New Orleans Saints: Most important players against the Houston Texans

3. Marcus Williams

I was going to go with either Eli Apple or Marshon Lattimore for this third and final player but the two are going to have such a similar impact that instead we are turning it over to the deep part of the field at free safety in Marcus Williams.

It is no surprise that the offense runs through DeShaun Watson and that the deep ball is a huge part of his game. Without a viable running attack, the Texans are going to be leaning heavily on the passing game and have multiple threats deep.

Hopkins is obviously a huge threat anywhere on the field and there will be times during the day that he burns his assigned cornerback. That is where Williams must step in and cover the over-the-top balls and make up ground to prevent any big plays.

Hopkins is not the only deep threat either as Will Fuller V is also a massive deep ball threat. Fuller is one of the fastest receivers in the entire league and has been used for that big play to open up the field on countless occasions.

Between Hopkins and Fuller, the Saints secondary, in particular, the safeties, are going to have a very long day.

If Williams can stop the deep ball from being a viable tool, or at least limit the damage, then the Saints secondary should give Cameron Jordan enough time to get to Watson.

However, any sort of breakdown in coverage is going to be capitalized on by the Texans, making Williams immensely important in the game.