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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.
As the 2024 fantasy football season enters the second half, the linebacker position continues to swirl with uncertainty. A big name who had only recently returned from injury went down again last week. There was a major trade at the position—involving a linebacker who has now been traded twice since August.
It's dizzying. You literally can't tell the players without a scorecard.
Good thing you have one.
Table time.
Notes
Buffalo Bills
Stop me if you've heard this before, but Terrel Bernard is hurt—again. After missing multiple games earlier in the season with a pectoral strain, Bernard will miss Sunday's trip to Seattle with a sprained ankle. When Bernard was out before, third-year pro Baylon Spector assumed green dot duties and played every snap. The presumption is Spector will do so again.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have been absolutely decimated by injuries at linebacker this season, but there's at least a chance the Panthers will have one of their Week 1 starters back Sunday—Josey Jewell (hamstring) is questionable after getting in limited practices this week. Rookie Trevin Wallace would likely keep making the defensive play calls, but it's worth noting that Jewell does have experience as a green-dot linebacker.
Cleveland Browns
In a season where everything that could go wrong has, you can add this to the pile—Jordan Hicks' return to action lasted all of one game before he aggravated the elbow injury that has cost him a chunk of the 2024 season. With Hicks out, Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah will continue making the defensive play-calls, while second-year pro Mohamoud Diabate will slot as the other starting linebacker. With Hicks out in Week 6, Diabate played 74 percent of Cleveland's defensive snaps.
Green Bay Packers
After Quay Walker left last week's win over the Houston Texans with a concussion, veteran Eric Wilson assumed green dot duties and had himself a game, sacking C.J. Stroud twice. Walker practiced in a limited fashion Friday, but he has yet to clear the NFL's concussion protocol. If Walker isn't able to go against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wilson could be one of the better Week 8 spot-starters available on the waiver wire in many IDP leagues.
Houston Texans
With both Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To'oTo'o (concussion) out last week, veteran Neville Hewitt took over defensive play-calling duties in Houston and had his best game in years—nine total tackles, two passes defended, and an interception against the Packers. Al-Shaair has already been ruled out for Week 8, and even if To'oTo'o clears the league's concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's game, it appears that Hewitt will draw at least one more start.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are floundering defensively, and it appears the team is trying something different—after missing multiple games earlier in the season, upon his return fourth-year veteran Divine Deablo has played over 90 percent of the snaps in back-to-back games. It hasn't resulted in a lot of stats yet—10 stops over those two games. But any linebacker playing essentially every down is worth mentioning given all the injuries at the position.
Los Angeles Rams
Speaking of injuries, the Los Angeles Rams were hit with one at linebacker—defensive signal-caller Troy Reeder landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. With Reeder out in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings, safety Quentin Lake took on green dot responsibilities, while fifth-year pro Christian Rozeboom led the linebackers with a 94 percent snap share. Rookie Omar Speights, who was a preseason IDP darling, played 22 snaps (47 percent).
Miami Dolphins
The good news for the Miami Dolphins is that green dot linebacker David Long Jr. has avoided aggravating his hamstring injury. The bad news for IDP managers is that Miami may have achieved that by limiting Long's snaps—Long hasn't topped a 75 percent snap share since all the way back in Week 2. It's possible that the Dolphins are just being cautious with Long (who is platooning with Anthony Walker Jr.), but it's hard to trust him in IDP leagues as a part-time player.
New York Jets
After missing three games due to injury, long-time IDP stalwart C.J. Mosley has been back in New York's lineup the past two weeks—sort of. Mosley has played just 31 snaps the past two weeks—less than half as many as Jamien Sherwood played in Week 8 alone. Perhaps most importantly, Sherwood has continued wearing the helmet communicator and making the defensive calls. Mosley may get the job back once he's fully recovered—but at this point, it isn't guaranteed.
Seattle Seahawks
Ernest Jones IV is racking up the frequent-flyer miles—since just before the season started, the fourth-year pro has been traded first from the Rams to the Tennessee Titans and then from the Titans to the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle gave up a fourth-round pick and Jerome Baker to land Jones, so the team certainly appears to envision him as an every-down player. The question is whether it's as a perceived upgrade opposite green dot linebacker Tyrel Dodson—or a potential replacement for him.
Tennessee Titans
Of course, the flip side of Jones heading to Seattle is Baker landing in Nashville, but that appears to be more clear-cut for IDP managers. Kenneth Murray Jr. appears locked in as the Titans' defensive signal-caller for the rest of the season. We may see a week of Jack Gibbens opposite Murray while Baker acclimates to his new home, but Baker will be starting soon enough. However, whether he'll see the same every-down role he did for the Seahawks is another matter.
Gary Davenport (“The Godfather of IDP”) is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPSharks.
