LB is where it all starts for IDP leagues. Even in sack-heavy formats, the LBs lead in consistency and are WAY more dependable than DL on a week-to-week basis. LB is DEEP this season, but a lot like WRs on the offensive side of the ball, a lot of good ones means it’s an arms race, and you can’t fall behind. Personally, I like to get two guys out of my first two tiers if I can, and then I’m comfortable waiting on some upside plays to stash on the bench, and the shallower the league for IDPs, the higher my interest in getting someone early rises. Deeper leagues make me want to spread out my investment a little more, but because LB is not nearly as rotational as DL means that there’s less value on the wire. A 16 man league with 2 LBs and a flex (almost always an LB) means close to 45ish starters. Three LB sets are becoming rarer, so once everyone has a bench LB for injuries and bye weeks, there isn’t going to be a ton left to add off the wire. Most of you won’t have to worry about that, but once the bottom falls out, there isn’t a lot left to pick from on the wire. Drafting LBs high is rarely a mistake, and I expect that trend to continue this season.
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Fantasy Football IDP Linebacker Rankings & Tiers
Here are my rankings and tiers for 2023 fantasy football linebackers.
Tip of The Spear
Foye Oluokun (JAC)
Roquan Smith (BAL)
Nick Bolton (KC)
These are the three acceptable options for the #1 overall pick in tackle-heavy (or more standard) in my opinion. Foye has been the top scorer in IDP for two seasons in a row. Roquan has averaged over 11 PPG in every season he’s played and had a career-high averaging just over 14 PPG last season. Bolton is firmly third to me but still in this tier because he’s not just a heavy tackle guy but also a highly-graded LB that has some room for more growth. These are the top three picks to me if it’s just straight IDPs in your draft or the top three IDPs off the board if they’re all thrown in with offensive players, these are the guys to reach on.
Expect 200+ Points Tier
Bobby Wagner (SEA)
Fred Warner (SF)
Bobby Okereke (NYG)
Logan Wilson (CIN)
Devin White (TB)
C.J. Mosley (NYJ)
Wagner and Warner might belong in their own tier, but we’ll just say they’re at the top of this one. Wagner would have been a downgrade if Brooks was healthy in Seattle, but with Brooks going down, Wagner walks right back into his old role with the Hawks after one season in LA. Warner has averaged over 10 PPG every season he’s played and has one missed game in his career.
Okereke and White are two guys that don’t really grade well, but they make tackles, and that’s all we really care about. Okereke goes to the Giants to fill an enormous hole at the LB position and will be on the field for every snap. White missed a ton of tackles and is constantly in the wrong spot, but he still makes tackles and is one of the best pass-rushing MLBs in the league. These guys could be even better if they clean up the mistakes but will put up some great numbers even if they repeat production from last season.
Wilson keeps getting better, he finished with career-highs in games played, tackles, and sacks last season and is entering the prime of his career in his fourth season in the NFL.
Mosley is an underrated vet that was top 10 in total and average scoring and just continues to pile up tackles going into his 10th year in the NFL. I don’t know why, but he has slipped in a few of my drafts, and I’m happy to pick him up as my second LB when he slides.
Still Really Good Tier
Tremaine Edmunds (CHI)
Josey Jewell (DEN)
Zaire Franklin (IND)
T.J. Edwards (CHI)
Cole Holcomb (PIT)
Dre Greenlaw (SF)
Eric Kendricks (LAC)
Lavonte David (TB)
Edmunds and Edwards are both awesome, but also both signed with the Bears this offseason. In my opinion, Edwards is the better LB, but the $$ says that Edmunds is Chicago’s guy. They’ll probably trade being high scorers on a week-to-week basis, but they are both solid options for IDP LBs.
Jewell, Holcomb, and Greenlaw are all guys that will be on the field for every snap but have had some issues with health. Jewell only missed four games last season but missed all but two in 2021. Greenlaw was close to the same, with two games missed in ’22 but only three played in ’21. Holcomb only played seven games last season and moves to a new team going from Washington to Pittsburgh. All of these guys averaged over 11 PPG last season and are healthy to come into the 2023 season, but if you take them, be sure to have a decent bench option.
Zaire Franklin just set the Colts franchise record for tackles in a single season, Okereke is gone, and Shaq Leonard is injury prone. Things look good for Franklin but like Devin White, he’s inefficient and can unlock some more points by cleaning up his game a bit.
Eric Kendricks is moving to the Chargers after 7 seasons with the Vikings, and I expect him to produce more of the same. Kendricks has had at least 107 tackles every season after his rookie year and was over 135 the last two seasons. Lavonte David has averaged over 10 PPG for six straight seasons. David may have peaked early in his career for IDP production, but he stacks tackles and has a high floor even as an aging vet.
Small Step Down Tier
T.J. Watt (PIT)
Micah Parsons (DAL)
Shaquille Leonard (IND)
Alex Singleton (DEN)
Jordan Hicks (MIN)
Pete Werner (NO)
Matt Milano (BUF)
De’Vondre Campbell (GB)
Shaq Thompson (IND)
Quay Walker (GB)
Jordyn Brooks (SEA)
T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons are the headlines down in this tier because they are two of the best players in the NFL, but in tackle-heavy formats, they depend too much on sacks to produce and don’t provide enough tackles to be in the upper tier. T.J. Watt was ninth in scoring among LBs in his 22.5 sack DPOY season but has been a sub 10 PPG IDP performer in four of his five other seasons. Parsons rookie season was better for his IDP performance because it allowed him to get tackles and then get sacks in those situations, but he has moved to the Edge (58% LB in 21, 80% Edge in 22) and is getting fewer opportunities to make tackles.
Shaquille Leonard has been a #1 overall IDP player in the past, and outside of last season, he’s averaged at least 12 PPG. He’s had neck and back issues to pair with an ankle he said might never be the same. To me, he’s more of a deep league gamble to get an advantage later; I’ll let someone else gamble in a standard league. I’ll put Brooks in this tier because his upside is incredible, but I’ll have to hear some very positive news before the season to actually invest after he tore his ACL in January.
Alex Singleton, Jordan Hicks, and Shaq Thompson are not sexy because they probably don’t have a lot of room to grow. The good thing is that they don’t need to grow to be valuable, Singleton was fifth in tackles last season, but the Broncos drafted an LB early (Drew Sanders, 3rd Round). Hicks and Thompson were both well over 100 tackles last season, Hicks could see even more snaps with Kendricks gone to LA, and Thompson has been between 9-10 PPG four seasons in a row, and I expect more of the same.
Pete Werner and Quay Walker are growing players whose potential is higher than this, but this is as high as I feel I can rank them. Werner started hot last season, but injuries early in the season clearly impacted him down the stretch, but we saw a flash of what could be early. Walker ended up leading the Packers in tackles but was incredibly bad against the run, and that is something that can get a player benched. Walker is still young, and expect him to get better and I would bet on him to succeed, but it’s not a guarantee.
Matt Milano should see the most tackle opportunities he ever has with Tremaine Edmunds out the door. Milano has missed a lot of tackles in his career, but last season was bad, he’ll have more opportunities and a chance to have incredible tackle production if he can clean it up. Campbell is almost a complete wildcard in how his production for IDP has gone from over 13 PPG in 21 down to under nine last season, but his floor is still high, and the Packers could be on defense more than they have in a long time with Love leading the offense instead of Aaron Rodgers.
Inconsistent but still good Tier
Frankie Luvu (CAR)
Jack Campbell (DET)
Demario Davis (NO)
Willie Gay (KC)
Cody Barton (WAS)
Matt Judon (NE)
Ernest Jones (LAR)
Denzel Perryman (HOU)
Luvu probably deserves better than this, but in my defense, the defense is changing in Carolina, and Jeremy Chinn moving to slot CB permanently seems like a big waste, so I’m just a bit concerned about those two things impacting him.
Campbell, Barton, Jones, and Perryman all look like #1 MLBs for their teams but are just on shakier ground than the #1’s in the tiers above them. Campbell was a 1st round investment by the Lions to stop the bleeding from the LB position they’ve dealt with recently. Barton was good enough to get a starting gig, get benched, and then get his job back in Seattle last season and could be a three down guy in Washington. Jones probably just needs to be healthy to make a ton of tackles this season, the Rams have no experience behind him at LB and have lost so much on defense this offseason. Perryman is going to be 1st LB up for Houston and should lead them in tackles, but there is some competition for snaps behind him.
Demario Davis still provides a high floor even though he’s an aging veteran, but it’s probably downhill from here for him. Willie Gay is tough to rank because Bolton is the clear #1 in KC, and the Chiefs signed Drue Tranquill, and Leo Chenal was a 3rd round pick last season, so there’s up and downside here. Judon fits in with Watt and Parsons as an Edge rusher that is too sack dependent to be a good value in tackle-heavy formats, especially where they only qualify at LB.
I wish I was higher on these LBs Tier
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (CLE)
David Long (MIA)
Jerome Baker (MIA)
Devin Lloyd (JAC)
Isaiah Simmons (ARI) – slot CB
Quincy Williams (NYJ)
Azeez Al-Shaair (TEN)
Edge Rushers that only qualify at LB (depending on provider)
Zaven Collins (ARI) – Cardinals new staff still deciding whether to play him at LB or Edge
Haason Reddick (PHI)
Harold Landry (TEN)
Za’Darius Smith (CLE)
Rashan Gary (GB)
Khalil Mack (LAC)
James Houston (DET)
David Ojabo (BAL)
Shaq Barrett (TB)
Lots of Snaps
Ja’Whaun Bentley (NE)
Kyzir White (ARI)
Leighton Vander Esch (DAL)
Jamin Davis (WAS)
Kaden Elliss (ATL)
Germaine Pratt (CIN)
Elandon Roberts (PIT)
Nakobe Dean (PHI)
Divine Deablo (LV)
Brian Asamoah (MIN)
Christian Kirksey (HOU)
Divine Deablo (LV)
Robert Spillane (LV)
I’m done with
Patrick Queen (BAL)
Mykal Walker (ATL)
Anthony Walker (CLE)
Alex Anzalone (DET)
Kenneth Murray (LAC)
Intriguing but need to earn the snaps
Malcolm Rodriguez (DET)
Christian Harris (HOU)
Troy Andersen (ATL)
Terrell Bernard (BUF)
DeMarvion Overshown (DAL)
Damone Clark (DAL)
Trenton Simpson (BAL)
Daiyan Henley (LAC)
Dorian Williams (BUF)
Drew Sanders (DEN)
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