Undervalued Players: The 2 Interior Defensive Linemen to Target

Undervalued players can turn good rosters into league-winners. The Footballguys staff finds interior defensive linemen you should go after.

Footballguys Staff's Undervalued Players: The 2 Interior Defensive Linemen to Target Footballguys Staff Published 05/31/2024

A fantasy draft is all about obtaining the most value with each selection. Value is available throughout a draft; grabbing it is one of the most important keys to a successful fantasy team. To point out this value, we asked our staff to identify players available in the top half of your draft who should outperform their draft position. Thanks to the folks at TheIDPShow.com for the ADP.

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Here are the interior defensive linemen who received the most votes:

And here are all of the players with multiple mentions and the reasons why.

Undervalued Player Receiving 3 Votes

Derrick Brown, Carolina

Sigmund Bloom: Brown led all defensive tackles in solo tackles and assists. The next closest in solos was eight behind, and the next closest in assists was five behind. Perhaps in a big-play system, that isn't enough to merit a top-five ADP, but in a tackle-heavy system, there's an argument for #1. So, when we split the difference, his ADP should be at least Top 5, and he's not near that right now.

Gary Davenport: All Brown did last year was lead all defensive linemen in total tackles with 103. Not just defensive tackles, but defensive linemen altogether. Now, 46 of those tackles were admittedly assists, the 26-year-old posted just two sacks, and Brown had never amassed even 70 stops in a season before 2023. But given how many IDP leagues feature tackle-heavy scoring, getting the sort of fantasy floor Brown provides as a low-end DT1 is excellent value.

Justin Howe: Brown is a run-stuffing extraordinaire, as evidenced by 5.0 combined tackles per game over 2 years as a full-timer. That makes him wildly valuable in tackle-based leagues - last year's 103 were world-beaters there - but Brown's value isn't limited to those. He's more than capable of collapsing the pocket, and if he repeats last year's 41 pressures, he could triple that 2.0 sack total.

Undervalued Player Receiving 2 Votes

Kobie Turner, LA Rams

© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports undervalued

Joseph Haggan: Turner was a revelation last year for the Rams. His 58 tackles and 9 sacks have helped ease the everlasting pain of Aaron Donald's retirement. Turner has already turned in a top 10 IDL season while in exactly just one season. He joins a young and budding defensive line that consists of rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, as well as last year's fellow standout Byron Young. Turner is a budding IDL star, and IDL16 is too low.

Gary Davenport: Much like with teammate Byron Young, IDP managers seem to be overlooking what Turner accomplished as a rookie last year—57 total tackles, nine sacks, and a top-10 finish in fantasy points among defensive tackles. Perhaps it's the fog of depression hovering over the Rams after the retirement of Aaron Donald (who Turner had more fantasy points than, by the way). Whatever the reason, if you're the type of manager who likes to wait and then grab a couple of platoon options inside, Turner is a guy to target late.

Bonus Undervalued Players

In addition to the two undervalued IDLs listed above. These players got a single vote each.

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