Drafting Philosophy:
Linebackers are undoubtedly the staples of a fantasy defense. However, I believe many fantasy owners tend to overvalue this position on draft day. There always seems to be a huge run on linebackers early in drafts as many owners feel that securing a "top tier" linebacker is essential to having a competitive fantasy defense. Although this is a fair strategy, I think more times than not, better value is to be found within other positions at the early junctures in drafts.
The fact is that there are a plethora of potential LB1 linebackers (e.g. Cushing, Mayo, Kendricks, Worrilow) that can be had rounds after the Tier 1 and even Tier 2 linebackers are off the board. Additionally, IDP studs always emerge at the linebacker position throughout the season (e.g. Danny Trevathan, Paul Worrilow, DeAndre Levy, Daryl Smith, A.J. Hawk). That said, often times the best strategy is to wait until the upper echelon linebackers have been taken and then come in and start plucking up the aforementioned LB1 upside value plays a few rounds later. This will allow you to use those early round draft picks to shore up other positions where more relative value is to be found, while at the same time, not suffering significant losses of quality at the linebacker position.
Scoring System: Solo Tackle = 1 point Assist = 0.5 point Sack = 3 points Interception = 4 points Forced Fumble = 2 points Fumble Recovery = 2 points Pass Deflection = 1 point Defensive TD = 6 points |
Key: S = Sleeper/Undervalued Player B = Bust/Overvalued Player R = Injury Risk |
Tier 1
2. MLB Luke Kuechly (CAR) - After a slow start to the season, Kuechly averaged a ridiculous 11.5 total tackles per game over his last 8 games which helped him win DPOY. He's still only 22 years old and is only going to get better as he gains more experience and confidence. Additionally, he's well protected by his front four which should keep him relatively free of blockers and allow him to have a more direct path to the ballcarrier. It's essentially a coin toss between Kuechly and Lavonte David for the top linebacker spot. |
Tier 2
7. WILB Derrick Johnson (KC) - Johnson has now had 4 straight seasons of 94 or more solo tackles
and managed to grow his big play numbers in 2013. He falls out of the
elite linebacker tier though as the Kansas City stat crew in the
stingiest in the league in terms of giving out assists (~7 total a
game). That said, it's just not realistic to expect more than 15 or
so assists a year out of Johnson. Feel free to draft him higher if
assists don't matter in your specific scoring system, but otherwise
consider him a mid-level LB1. |
Tier 3
![]() | 11. MLB James Laurinaitis (STL) - Laurinaitis failed to crack 100 solo tackles for the first time since 2010. The solid play of rookie linebacker Alec Ogletree obviously put a bit of a cap on his production. He's got decent big play upside but also gets dinged a bit in the assist category due to the Rams stat keeper. He's no longer the clear cut LB1 he use to be, but he can still provide nice value as an LB2+/LB1-. |
12.WILB Paul Worrilow (ATL) - For all intents and purposes, Worrilow was the IDP surprise of the season. This undrafted rookie out of Delaware was completely off every fantasy owner until a rash of linebacker injuries forced him into every down action in Week 10 and he responded with an eye-grabbing 19 tackles. Worrilow would go on to amass a ridiculous 11.5 tackles per game over the last 8 games of the season. This said, he did grade out negatively against both the run and pass and is perhaps the least talented of this tier. However, with Sean Weatherspoon out for the season, Worrilow will have opportunity abound. And that's the name of the game in IDP fantasy football. LB1 value is possible with a relatively safe floor of LB2-. |
14. WLB Alec Ogletree (STL) - Ogletree proved to be an excellent fit within the Rams defensive system and managed to exceed the projections of nearly every fantasy writer. His mark of 94 solo tackles in his rookie season is an impressive feat, but I'm concerned that he may have reached a production plateau early in his career. There are only so many tackles to go around in St. Louis and barring injury James Laurinaitis will remain the team leader and focal point of the defense. He's a rock solid LB2+ choice, but I just don't see the growth opportunities to justify a higher selection. |
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Last Updated: August 17, 2014 Related Posts: