4 Overvalued Linebackers

Photo: USA Today Sports

The flip side of succeeding with value players is failing with overvalued players. These players will not put up stats commensurate to their draft spot, and avoiding them is another of the important keys to a successful fantasy team. To point out these players, we asked our staff to look through IDP ADP from TheIDPShow.com and identify players that should underperform their draft position.

Related: See 5 Undervalued Linebackers here >>>

Here are the linebackers who received multiple votes:

• Frankie Luvu
• Isaiah Simmons
• Quay Walker
• Fred Warner

And here are all of the players mentioned and the reasons why.

Players Receiving 3 Votes

Frankie Luvu, Carolina Panthers

Tripp Brebner: Luvu was a bit player and rotational edge rusher for four years before his 2022 breakout. The coaching staff that turned him into the season's biggest IDP revelation has since departed. Luvu posted tackle and sack numbers with extraordinarily high efficiency - rates that will be hard to repeat. And he's probably the Panthers' LB2 in 2023, meaning fewer snaps.

Kyle Bellefeuil: It’s hard not to like Frankie Luvu. Luvu was everyone’s favorite waiver-wire darling from last season, who seemingly came out of nowhere to post 111 tackles (76 solos), 19 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. However, expecting him to repeat those numbers, especially the splash plays, could be a tough task. Not only was last year Luvu’s first season of notable production, but Carolina’s defense will have a new play caller with Ejiro Evero taking over as defensive coordinator. There’s some uncertainty with Luvu, and his current ADP of LB8 feels a bit lofty.

Gary Davenport: Listen, I love me some Frankie Luvu. I talked him up a bit as a sleeper last year and was rewarded with 111 tackles, seven sacks, and a top-12 fantasy finish. He also plays like his hair is on fire. But the odds of Luvu repeating that breakout campaign just aren’t especially good. Outlier seasons are usually outliers for a reason, and given how many safeties the Panthers brought in this year (like, all of them), it’s entirely possible they use one as a subpackage linebacker. There’s also a new coaching staff with no particular loyalty to Luvu. Regression is coming. The only question is how much.

Isaiah Simmons, Arizona Cardinals

Tripp Brebner: As of this writing, we have no idea who will open the season at middle linebacker in the desert. Former first-round pick Isaiah Simmons never settled into a role as an NFL linebacker and played more nickelback last season. He reports that he's practicing with the defensive backs at minicamp. Simmons and teammate Zaven Collins shouldn't be drafted ahead of players certain to operate full-time at inside linebacker in 2023.

Joseph Haggan: Simmons at LB16 is far, far, far too high. In 2022, he did not even break the 100-tackle mark, falling short by a tackle. He did show some playmaking upside with four sacks, two interceptions, and seven passes defended, but his usage bothered the heck out of me. 55% of Simmons snaps were played at either slot corner, outside corner, or as a free safety per PFF. Only 33% of his snaps were actually played in the box. Simmons would be a high-end safety, but being drafted as a low-end LB1/high-end LB2 is too rich. Add the fact that the Cardinals signed free agent Kyzir White, a true inside linebacker, this offseason. That move probably cemented Simmons to that slot/free safety/roaming LB role. With his usage set to be the same, LB16 is too high.

Kyle Bellefeuil: Is Isaiah Simmons a linebacker? Simmons played 409 (45.6%) of his 897 defensive snaps last season lined up in the slot and another 81 snaps at free safety and/or out wide, per Pro Football Focus. There’s a new regime in Arizona, however. They had Simmons running with the defensive backs during the recent offseason activities. With the question marks surrounding Simmons and Arizona’s linebacker unit as a whole, drafting him at his current LB16 ADP is, well, risky.