Expert Rankings

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: Hutchinson is pretty easily the top rookie defensive linemen of 2022--he's about as technically proficient as you can ask a pass-rusher to be entering the pros. If there's a rub, it's lack of ceiling. He's not Myles Garrett, and probably won't ever be. Best case, he's Joey Bosa and a mid-range DL1. But his floor will probably keep him inside the top-20, and especially in dynasties there's value to be had in that.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: Rousseau's sack numbers weren't great as a rookie, but it's not news for a first-year pass-rusher to take a while to acclimate to the NFL. What Rousseau did do is log 50 stops (and 42 solos) despite playing just 49 percent of the Bills' snaps in 2021. A bump in snaps is coming after Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes left Buffalo in the offseason. If Rousseau can come close to that per-snap tackle production and goose his sack numbers a bit, then a breakout is coming.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: Young's potential and athleticism are unquestionable. But the cold, hard reality is that he wasn't particularly productive last year before he tore his ACL. Now, we have a player coming off a down year and a significant injury whose Week 1 status is very much in doubt. Even if you believe in Young's long-term prospects as an elite IDP option on the defensive line, paying retail to acquire his services in the short-term just isn't an investment likely to pay off.

Gary Davenport on Aug 18: Leonard's growing injury history is a real concern--one exacerbated by yet another surgery this offseason. But if he's healthy, Leonard also has a fantasy ceiling that no other off-ball linebacker can match. That ceiling is leading the league in tackles. Leading every linebacker in takeaways. And leading every off-ball linebacker in sacks. Will he do all that? Probably not, especially with his Week 1 status in doubt. But his upside still makes him one of the most appealing IDP options at his position.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: At 5'9" and just a hair over 200 pounds, Winfield doesn't look like a box safety. But much like his father, big hits come in small packages. Winfield's first two seasons are essentially his floor--90-ish tackles, a handful of big plays and top-20 fantasy numbers. But with Todd Bowles now the head coach in Tampa, it's not at all hard to imagine Winfield being deployed a lot more aggressively. The biggest issue with Winfield is his asking price--but the breakout potential is absolutely there.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: Owusu-Koramoah was nothing to write home about as rookie, but IDP managers need to look past those pedestrian stats in an injury-marred season. They need to look at the athleticism, range and versatility he displayed at Notre Dame. Look at how those talents fit in a Browns defense that plays in subpackages pretty much all the time. And look to the future. Owusu-Koramoah is being drafted a lot closer to his IDP floor than his ceiling.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: Fantasy managers who gambled on Jordan last year after a down 2020 were rewarded handsomely--59 total tackles and 12.5 sacks. Yet the 33-year-old is still available in many drafts as a low-end IDP DL1. That age is a concern cannot be disputed--Father Time is undefeated. But Jordan has at least 50 stops and/or 12 sacks in four of the past five seasons. For IDP managers who focus their early attention at linebacker and then circle back at the back end of the top-12 defensive linemen, Jordan is an excellent target.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: Dugger is exactly the type of defensive back that IDP managers should target. There isn't a ranker here (as this is written) that has the third-year pro slotted outside the top-12, but he'll be available well past that. Drafters are afraid of the safety logjam in Beantown--one presumed worse after the Pats signed Jabrill Peppers. Devin McCourty admittedly isn't going anywhere. But Peppers isn't a threat to Phillips' role as a hybrid LB/S or Dugger's as the box safety. Dugger had as many tackles as Phillips last year in 150 fewer snaps. That pendulum is going to keep swinging in 2022, and the pride of Lenoir-Rhyne (Go Bears!) is going to hit triple-digits in tackles. Book it.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: For most of the pre-draft process, Dean was the No. 1 off-ball linebacker prospect. But then he fell to the third round of the 2022 draft, and now he's undersized and brittle. The size narrative busts pretty easily--Kyzir White (who the Eagles brought in in free agency) weighs about 15 pounds less than Dean. Player and team have both said he's 100 percent healthy, and Dean has been a full participant in workouts, where he's worked at both WILL and MIKE. He'll be starting in one of those spots by Week 1, because he's just more talented than White or T.J. Edwards. Get the discount while you can.

Gary Davenport on Jul 29: If you believe that Perryman's 102 solos and top-12 fantasy numbers last year were a fluke and he's the guy who couldn't stay healthy and fell out of favor with the Chargers, fade him. You won't be alone. But if you even halfway think he can duplicate last year and 2021 was a 'lightbulb' season, then all those people fading him present you an opportunity for value. To date there's been nothing said or written that would indicate Perryman's role is in jeopardy, despite the addition of Jayon Brown. In fact, he's being talked up as a defensive leader in Las Vegas. There's top-10 upside here with a price-tag outside the top-25 as often as not.

Gary Davenport on Sep 2: Martinez's release is one of the more shocking preseason IDP developments in recent memory. If you have already drafted him, hold to see where he lands next. But until that question is answered, he has become persona non grata in redraft IDP leagues.