• Year 3 Aidan Hutchinson has elite potential: Established as one of the top edge defenders in the league, 2024 should be the year that translates to elite IDP production.
• The perfect late-round linebacker to lead your roster: Kyzir White comes at enough of a discount that his top-12 potential makes him one of the better values in drafts.
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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The fantasy season can be a grueling journey of avoiding inefficiencies and injuries en route to an eventual championship. Hence, it’s often difficult to enjoy our favorite players while they’re grinding away fantasy points for us on a weekly basis.
With that in mind, this may be the last chance we get before Week 1 to be entirely positive about our most rostered players for the year, so listed below are players that I have ranked higher than consensus, and are also among the most rostered players on my many fantasy rosters
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
- My rank: ED3
Aidan Hutchinson is coming off a second season that established him as one of the top edge defenders in the league, where he posted a 91.2 pass-rush grade, a 21.3% win rate and 101 total pressures in 2023, which all ranked top-five at his position. As a result, Hutchinson led the position in expected sacks (15.9) thanks to a combination of high-end playing time and elite pass-rush metrics.
While Hutchinson is being drafted highly in most IDP drafts, his top-three ranking here is likely the highest he’ll be in most IDP rankings heading into 2024. Hutchinson’s 11.5 sacks in 2023 actually came in 4.4 below expected — a number that IDP managers should expect to improve this season considering his playing time and elite metrics. Entering Year 3, Hutchinson is in the prime of his career, while also set up for the best IDP season of his career.
EDGE Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers
- My rank: ED10
Alex Highsmith is going to be one of the most underappreciated players in drafts this offseason after a relatively quiet year compared to his 2022 season where he posted 14.5 sacks. Highsmith’s seven sacks let IDP managers down in 2023, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism after he delivered a career year in terms of his pass-rush metrics, which includes ranking top-12 in pass-rush grade (86.2) and expected sacks (11.3). Averaging over 80% of the defensive snaps on a weekly basis also gives him one of the better tackle floors at the position and a great bet to bounce back in 2024.
Highsmith has the exact combination of high-end playing time and elite pass-rush metrics that is comparable to the Tier 1 edge rushers we often draft first for IDP, and thanks to a relatively quieter 2023 in the box score, he comes at a much better discount than his peers. Helping his production floor is his strong tackle numbers, as he has accumulated the third-most tackles (193) at his position since 2021. Highsmith’s playing time and tackle potential on top of the ideal pass rush metrics make him a prime target for those who pass on the early edges like Hutchinson, Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons.
LB Kyzir White, Arizona Cardinals
- My rank: LB14
One of the best things about White right now is that drafters don’t necessarily have to draft him in the top 15 at his position. He becomes a perfect target for those willing to fade the linebacker position until later in drafts. White was the Cardinals’ lone full-time linebacker last season and performed well in IDP formats, ranking as LB14 in points per game.
White is set to repeat his role as the lone full-time linebacker in a zone-heavy defense, which should have him regularly in the range of top-12 potential on any given week. Having missed time due to injury last season, White tends to go unnoticed in drafts, especially for those sorting by previous season fantasy points, which is common. This makes White one of the prime late-round targets to serve as a potential LB1 or LB2 for your fantasy roster this season, at an ideal discount.
LB Blake Cashman, Minnesota Vikings
- My rank: LB17
The lone preseason appearance from Cashman and Ivan Pace confirmed that Cashman will be the lone full-time linebacker in Brian Flores’ defense this season. The significance of this shouldn’t be understated, especially considering how much of an advantage it gives him over Pace, who we should now expect to be a part-time option. This leaves a sizable role for Cashman to potentially thrive in what was one of the more tackle-friendly defenses last season.
Cashman is new to the Vikings but is coming off a breakout season for the Houston Texans, which earned him a three-year contract in free agency this offseason. Cashman delivered a 95th percentile mark in tackles versus expected (+11.4), while at the same time earning some of the top grades at the linebacker position. Cashman’s 83.7 overall grade and 84.7 run defense grade were both top-10 marks and his 75.4 coverage grade ranked among the top-20 linebackers. There still appears to be some hesitance in drafts to embrace Cashman as a top-24 linebacker, but as long as he’s healthy (which is a legitimate concern for him), he should be able to deliver on that potential thanks to his full-time role in a zone-heavy defense.
S Grant Delpit, Cleveland Browns
- My rank: S9
Delpit may be one of the more underappreciated defensive backs in IDP, as he offers everything that we are looking for in our IDP safeties thanks to his ideal deployment within the Browns defense combined with strong prior production. Jim Schwartz’s Browns defense is a very man-heavy defense, which allows for one safety to rotate down toward the line of scrimmage more often and helps the defense project as a top-five scheme for tackle efficiency among safeties.
Delpit is coming off a really productive season when he was in the lineup, ranking 81st percentile in tackles versus expected and ranked top-five at his position in tackle rate at or behind the line of scrimmage, which allowed him to rank as S15 in points per game. Delpit also had a strong rate of big plays last season, but the important part to focus on will be his baseline production, which comes from his deployment and tackle potential, with everything else acting as an unstable bonus to help boost his fantasy production. When focusing on that potential for baseline production, Delpit figures to be one of the better bets at his position to hone in on in fantasy drafts, typically at a decent value.
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