Reading the Defense, Week 15

Photo: Imagn Images

Week 15, after fantasy football's regular season has concluded in most leagues, offers the opportunity to reflect on player results to date and implications for line-ups. Reading the Defense will review defensive tackles this week, followed by edge defenders, linebackers, and defensive backs to close out this season's column.

Overview

Defensive tackles enjoyed a banner year in fantasy football in 2022. Nine finished among the top 24 defensive linemen by Footballguys' scoring. Seven of the nine were first-round picks of past NFL drafts. While a couple of them enjoyed break-out seasons, none were waiver-wire wonders outside of shallow leagues.

In 2022, ten interior defenders collected at least 7.0 quarterback sacks, and half of them compiled a double-digit total. The high totals (by players other than Aaron Donald) raised questions as to whether NFL defenses were evolving such that interior defenders could approach edge defenders in fantasy value.

The pendulum swung fiercely in the opposite direction in 2023. A position leaderboard reliably dominated by blue-chip players for years is speckled with sleepers. The blue chips didn't vanish entirely, but most of 2022's pacesetters regressed year over year in production for fantasy gamers. Names new to the top 24 at the position include formerly disappointing first-round picks, day-two picks including a rookie, and veterans bouncing back from obscurity.

Volume

Playing time continues to drive fantasy output for all positions. It can be underrated by gamers chasing quarterback sacks from rotational pieces in good match-ups. Fifteen defensive tackles are on pace for 800 snaps in this 17-game season. All rank among the top 28 scorers on Footballguys' leaderboard.

Insight into which players will play high volumes of snaps presents the clearest path to value in IDP fantasy football. Nine players who cleared 800 snaps in 2022 are on pace to repeat the feat of volume in 2023. Three more of this year's snap leaders might have eclipsed 800 reps in 2022 had they not missed time to injuries.

Zach Allen leads the position in volume.

THE EXTRA MILE (WEEK 15 AT DET.): Among defensive ends, DE Zach Allen is tied for the fifth-most passes defensed (13) since 2021 and the sixth-most QB hits (20) this season. Allen is also tied for the fifth-most run stops (26) among interior defensive linemen in 2023, according… pic.twitter.com/Cdp0P9BG2b

— Tyler Gorse (@Tyler_Gorse_) December 14, 2023