Can Divine Deablo Rebound in 2023?

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In life, there are many ways we can describe being challenged. Some words make them feel greater than others. Obstacles, roadblocks, adversity, whatever term you prefer, we have all had to deal with these things at some point in our lives. Whether it’s an office setting where you have disagreements with a coworker or boss or trying to break an old habit, these things can derail you if they’re allowed to do so. They also can shape you and motivate you. In the case of professional athletes, we often see injuries. Some have devastating effects on the career trajectory of the player. Others are a footnote in the story of that player. In both cases, the player has a decision to make mentally. Work as hard as possible to rehab your body and return to form or get into the "What if?" mindset regarding your injury woes. Divine Deablo has reached this proverbial crossroad in his young NFL career, but he is poised for a significant rebound. Here’s why.

Who Is This Guy?

Deablo is at the precipice of IDP greatness, or so he was at the time of his injury. The relatively unknown man was a third-round draft pick by the Raiders out of Virginia Tech. After his rookie season being somewhat pedestrian, his 2022 season was off to a wow start. Through his first five games, he had accumulated 48 total tackles. Week 6 was his bye week; in Week 7, he had 11 total tackles; and in Week 8, he had 14 total tackles. Then Week 9, he broke his arm and was sidelined for the rest of the season. It is important to note that he was injured on the second play of the game while making an assisted tackle. By this time, he was likely plucked from every waiver wire in the IDP world, and the managers let out a collective "NOOO!" that would have made Luke Skywalker proud. When the sample size is small, it is easy to simply gloss over the outlier type results and move on to the next shiny toy especially when having rookie drafts in IDP dynasty leagues. I would argue that he has ascended into LB1 territory and should be treated as such.

A Divine LB1

If you’re a fan of these articles, then you know that I am a proponent of building your IDP team around consistent tackling linebackers. If we saw anything in the brief opportunities that Deablo had, it was that he is a tackling machine! In fact, if you extrapolated his averages throughout a full season, he would have had 157 total tackles. Please make sure you read that again. This was a guy who was likely on your waiver wire through Week 3! Tackle guys like that don’t just fall off trees. He was a diamond in the rough and one that I believe will still shine even through this adversity. This season, he is projected to be a starter in the same defensive scheme as before. His injury wasn’t tissue or tendon, it was bone. So as devastating as it was to last season, there shouldn’t be any lingering effects on his performance after his recovery. A healthy Deablo will score in bulk for your team, but the most important question is, "What is his value?"

The Star Treatment

Guys like this don’t grow on trees. He should be your dynasty stash. He will be 25 years old when the season starts and in his third year as a pro. We should start to see the ceiling of his play, which, as described earlier, is in the 150-tackle range. If he were to do just that, he would be an LB1 for your team, but I expect there to be some more stats, such as forced fumbles and defended passes which will reward you in leagues that favor big plays. Get on the bandwagon now folks. In redraft, he is currently in the 300 ADP range on Sleeper. 300!?!? For a guy like this, he needs to go as a top ten linebacker, especially over those who are edge rushers still coded as linebackers. His competition is Luke Masterson and Robert Spillane, two guys who aren’t exactly proven commodities in the IDP landscape. If you want a Raiders linebacker, he has to be your pick. Don’t obsess with ADP, use it as a guide to what the market feels he’s worth, but do the due diligence of looking at his current body of work. Although he hasn’t been around long, he has been massively effective when healthy and given an opportunity. In dynasty leagues, I would try to acquire him by any means necessary because the capital to acquire him shouldn’t be astronomical, but this time next year, it will be. A mid-range rookie picks or veteran player who would start for the opposing team would be a great starting point for Deablo. If his current dynasty managers have doubts (and they are somewhat warranted), you could get yourself a steal!

Conclusion

Sometimes you must roll the dice on unproven players or players coming back from injuries. Who doesn’t love a comeback story? Deablo could be that story for your IDP franchise that takes you to the next level but don’t wait. Capitalize now while he’s still a "What if?" There is a high likelihood that he will return next season as a must-have asset in all formats of IDP. All it takes is one good season before he’s an untouchable asset for an IDP team. And hey, if you read this, who’s to say it isn’t you who took that chance? In any case, with the ADP described above, if you don’t take a chance on Deablo with a roster spot, are you even trying to snipe your opponents? Don’t be the guy in the league next year who plays against Deablo for one of his many double-digit tackle games! Be the guy who is watching this sideline to sideline player, sit back and make sure you hit your leagues trash talk and tell them Footballguys gave you the tools to dominate your league!

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