether he’ll primarily play cornerback or safety for the Packers. Either way, he’s a great bet to remain among the top IDPs. A move to safety might actually be the ideal development for Woodson’s fantasy value, as Green Bay’s two starting safeties from 2011 – Morgan Burnett and Charlie Peprah – combined for 211 tackles and eight interceptions last year, as well as 21 passes defended. Woodson would probably be more productive in all categories than those two, leaving 100 tackles and six or so interceptions in reach. Because it’s not clear the position change will occur, however, we don’t feel comfortable projecting him for those totals, particularly given that Woodson will turn 36 in October. Still, even if he’s playing cornerback exclusively, there is little doubt that Woodson will remain an elite on-paper IDP with 166 tackles, four sacks, nine interceptions and two touchdowns the last two seasons despite sitting out a meaningless Week 17 game.

Woodson has shown no indication he's ready to slow down, but even if his physical abilities undergo a sharp decline in the near future, Woodson’s IDP value should remain relatively unaffected. The Packers have already started using him as a safety/corner hybrid in certain situations, so even if Woodson can’t hold up at corner much longer, it’d hardly be surprising if he underwent an effortless transition to the safety position. With 166 tackles (142 solo), four sacks, 31 passes defended, 11 interceptions (four returned for touchdowns) and nine forced fumbles in the last two years, Woodson is nearly infallible as an IDP option. There doesn’t exist an IDP scoring system where he isn’t a near lock to finish in the top tier.

Woodson is coming off an outstanding season — 74 tackles, two sacks, nine interceptions, three pick-sixes and AP Defensive Player of the Year honors. That big-play ability will make him a tempting target in IDP drafts. Ordinarily, we don’t like to project defensive touchdowns, but Woodson’s penchant for big plays is well-documented — he’s scored eight TDs the last four seasons.

Woodson was arguably the Green Bay MVP in 2008, recording seven interceptions, three sacks and 63 tackles while playing cornerback and safety. The Packers are switching to a 3-4 defense in 2009, which means more zone coverage than in the past. Woodson and fellow DB Al Harris prefer man coverage so we'll have to see how the move affects their play.

Woodson dealt with knee issues during the end of last season that might have knocked his stat totals down a notch or two. After picking off eight in 2006, Woodson only managed four INTs last season. He has fully recovered from any issues with the knee and should have IDP value based on his interception totals alone.

Woodson is coming off an impressive 2006 season with eight picks and 59 tackles, and is again looking to put up big numbers, and possibly provide value as an IDP. Last year Woodson filled a huge gap at cornerback that the Packers needed, perhaps a bit of a surprise considering the way his career in Oakland ended, and Green Bay will be looking for him to do the same this year. It's hard to believe he'll be 31 this season, but he still probably has one or two stat-gathering seasons left in him.

Woodson was signed in the offseason to start at cornerback opposite Al Harris.

Woodson is considered one of the league's elite at cornerback, but he still gives up too many big plays. His overall numbers for individual defensive player leagues takes a hit as well as most teams will tend to stay away from his side.

Woodson, who was designated as the team's franchise player, is an elite cornerback but could holdout this summer if a long-term contract isn't worked out. Woodson finished the 2003 season third on the team in tackles with 80 (70 solo) and added three interceptions and a sack.