It’s never too early to start preparing for next season. If you’re like me, you love IDP (Individual Defensive Player) leagues, and nothing sets your roster up for success like a bunch of stud linebackers. With the NFL Combine in the books and teams using franchise tags to keep their studs around a bit longer, we’re in a magical time when dynasty leagues can be won with the right trade. So, if you’re looking to shore up a weak unit, or if you just want to know which IDP guys you need to keep on your radar, you’ve come to the right place.
These are my must-have linebackers in 2022.
To clarify, I could easily tell you to go trade for the top-rated LBs. That would include guys like Micah Parsons, Roquan Smith, Devin White, T.J. Watt, or Darius Leonard. That would be lazy, though, and no manager in their right mind would deal any of those players to you. Instead, we’re going to pay attention to attainable assets only. Let’s save the fantasy for this fall and focus on reality right now.
Let’s begin.
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If you’ve been keeping up with my IDP coverage, you know Brooks is my guy. If you’re serious about turning your IDP squad around, you need to target Brooks everywhere you can. Own all the shares of him if possible. Why?
He’s only 24 years old, has played just two seasons, and finished 2021 as the LB7 overall. Furthermore, his primary tackle competition, Bobby Wagner, has been released by the Seahawks. With Wagner out of the way, Brooks is in line to be the undisputed leader of this defense.
With Russell Wilson also leaving Seattle for greener grass (yes, that was a Denver weed joke), Seattle is set to start rebuilding. Brooks will be an integral part of that rebuild, and he’ll see some run-heavy offenses in the NFC West. A potentially poor offense and a division that likes to run is an effective recipe for tasty stats.
Martinez has seen better days, but he’s going to be worth the bargain price you pay for him. He spent nearly all of 2021 dealing with a torn ACL. He’ll be back in 2022, but I’d wager even his most devout managers would be willing to field offers for him.
He’s currently under contract with the New York Giants, but there have been numerous reports that the team wants to redo his contract. Ultimately, the Giants are as inept as the Giants have always been, which makes Martinez a delectable IDP target.
A bad offense and a bad defense often breed opportunity for middle linebackers. Martinez has never been the most dynamic defender, but he always racks up tackles. From 2017 to 2020, Martinez finished as the LB3, LB5, LB10, and LB4. For anyone counting, that’s four straight years of IDP dominance. One year away with a torn ACL won’t be enough to change his ceiling.
Bolton, I believe, is about to have a season like the one Jordyn Brooks had in 2021. Bolton was a rookie in 2021. He was taken 58th overall and made an immediate impact on the Chiefs. He’ll continue to improve, and his LB52 finish will become his worst-case scenario baseline (not that it’s all that bad to begin with).
In 2021, he finished with 70 tackles, 42 assists, three pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and a TD. He gets the luxury of having a phenomenally experienced defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo. As Spagnuolo and Bolton continue to work together, Bolton will undoubtedly find himself getting more sack opportunities.
We only have a single NFL season to reference, but Bolton is a strong dynasty target and absolutely has IDP redraft value. While in college at Missouri, Bolton earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2019 and 2020. He’s a talented kid and just needs time to prove it. Get him on your roster and reap the rewards this season. The easy conclusion is this: Bolton has the talent and potential opportunity to become a top-10 fantasy LB.
If Blake Martinez makes this list simply because he’s a bright spot on a bad team, Moseley deserves that judgment as well. Moseley finished the 2021 season with a career-high in total tackles (tackles and tackle assists) with 168. He also added two sacks, two INTs, and two pass deflections.
Moseley will end up being a monster cap hit for the Jets, but he’s not going anywhere. The Jets need him. This roster is as bad or worse than that of the other team from New York. Whether the Jets bring in a ridiculous amount of defensive talent in the draft is beside the point and won’t affect Moseley’s production either way. Moseley is going to put up similar numbers in 2022. He’ll easily land in the top 15 LBs, potentially even better.
With Moseley being 29 years old and out for most of the 2020 season, Moseley’s managers can probably be convinced to part with this tackling machine. He was the LB66 in 2019 and LB 571 in 2020. My point is that there’s a reasonable argument to be made by managers looking to pry him from someone else. He’ll be worth the effort. Trust me.
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Tim Metzler is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Tim, check out his archive and follow him @Timmy_The_Metz.
