2022 IDP Dynasty Target: Jaelan Phillips

Photo of Nate Marcum Nate Marcum Follow on X Send an email June 10, 2022
3 minutes read
Jaelan Phillips Dynasty Target Fantasy In Frames

Today, we continue our series on players to target in your dynasty leagues this season. Let’s keep the train moving as we break down our next IDP dynasty target, Jaelan Phillips!

Background

There was a time when the career of Jaelan Phillips might not have actually manifested into anything. During his years with UCLA, Phillips was involved in a vehicle accident resulting in a mangled wrist, and a concussion. While the wrist injury was bad, it was nowhere near as important as the concussion. The reason for the concern, it was his 3rd concussion, and the UCLA team doctors wouldn’t clear him for football.

With the heartbreaking news, Phillips left school and took on odd jobs here and there, but still had the desire to continue playing, despite doctors’ orders. It didn’t take long for his prayers to be answered, and he was allowed to transfer to the Univ. of Miami. It was there that he really blossomed into the elite pass-rusher that caught NFL teams’ eyes. During that season at Miami, Phillips recorded 45 tackles, 15.5 TFL (4th in FBS), and 8 sacks (4th in FBS). As a result, Phillips entered the draft portal with 1st round aspirations.

Current

Phillips didn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Dolphins used their 18th pick of the 1st round to keep Jaelan in South Beach.

The season started a little slow for Phillips, as Defensive Coordinator Josh Bayer, worked him into the rotation. Through the 1st 4 weeks, he saw the snap % increase from 27% to as much as 59%, concluding with his 1st professional sack in Week 5. Who was that 1st sack against? Tom Brady. Technically he had a 1/2 sack the week before, but I think Brady being his 1st has a better ring to it!

Now that he got that 1st sack, he could breathe a little better and continue to focus on his craft. It took a little bit, but once he got rolling, the production really followed suit. From Wk 9-13, Phillips really put it all together, collecting 15 tackles, 6 TFL, 7 sacks, and 10 QB hits. This production really caught the attention of IDP managers, and reinforced that Phillips may be one of the better rookie pass-rushers in this class!

The end of his 1st season concluded on a pretty quiet note, as he recorded 0 sacks and 0 QB hits from Wk 15+. For his rookie season, Phillips totaled 42 tackles (23 solo), 9 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 16 QB hits, 1 PD, and 1 Fumble recovery. In FIF scoring, he finished as the LB65, but the DL22 in formats where he has DL eligibility.

Outlook

The dynasty outlook is very bright for Jaelan Phillips. For starters, there isn’t much in the way of competitive snaps at OLB for the Dolphins. In addition, Phillips’ raw talent is only getting refined. Add in the fact that the 6’5”/266lb monster appears to be getting bigger and stronger!

While size, speed, hands, and hips are all excellent pieces of a pass-rusher puzzle, team dynamic can play a big role as well. Last year, under Boyer, the Dolphins had the 2nd highest Blitz % and the 5th most sacks. This year, with an upgraded offense, I expect the Dolphins to be even more pass-rush happy, which could lead to a true Jaelan Phillips breakout.

I expect Phillips to be a buzzworthy name as the draft season approaches. One final note to pay attention to would be position eligibility. In Sleeper leagues, Phillips possesses DL eligibility, which should play better than the traditional LB role he occupies in other formats.

Thanks for checking out our IDP Dynasty Target article on Jaelan Phillips. Over the course of the summer make sure to click here for more Dynasty Target articles discussing players for you to acquire this season

For all your other IDP needs, tune in to “Shoot the Gap” for our weekly IDP Podcast, as part of the Fantasy In Frames Podcast Network.

Photo of Nate Marcum Nate Marcum Follow on X Send an email June 10, 2022
3 minutes read
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