2TDT038 Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (23) runs on the field during player introductions before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
• Foyesade Oluokun and Roquan Smith continue to lead the way: A history of elite production from these two provides a level of consistency and reliability that can be rare in IDP.
• Allowing projections and usage to fuel the ranks: For such a volume-dependant position, utilizing any edge we have — such as scheme projections and identifying the best/worst performers at the position — helps sort this year’s linebacker tiers.
• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF’s fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to get ready for your live draft!
Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
Breaking fantasy football rankings down into tiers helps fantasy managers better understand what separates each group and how to value players for the upcoming season.
Referenced scoring uses the settings below. Click here for all point leaders from 2022 and 2023 (minimum of 100 defensive snaps).
When combining the team LB1 projections based on defensive scheme and usage with each player’s production, specifically related to tackles versus expected, these six players form the clear first tier of potential top performers for 2024.
Each of the players averaged at least 15 points per game last year, in large part due to their full-time roles and ability to push for 150-plus tackles in a season. Aside from Ernest Jones, these linebackers cleared that mark in at least each of the past two seasons, making for some of the most consistent and steady options at the position. Also aside from Jones’ Rams, each team’s LB1 role is a projected above-average tackle-producing position based solely on expected defensive scheme. Those five linebackers also ranked in the 80th percentile in tackles versus expected last season.
Jones became a full-time starter last season and delivered a breakout year, averaging 9.7 tackles per game and adding 4.5 sacks. He didn’t quite hit 150 total tackles because he missed two games, but he was well on pace to clear that mark. His 15.6 tackles over expected was a 97th-percentile score for his position, providing optimism that he can deliver in 2024 as the team’s lone full-time linebacker.
At a position where volume matters above all else, the tiers get significantly larger as we account for full-time roles for historically strong producers at the position. There isn’t much question about playing time for those in this tier, so they are ranked with a combination of projected defensive scheme and past production in mind.
Azeez Al-Shaair, Nick Bolton, Lavonte David and Fred Warner kick things off as the first tier within this second tier. They were consistent producers last season, and there are no concerns about them falling off in 2024.
C.J. Mosley, Bobby Okereke, Kyzir White and Eric Kendricks are all projected for strong production based on their LB1 statuses in their respective defenses. However, each of these players ranked in the 36th percentile or lower in tackles versus expected last season. They have a chance to overcome that in 2024 thanks to overall positive roles in their defenses.
Bobby Wagner and Terrel Bernard are projected for less-than-ideal tackle production in 2024, thanks to the man-heavy coverage tendencies of their coaching staffs. Both players overcame their situations in 2023 to deliver in the 84th percentile and above in tackles versus expected. For Wagner, specifically, Dan Quinn’s defense projects to be one of the most unfriendly tackle schemes for the position, which significantly lowers his 2024 projections.
Robert Spillane, Quincy Williams, Tremaine Edmunds, Jerome Baker, Alex Anzalone, Logan Wilson, Patrick Queen, Jordyn Brooks and Demario Davis should all be full-time players in 2024, but they were among the most inefficient tacklers at their position in 2023, a trait that tends to carry over year-to-year. All 10 players ranked in the 25th percentile in tackles versus expected last season. Anzalone, Wilson, Queen, Brooks and Davis, specifically, are also projected to be in below-average defensive schemes for linebacker tackling, so they fall to the bottom of this tier.
Question marks begin to mount for the players in this tier, mostly due to injury history and uncertainty about maintaining full-time snaps. There are some strong lottery tickets to bet on here, but IDP managers should understand that these players are less likely to consistently excel than those in the tiers above.
Blake Cashman is perhaps the best representative of this tier after coming through for IDP managers last season as a waiver-wire addition and being among the best tacklers at his position, ranking in the 95th percentile in tackles versus expected (+11.4). Cashman heads to a new team this season with a chance to step into a full-time role for Brian Flores’ Minnesota Vikings.
It’s unclear how well Cashman will perform in a new defense, especially with a very good Ivan Pace Jr. looking over his shoulder. But if he is a strong fit and keeps Pace at bay for the lone full-time role, then he’s going to be ranked much higher on a weekly basis.
Damone Clark, Denzel Perryman, E.J. Speed and Trenton Simpson could all be in line for full-time roles this season, in which case they have a chance to be ranked higher than this based on the week. There is no guarantee for a full-time role for anyone in this tier, or even just a starting role for players like Simpson, who still has to beat out veteran Malik Harrison. It does appear that Simpson has the inside track to that job, in which case he would move up a tier.
Jordan Hicks and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah fall into this tier, as the Browns’ defense projects to be the least-friendly tackle scheme for the position. Cleveland also has a history of not deploying multiple full-time starters each week, which limits the potential for both to increase their rank this offseason.
The bottom of this tier contains some of the most ineffective tacklers at the position. Kaden Elliss, Kenneth Murray and Devin White should see the field quite a bit this season due to a lack of other options on their depth charts, but all three players made up three of the bottom four performers in tackles versus expected in 2023 after all finished in the 25th percentile in 2022.
Full-time roles become less likely in this tier. Even for those locked into their roles on the depth chart, the opportunity for snaps isn’t quite at the level of those in the higher tiers.
Junior Colson and K.J. Britt are likely to be the best bets in this range for full-time roles in 2024, but considering their lack of NFL starting experience, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see their snap shares fall under 90% for this season.
Jack Campbell and Germaine Pratt are locked in as their team’s LB2, with neither player having cracked 90% of defensive snaps in a season. Campbell was a rookie last year, and even though he is expected to step into a larger role in Year 2, it’s unlikely to be the same full-time workload occupied by Anzalone.
Pratt is a solid LB2 for his team but isn’t quite that for IDP. He cracked 100 total tackles for the first time in his career last season and finished 12th percentile in tackles versus expected (-18.5) after not finishing above average in that metric in the past three seasons.
Ja’Whaun Bentley is the lone team LB1 in this tier. His question marks stem from never being a full-time player, despite leading his team’s position in snaps. It’s unclear if the Patriots’ new coaching staff will maintain a similar deployment, but either way, Bentley has also proven to be one of the more ineffective tacklers at the position in recent years, ranking in the 37th percentile in tackles versus expected in 2022 and the 11th percentile in 2023 (-18.6).
The Green Bay Packers‘ LB2 spot could also end up being a full-time role under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, but we don’t know for sure. We also don’t know who will man that role next to starter Quay Walker. The team spent a second-round pick on Edgerrin Cooper this offseason, though Isaiah McDuffie performed well as a spot starter in 2023 and isn’t likely to go away in training camp when competing for a starting job once again. Targeting the Packers’ LB2 comes with risk until we know who the starter is. The Miami Dolphins‘ LB2 situation should be approached similarly, just with less upside based on team projection.
This final tier consists of hopefuls and players who could emerge at some point this season if circumstances fall in their favor. As things stand, each player in this tier sits third (at best) on their team’s depth chart, which makes them unlikely IDP contributors. However, the offseason is long and things could very well change; injuries happen and camp battles could swing in different directions.
There are several young players on thinner depth charts who either didn’t get a chance last season or are new to the league. They could surprise and emerge as starters, as unlikely as it may seem right now. Malik Harrison, Daiyan Henley, DeMarvion Overshown, Trevin Wallace, Cedric Gray and SirVocea Dennis all fit that bill and shouldn’t be completely counted out yet.
Everyone else is essentially the next man up should something happen to one of the two starters ranked ahead of them on their respective depth charts.
Dre Greenlaw is the outlier of the group. After tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl, he’s unlikely to be ready for the start of the year — hence why De’Vondre Campbell ranks as LB37 at the moment. Should Greenlaw recover in time for a return this season, he would cut into Campbell’s snaps as a starter, even if he doesn’t get his full role back this season.
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