It’s always fun to draft and discuss the top names in the IDP fantasy football game, especially linebackers. However, finding those less popular players with an opportunity to inherit snaps and seize a productive role can solidify your IDP roster. The four linebackers discussed in this article are all lower-cost options that could find consistent snaps that inherently lead to production. They also happen to all be in contract years with an opportunity to help themselves out financially. Let’s find out why these motivated linebackers can help your IDP squads this season.
David Long, Tennessee Titans
Of the group of linebackers in this article, David Long has shown the most ability to be the anchor in the middle of his current team's defense. In 2021, Long was inactive for Tennessee's Week 1 game but was immediately inserted as a full-time player upon his return in Week 2. Unfortunately, Long suffered a hamstring injury in Week 10 but had a rock-solid 98% snap share from Weeks 2-9. During those eight weeks, it was apparent Tennessee favored Long over teammates Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans. For example, in Weeks 3-4 (the only time all three were active together over that span) Long played 121 defensive snaps (98%), as compared to Brown's 29 snaps (23.5%) and Evans' 82 snaps (67%).
The Titans did acquire veteran Zach Cunningham late in the season while Long was unavailable. In four games with Tennessee, Cunningham asserted himself into the mix and carried a 67.5% snap share. Long returned from his injury in Week 17 and logged two games alongside Cunningham to finish the season (Weeks 17-18). Over that two-game stretch, Long played 91 defensive snaps (77.5%) compared to Cunningham’s 77 snaps (65%). However, it’s important to note Tennessee seemingly chose to ease Long back in upon his return in Week 17, as he played just 55% of the snaps. In Week 18, Long returned to his full-time role, playing all 57 defensive snaps.
The biggest takeaway from all this snap-share data is Long was consistently out-snapping the others when healthy. Tennessee's staff viewed Long as the best full-time option and that’s important. Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans have since moved on, leaving Long and Cunningham as the projected starters. Given what we know from last year, Long seems like a good bet to act as the play-caller and support the coveted green dot.
Long's 75 tackles (46 solos) in ten games last year were a career-high and if you expand his 7.5 tackles/gm pace over a full season, it puts him in the 120+ tackle range. When Long has been given an opportunity he's delivered and this year he has every opportunity to break out in a big way. Cunningham might still have more name value in drafts, making Long a far better value with a potentially bigger role in the Tennessee defense.
Cody Barton, Seattle Seahawks
Unlike the case of David Long, the sample size is very small for Cody Barton. However, the opportunity is certainly intriguing. The Seahawks had two 1,100+ snap linebackers last season and one of those spots has an open vacancy. If you have been keeping up with any offseason news, I'm sure you already know long-time Seahawk and IDP stud Bobby Wagner is now on the Los Angeles Rams roster. Asking anyone to fill shoes that big is ridiculous, but what we are looking for is who will get an opportunity to grab those productive vacated snaps. That's where the appeal for Barton comes in.
While snaps have been hard to come by for Barton, he has had flash games when the opportunity has presented itself. Last season, Barton had a chance to step in the last two games for Wagner after he suffered a knee sprain in Week 17. Barton stepped up in those two outings, playing 138 defensive snaps (99%) and producing a solid 18 tackles (12 solos). The two-game sample size is small, but the strong finish is promising.
Seattle didn't bring in any competition via the draft and has yet to make a substantial free agent signing. The weak depth chart and offseason chatter point to Barton getting the first shot at the open spot next to Jordyn Brooks. Traditionally, Seattle has featured two productive linebacker roles for us IDP managers. However, new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt is looking to change things up from recent years and our own Gary Davenport covers this more in his article here. A situation to keep tabs on when training camp kicks off.
Barton most certainly won’t put up the stats Wagner did in Seattle and that’s okay! What we are looking for are linebackers with potential fruitful roles for snaps and production—Barton fits that bill. If managers are looking for an upside LB3/4 later in drafts, Barton is a worthy option.
Nicholas Morrow, Chicago Bears
The last time we saw Nicholas Morrow on the field was the 2020 season as he missed all of 2021 with an unfortunate ankle injury. In that 2020 season with the Raiders, Morrow had started to come on down the stretch. In his last six games played that year, Morrow held a 98% snap share (423 snaps) and turned in an admirable 47 tackles (36 solos), 5 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks.
This offseason, Morrow signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Chicago. While IDP darling Roquan Smith is still there, the second leading snap eater at linebacker Alec Ogletree (697 snaps) is not on the roster. The depth chart is noticeably thin behind Morrow as Chicago neglected the position during the draft, only notably bringing in Wisconsin’s Jack Sanborn as a UDFA.
New head coach Matt Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams both come over from Indianapolis, where Eberflus was the defensive coordinator and Williams his assistant. Most important for IDP purposes is the fact we saw Eberflus’ defense support two productive linebackers as both Darius Leonard and Bobby Okereke saw healthy snap shares last season.
IDP managers will be aggressively targeting Roquan Smith in drafts and the sentiment is warranted. However, there is a productive role for Morrow to seize next to Smith that managers can exploit later in drafts. It doesn’t always have to be the pretty names that help our squads, sometimes we just need to find players with an attainable productive role and direct path to snaps.
Drue Tranquill, Los Angeles Chargers
Like all the other linebackers listed, this is a pivotal year for Drue Tranquill. Tranquill's 2021 season was a bit of a rollercoaster with his snap shares fluctuating week to week. However, it was encouraging to see him bounce back from the gruesome ankle injury that cost him all of the 2020 season. Tranquill had his spike weeks and ended the year with 76 tackles (45 solos), 5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks on 561 defensive snaps (59%) over 14 games.
One of the main reasons Tranquill's snaps lacked consistency last year was the emergence of Kyzir White. White broke out of the Chargers linebacker trio that included him, Tranquill, and Kenneth Murray, leading the group in playing time with 981 defensive snaps (84%). As you may already know, White departed for Philadelphia via free agency leaving those snaps behind for someone to inherit. A quick look at the depth chart makes Tranquill an appealing candidate to be the beneficiary.
The other notable names on the depth chart vying for a prominent role are Kenneth Murray and Troy Reeder. Murray projects to have a role on the defense, but his play has been subpar and he struggled to get comfortable with the scheme last year. He also underwent ankle surgery this offseason but is expected to be ready for training camp. Reeder has had some solid tackle production at times but is a total liability in coverage. From a three-down standpoint, Tranquill is the best coverage option at linebacker of the three.
The opportunity is there for Tranquill to step up in training camp and lead this linebacker group. With Kyzir White now gone, managers might feel it's Murray who's the main beneficiary as he carries more name value. However, Tranquill could very well be the play here and makes for a nice upside target later in drafts.
Final Thoughts
If you wait on the linebacker position in drafts or are looking for affordable trade options, these are four players to target. Finding linebackers who stay on the field enough to give us steady weekly production is half the battle these days. That’s the appeal of the players on this list. They all are staring at a considerable opportunity to produce for their respective teams and your fantasy squads.
Thanks for taking the time to read my article and feel free to reach me on Twitter @KBellf54 with any questions or feedback.