IDP Green Dot Linebackers: August Edition

In IDP leagues, no position is more important than linebacker—the reality is that in most leagues, if you don't have a strong group of linebackers, you're done. Roasted. All over but the crying. Linebackers are usually the highest-scoring and most consistent players in fantasy.

By a wide margin.

The reason for that is tackles. Linebackers who rack up big-time tackle numbers have both a high fantasy ceiling and a high floor. And while talent is, of course, a factor in which linebackers pile up gaudy numbers of stops, there's another major consideration—opportunity.

The key to opportunity for most linebackers is simply being on the field. Snaps. It's hard to tackle a guy from the sideline—unless you are Mike Tomlin.

That joke stays in this column for eternity. Forever.

The problem is that in this day of nickel sets as the base defense, the age of three off-ball linebackers on the field most of the time is long since over. As a matter of fact, with many NFL teams playing either more dime or three-safety looks, there are quite a few situations in which just one off-ball linebacker is on the field for a team.

Often, that lone linebacker is wearing a sticker on his helmet—the green dot that signifies that the player is wearing the helmet communicator on defense and making the defensive play calls. That player very rarely leaves the field, and while teams sometimes use a safety in that capacity, the overwhelming majority of NFL teams give that assignment to a linebacker.

With the number of every-down linebackers decreasing by the year, knowing who those green dot linebackers are is valuable information for IDP managers. To provide that information to managers once again in 2025 at Footballguys, we'll maintain an updated list of who is wearing the green dot for all 32 NFL teams and who the other three-down linebackers are.

There will also be notes to keep fantasy managers apprised as to why any changes to the list occur, whether due to injury or performance, the dot can (and will) change hands.

We're barely into the preseason, and already the ranks of the three-down and green-dot linebackers have gotten the snowglobe treatment. There have been injuries. Surprise releases and retirements. And some position battles that have taken an unexpected turn. And with IDP Draft Season about to fire up in earnest, knowing a couple of the under-the-radar three-down linebackers can be a nice edge.

However, some of these are still very much in pencil. There are position battles that take yet another turn. Guys will get hurt. This list will change before Week 1.

Good thing we're doing another update before the regular season gets rolling. We're helpful like that here at Footballguys.

Table time.

Note: Here at Footballguys, we set the benchmark for three-down linebackers at a 75 percent snap share. Linebackers listed with an asterisk (*) may not hit that benchmark on a weekly basis this season.

Notes

Arizona Cardinals

Barring an injury or a complete 180 relative to what we have seen so far in OTAs in training camp, Mack Wilson Sr. appears fairly entrenched as the green-dot linebacker for the Cardinals. But the No. 2 linebacker spot is wide open. Free-agent signee Akeem Davis-Gaither, Owen Pappoe, and rookie Cody Simon have all seen time with the first team. Our money is still on Davis-Gaither to win the job. But we wouldn't bet the kids' college fund on it, and the starter there may not be determined until well into the preseason.