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. In order to provide those managers with that information, once again in 2024 at Footballguys, we'll be maintaining an updated list of both 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 happened--whether due to injury or performance, the dot can (and will) change hands.
The Week 4 edition of Green Dot LB might as well just be called the linebacker injury report—because that's the dominant storyline at the position. We were already short a few prominent fantasy linebackers, and they have company now—several more prominent linebackers were injured in Week 3, including the first defensive player drafted overall in most IDP leagues over the summer.
We'll get to that long list of banged-up ‘backers soon enough. But Week 4's first note is about a young player who appears to be coming into his own in his second season.
WEEK 4 GREEN DOT LB
NOTES
Dallas Cowboys
After being destroyed on the ground in back-to-back games, the Cowboys made a change at linebacker—second-year pro DeMarvion Overshown played a season-high 59 snaps and had a major impact on the team's marked improvement against the run in a Week 4 win over the New York Giants. Overshown finished the game second on the team with eight total tackles, and from all indications, he has earned a three-down role moving forward.
Denver Broncos
The Denver defense suffered a devastating injury last week, with leading tackler Alex Singleton going down with a season-ending ACL tear. As expected, Cody Barton will now take over defensive play-calling duties—he has experience wearing the green got in the past. Fifth-year veteran Justin Strnad is listed as Singleton's primary backup, but it's worth noting Denver's No. 2 linebacker has topped a 70 percent snap share just once this season.
Detroit Lions
The good news for the Lions at linebacker is that the team should get Alex Anzalone back this week—he's practicing in full and expected to clear the concussion protocol ahead of Monday's meeting with the Seahawks. The bad news is that Derrick Barnes landed on injured reserve with a “significant” knee injury. It looks like IDP managers holding out hope that Jack Campbell could work his way into a three-down role in Motown may get what they want by default.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The 2024 season has been a nightmare for fantasy managers, and as if that wasn't bad enough, both starters at linebacker are injured—Foyesade Oluokun will miss several weeks with a foot injury, while Devin Lloyd is questionable for Week 4 with an injured knee. Second-year pro Ventrell Miller appears in line to assume Oluokun's duties as the defensive play-caller, but third-year pro Chad Muma also waits in the wings. It's been that kind of year in Duval County.
Las Vegas Raiders
There is no shortage of NFL teams dealing with injuries defensively, and the Raiders are no exception—the team will be short star edge-rusher Maxx Crosby and starting linebacker Divine Deablo, who will miss his second straight game with an oblique injury. Backup Luke Masterson has shown some ability to produce in the past, but the snap-share for the Raiders No. 2 linebacker this season hasn't been great. Deablo hasn't played a 75 percent game yet this season, and Masterson was on the field for just 70 percent of the Raiders' snaps in Carolina last week.
Los Angeles Chargers
The NFL's most confusing linebacker rotation took a week off in Week 3—with rookie Junior Colson sidelined by injury, both Daiyan Henley (100 percent) and veteran Denzel Perryman (81 percent) played three-down roles, and both had solid stat lines—Henley paced the team with 12 total stops and the duo combined for 21 tackles. However, Colson was back at practice in a limited fashion Friday—his return would throw the LB situation in Los Angeles right back into chaos.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are coming off a dismal Week 3 loss in Seattle, one in which Miami's leading tackler went down with a hamstring injury. Unfortunately, David Long Jr. has something of a history of hamstring pulls, putting him squarely the wrong side of questionable for Week 4. When Long left last week, veteran journeyman Anthony Walker Jr.. took over green dot responsibilities and played every snap. The assumption is that Walker would do the same Monday against the Tennessee Titans.
New Orleans Saints
For the first time since his NFL career began all the way back in 2012, Saints linebacker Demario Davis will miss a game due to injury—the 35-year-old has been ruled out for Week 4 with a hamstring injury. Fourth-year veteran Pete Werner will most likely take over defensive play-calling duties with Davis on the shelf, while veteran Willie Gay Jr will see a larger role. Maybe the added snaps will get Werner going, while Gay will probably see a snap percentage in the 70s.
New York Giants
Micah McFadden continues to be a highly productive IDP asset on a per-snap basis for the Giants, but the production (or, more appropriately, lack of production from Bobby Okereke continues to be concerning in New York. Okereke has literally played every snap for the Giants—250 in total over the first four games. But after amassing six total tackles (five solo) against the Cowboys. Okereke has yet to post even nine tackles in a game and has just 25 total for the season. That's nowhere near what IDP managers thought they were getting with the 28-year-old.
New York Jets
For the second consecutive game, the Jets will probably be without their defensive signal-caller Sunday against the Denver Broncos—veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley has been declared doubtful with a toe injury. Jamien Sherwood subbed for Mosley in last week's win over the New England Patriots, playing 51 of 52 snaps. Sherwood's five total tackles were nothing to write home about, but in his defense, it was a night where no one for the Jets had more than eight.
