Overvalued Players: 2 Interior Defensive Linemen to Avoid

Photo: USA Today Sports

The flip side of succeeding with undervalued players is failing with overvalued players. They can clog your roster and never seem to match your expectations. Avoiding them is another of the important keys to a successful fantasy team. To point out these players, we asked our staff to identify players available in the top half of your draft who should underperform their draft position. Thanks to the folks at TheIDPShow.com for the ADP.

RELATED: See the 2 Undervalued Interior Defensive Linemen here >>>

Here are the players who received the most votes:

• Dexter Lawrence II, NY Giants
• Kobie Turner, LA Rams

And here's why.

And yeah, Turner was mentioned in our undervalued list as well. Talk about a polarizing player!

Overvalued Players Receiving 2 Votes

Dexter Lawrence II, NY Giants

Tripp Brebner: Dexter Lawrence II is one of the two best nose tackles in the NFL, but he finished 24th among interior defensive linemen in 2023. For as good as they are, he and Vita Vea take on too many double teams to be relied upon as premier fantasy options. Meanwhile, both of the Giants' edge rushers are being drafted as ER1s. The Giants have a new defensive coordinator, very little proven talent in their secondary, and an offense that could struggle to build leads for its defense to protect. Early drafters are far too optimistic about the Giants' pass rushers for fantasy football.

Gary Davenport: From an NFL perspective, Dexter Lawrence II is an excellent interior lineman. But IDP-wise, he’s not as appealing an option. Just once in five seasons has Lawrence surpassed five sacks in a season. He’s also had 35 solos in a season just one time. Last season, Lawrence finished outside the top 25 in fantasy points among defensive tackles—behind such household names as Kenny Clark of the Packers and B.J. Hill of the Bengals. There are any number of better IDP options with lower price tags.

Kobie Turner, LA Rams

Tripp Brebner: As a third-round pick from Wake Forest, rookie Kobie Turner came out of the woodwork to star for fantasy gamers in 2023. He played alongside the now-retired future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald. The "Aaron Donald effect" can't be proven, but it has appeared to elevate several middling talents in L.A.'s defensive front. The Rams just drafted Braden Fiske to be their featured interior disruptor. Fantasy gamers should draft someone else, too. 

Kyle Bellefeuil: Turner had a stellar rookie season, compiling 57 tackles (29 solos), eight tackles for loss, and nine sacks in 2023. However, there is a giant Aaron Donald-size void along the Rams’ interior this season after his retirement. How much will losing an all-time interior defender of Donald’s caliber hurt Turner? It’s tough to say exactly, but it feels like some regression could be coming. Turner is a talented player, but asking him to repeat or best his rookie campaign could be tougher than realized as this new young Rams front finds its way. 

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