Finding Late-Round Linebackers

The IDP Roundtable Series

This summer, the Footballguys staff will discuss various topics to help you in your IDP leagues.

What linebackers are you targeting in the last two or three rounds?

Christian Williams

I am traditionally looking to make some upside picks in the last few rounds. A player like Channing Tindall from the Dolphins stands out this year; a rookie that could see an early role and become a weekly starter whose ADP hasn't caught up yet. A flurry of rookies fit this mold: Leo Chenal from Kansas City, Chad Muma from Jacksonville, and Brian Asamoah from Minnesota are my favorites. I would also consider Cameron McGrone as a flier in the last couple of rounds. While the Patriots traded for Mack Wilson, it's no lock that he assumes the starting role. McGrone was a raw prospect, and his draft capital reflected that. But operating within the Belichick defense gives McGrone baked-in upside for cleanup tackling duties.

Kyle Bellefeuil

I'll be looking at a few later-round redraft linebacker targets like Nicholas Morrow, Drue Tranquill, Josey Jewell, and Rashaan Evans. Morrow is the current front runner to slot in next to Roquan Smith as the other full-time linebacker in Chicago. With Kyzir White now gone, Tranquill has a chance to emerge as the top linebacker option for the Chargers with a strong camp. Jewell is coming off a knee injury, but if he's fully healthy, I like him as the favorite to lead the Denver linebacker unit. Evans is a nice late-round target as he's familiar with Dean Pees' scheme, and if Deion Jones is dealt, he could end up being the lead man in Atlanta to start the year.

Joseph Haggan

I am a big fan of the Cory Littleton landing spot. In 2018-2019 he was a legitimate top 5 LB, averaging 130 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 11 passes defended, and 2.5 interceptions over those two seasons. He spent time in Las Vegas and looked lost and out of place, causing him to cede his snap share. The top option in Carolina is Shaq Thompson, and he has never hit his true potential. There is a legitimate possibility Littleton could become the team's LB1 if they play him to his strengths.

Dre Greenlaw is another forgotten linebacker being overshadowed by Fred Warner. He had 92 tackles as a rookie in 16 games (11starts) and then bumped his per-game average up, accruing 86 tackles in 13 games, missing three due to injury. He averages about 6.25 tackles per game in his career and is coming in healthy. He's ranked as the LB49 in Football Guys consensus rankings and could easily outplay his ranking. For other linebacker value picks, check out my article here.

John Norton

The first part of answering this question is determining who you think might still be there in the last few rounds. Guys like David Long, Cody Barton, and Alex Singleton will be long gone in competitive leagues. There are no sure things at the end of the draft, and in the leagues I play, there are no weak managers and very few well-kept secrets. Some guys I expect to slide that might fall that far are Jayon Brown, Josh Morrow, Leighton Vander Esch, Drue Tranquill, Kyzir White, Zaven Collins, Rashaan Evans, Mykal Walker, and maybe Quincy Williams.

Morrow, Vander Esch, and Walker would be my top-three targets. Morrow missed all last season and will be in the shadow of Roquan Smith but is in the same defensive scheme that produced Darius Leonard and Bobby Okereke. Morrow will likely be in the Leonard role. With Jaylon Smith and Keanu Neal gone, Vander Esch has a legitimate shot at a three-down role for the first time since his rookie season when he had 111 solo tackles. With Deion Jones in limbo, Walker has a good shot at being the opening day starter on a Falcons team in full-blown rebuild mode.

Gary Davenport

This question depends on how many rounds we're talking about—one league's late-round dart throws could come off the board well before the end of the festivities in another. But for argument's sake, we'll go with linebackers ranked outside my top-50 here at Footballguys.

Nicholas Morrow showed some ability to step up when the snaps were there with the Raiders, and the 27-year-old is on track to be the other nickel linebacker with Roquan Smith in Chicago. The inside linebacker spots for the Chargers are a potential weak spot, but Drue Tranquill is the best of the bunch and has a real shot at leading the team in tackles. It's not guaranteed that Derrick Barnes will be a three-down player in Detroit, but given how unimpressive Alex Anzalone was last year, there's a path to a much larger role for Barnes in 2022.

Matt Montgomery

These are the perfect rounds to take risks on edge rushers and rookies. Many people are wary of rookie Travon Walker, but he’s the No. 1 overall pick, so he will have the opportunity to shine. He was drafted based on his athleticism and is slated to be the primary pass-rushing threat for that defense. I am also a fan of Tennessee linebacker David Long who produced 75 tackles in just ten games played. He will have competition at the position, but he’s 23, a proven producer, and has a defensive head coach.

Tripp Brebner

Josey Jewell and Christian Kirksey return in 2022 as full-time players and defensive signal callers in Denver and Houston, respectively, yet both are sliding in drafts as if they were cut candidates! Only two of 2022's unrestricted free agents will earn more to play off-ball linebacker: Pittsburgh's Myles Jack and Bobby Wagner of the Rams. Denver signed Jewell for $11M over two years before his rookie contract expired in March. Houston extended Kirksey this spring; he's on their books for $5M annually through 2023. While neither player will be confused with a fantasy LB1, both are good bets for 1,000 snaps and 125 tackles at a position where fantasy gamers take too many unnecessary risks chasing upside.

Aaron Rudnicki

Clearly, that is the part of the draft you should look for players with high upside who may emerge as viable starters. You can likely always find fill-in-type players on the waiver wire, so I want to land players that could see a big boost if things break right for them. Some examples of players like this include rookies like Troy Andersen in Atlanta or Malcolm Rodriguez in Detroit. I'd also look for players with limited competition who could emerge as every-down options like Josey Jewell in Denver or Jayon Brown in Las Vegas. There are always edge rusher options available here too, who tend to have more variance from week to week but can sometimes win a matchup by themselves with a multi-sack performance.

Justin Howe

The Chargers linebacker room tends to be busy and fertile in fantasy scoring, so whoever wins their vacant inside job will carry some appeal. The team brought over ex-Rams part-timer Troy Reeder, who looks like the best option to fill the role. Reeder was called upon 25 times to spot-start over three years with the Rams; over 17 games, his numbers would extrapolate to 131 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. Even 80% of that would make him a Round 25-type steal.