2022 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings Breakdown: Linebackers

May 25, 2022

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It's rankings season. The NFL Draft is well in our rearview mirror and, although we're still waiting for a few defenders to find new homes, free agency is just about wrapped up. The 2022 IDP rankings have been published and I'm going to break down each position into tiers. Rankings are a bit subjective and can vary based on league scoring, so that's why I like to break the rankings into tiers. This will allow you to identify a group of guys you want to target as opposed to getting fixated on a number. I'll also identify some of my targets in each tier, as well.

More IDP rankings Breakdowns: Defensive Backs | Defensive Line

The linebacker position as is deep as any other position in IDP. However, that doesn't mean all of them are IDP-relevant. The position is deep with talent, but the number of guys who play more than 90% of the snaps is dwindling. Now, it's time to identify the guys who get at least 80% of the snaps, whereas, in the past, those were linebackers you wanted to avoid.

Snap volume is king at the linebacker position - similar to RBs. But, you don't want to just toss out the two-down guy, as he could be valuable with what he brings to the table. Linebackers today are being asked to do many things and excel in all three phases of the game. Depending on the depth of your league, I want to leave my draft with at least five LBs.

Tier 1

I've identified five linebackers who consider being the top tier of the position and capable of finishing as the LB1 overall in 2022. These five are three-down guys and have tackle efficiency above 15% thanks to their defensive scheme and role in their defense.