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.

Week 11 ain’t been boring—and the games haven’t even started yet. Not one but two green dot linebackers weren’t just demoted, they were cut. And with at least one, there was no indication that was going to happen.

That shakeup in a critical week makes knowing what’s what (who’s who, whatever) where linebacker snaps are concerned that much more important. Managers need opportunity now more than ever.

Table time.

Note: Here at Footballguys, we set the benchmark for three-down linebackers at a 75 percent snap share. Linebackers listed with an asterisk (*) may not hit that benchmark on a weekly basis this season.

Notes

Atlanta Falcons

Well, the return of Troy Andersen to the Falcons lineup didn’t last long. After a five-week absence from the lineup, Andersen was back on the field last week—for all of 13 snaps. The third-year pro has already been ruled out for Week 11 with a knee injury, locking Nate Landman back into a three-down role for the Falcons opposite Kaden Elliss. Landman has played at least 75 percent of the snaps in five straight games, logging 18 total stops over the last two games.

Buffalo Bills

After tearing his bicep over the summer, Bills linebacker Matt Milano has yet to play this system. He won’t be on the field when Buffalo hosts the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. But the Bills have designated the 30-year-old to return from injured reserve, and he practiced in a limited fashion this week. It may still be another week or two until Milano sees game action, but it’s coming—and the Dorian Williams show’s run in 2024 is suddenly looking limited.

Cleveland Browns

The 2024 season has been a miserable mess for the Cleveland Browns, and for the second straight season, the team’s linebacker corps has been wrecked by injuries. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah remains on injured reserve, but after missing a big chunk of the season with an elbow injury, veteran Jordan Hicks is off the injury report and will play. Hicks opened the season as Cleveland’s green-dot linebacker, but given the length of his layoff his snap count in Week 11 could be scaled back.

Dallas Cowboys

IDP managers far and wide had a collective panic attack when DeMarvion Overshown went down with a non-contact knee injury—especially given the huge game Overshown was having against the Philadelphia Eagles before getting hurt. However, those IDP managers (and the Cowboys) appear to have dodged the proverbial bullet—Overshown has been diagnosed with bursitis in his knee and has been a full participant in practice this week.

Denver Broncos

The No. 2 linebacker spot in Denver has officially become a landmine. After a few weeks of solid per-snap production, Justin Strnad started losing snaps, while the Broncos started elevating retreads like Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham from the practice squad. Strnad barely crossed the 60-percent snap threshold required for inclusion in this column last week, but his four total tackles (and one solo) against the Kansas City Chiefs leaves Strnad as a desperation play at best in fantasy leagues.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams may be undergoing a changing of the guard at linebacker—at least of sorts. After two straight weeks with a snap share north of 90 percent, veteran Christian Rozeboom was on the field for just 62 percent of the snaps in last week’s loss to Miami, while rookie Omar Speights saw his most playing time of the season and out-snapped Rozeboom 39-33. Safety Quentin Lake is still wearing the green dot, but the Rams linebackers are rather hard to trust in fantasy right now.

Miami Dolphins

When the 2024 season began, David Long Jr. was the green dot linebacker and a captain for the Dolphins. Now, he’s out of work—after claiming Tyrel Dodson off waivers this week (more on that in a bit), the Dolphins handed the since-demoted Long his walking papers and released him. Dodson will probably take over defensive play-calling responsibilities in relatively short order. But for one more week at least, it will likely be journeyman Anthony Walker Jr. who wears the dot and plays opposite Jordyn Brooks.

Minnesota Vikings

The Ivan Pace Jr. IDP Extravaganza, a fun show, though it was, may well have been canceled. After a month-long hiatus over which time Pace piled up stops, Blake Cashman returned to action last week, reclaimed the green dot, and led all Vikings linebackers in snaps. In weeks where Cashman has been healthy, Pace has hit a 70 percent snap share all of zero times—and it has dipped below 60 percent twice. Pace is a matchup-dependent LB4—at best.

Seattle Seahawks

So, the Seahawks shook up their linebacker corps just a little in recent weeks. First, they flipped Jerome Baker and a pick to Tennessee for Ernest Jones IV. Then, they outright released leading tackler and green dot linebacker Tyrel Dodson. From every-down signal-caller to out the door. Jones will now take over wearing the dot, while rookie Tyrice Knight should assume No. 2 LB duties. The question is whether those duties include a three-down role—they did not earlier this season.

Tennessee Titans

When the Titans traded Ernest Jones IV for Jerome Baker, just about everyone assumed that Baker would be starting sooner rather than later. Instead, Jack Gibbens has gone full-on Super Soldier, and Baker appears to be glued to Tennessee’s bench. Over the last two games, the third-year pro has amassed a staggering 29 total tackles, and the Titans sound content to leave Gibbens as an every-down starter. Is his tackle pace sustainable? Probably not. But if he comes close, Gibbens will win folks' leagues.

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.