Micah Parsons: Will He Bust in 2024?

Photo: USA Today Sports

If you’ve ever been a part of nightlife, chances are you’ve been to a club. The club is always extremely hyped up. The best place in town, always a good time had, exclusive! You get there. The music is loud, the libations are flowing, and people are dancing the night away. They’ve made movies and music dedicated to glorifying the life of clubbing. At the end of the night, though, come the scaries. The lights turn on, the party is over, and reality sets in. The escape is over. Micah Parsons is the NFL’s version of a club. The hype around him is real, and sometimes it is warranted, but when you break it down to the nitty-gritty, we see the reality of who he is. Overhyped, overplayed, and, dare I say, overrated.

Who is Micah Parsons?

Micah Parsons burst onto the scene as a first-round rookie in 2021, when he had arguably the best rookie season for a pass rusher this century. He compiled 83 total tackles, three forced fumbles, and 13 sacks, firmly placing himself in the best IDP edge rusher category in redraft and dynasty formats. He followed this season up with back-to-back seasons of 64+ tackles and 13+ sacks. Sprinkle in a few boom plays like forced fumbles and recoveries, and you have yourself an IDP edge rushing machine! He is now going into this season as arguably the highest-drafted player on defense, and he even has his NFL team fighting to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Sounds like a popular club at the peak of its powers with the two-hour wait, right? Well, be warned, IDP managers. The lights are about to turn on, and the club loses all mystique when you can see.

What’s The Problem?

Call me old-fashioned, but I like a known commodity in fantasy football week-to-week. There’s more to this game than the sheer volume of points (yes, I am aware points win games). Consistency is how you win in IDP, and too often, Parsons has that game or two (or three) where he disappears. A bad game is a bad game. But bad stretches when you're being drafted as arguably the best player at your position or side of the ball is where we, as a collective, need to draw a line. Parsons went Weeks 3-6 with eight total tackles and one sack. The beginning of the year is when you would prefer a slump, but unfortunately for Parsons managers, this ugly trend also reared its head in Weeks 13-15. In this timeframe, he had six total tackles and one sack. So, in six games last season, he compiled 14 tackles and two sacks. This is a game played over 18 weeks, including a bye week. In seven of those weeks, Parsons wasn’t a starter-worthy player, but his draft capital/investment to have him requires you to play him weekly. If this was a no-name player, and he had seven weeks a year that you have a no-name effort, would you be so gung-ho to play him?