In this second Lions 4-EYED TEAM PREVIEW of the day, we’re going to be covering the individual defensive players (IDPs) on the Lions that you should consider rostering for the 2021 fantasy football season.
New coaching changes can bring a breath of fresh air to an organization. New coach schemes, however, could have disastrous effects. Players playing out of their natural position could lead to missed assignments which could lead to missed playing time which ultimately leads to fewer fantasy points!
The new defensive coordinator in Detroit, Aaron Glenn, plans to change Detroit’s 4-3 scheme implemented in the Matt Patricia era to a base 3-4 scheme which should shift its focus to more of a coverage-based defense than a predominantly pass aggressive front.
How will that affect IDPs in fantasy this season? Who are the Lions’ IDP players you should consider rostering this season?
Find out NOW in our 2021 Lions IDP 4-EYED Team Preview!
*This season at Fantasy In Frames we’ll be using IDP123 scoring as our default scoring rubric when talking about the fantasy relevance of IDP player performance.*
EDGE RUSHER (DL/LB)
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Romeo Okwara (Current ADP: DL23/ LB39)
Romeo Okwara was actually cut by the #Giants in 2018, now, following a 10-sack seasons and having the 5th most pressures in the league among EDGE rushers with 61, cashes in with a $39 million contract. Good story for the undrafted free-agent. pic.twitter.com/ghjswyvW1H
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 15, 2021
Romeo Okwara, out of obscurity, took up the mantle of #1 pass rusher on the Lions’ defense in 2020 shortly after fellow EDGE (ED) rusher Trey Flowers was lost due to injury for the season. As the graphic above states, he had a career year in sacks and was one of the most effective pass rushers in the league. He, also, was right behind Khalil Mack in win% over opposing offensive linemen and was 5th in total pressure amongst all ED rushers in 2020.
In terms of fantasy, he averaged 12.5 fantasy points per game (fppg) and finished as the DL22 in fppg scoring. With ED rusher Trey Flowers returning to the team in 2021 look for Okwara to still find many favorable matchups cementing his spot as a mid-to-high ED2 for you this season.
Trey Flowers (Current ADP: DL66/ LB98)
Along with Romeo Okwara, Trey Flowers, in 2021, will be switching to outside linebacker in Detroit’s new 3-4 defensive base scheme. While it is expected that Okwara is supposed to maintain primary pass-rushing duties in this new scheme, Flowers will look to expand his responsibilities by incorporating a pass-coverage element to his defensive responsibilities. That’s a good thing as Flowers rated as the 10th best ED rusher in coverage in 2020 according to PFF.
What does this mean for fantasy purposes? More coverage opportunities means more passing down work which can translate into a higher tackle floor and passes defended opportunity. His 9.4 fppg in 2020 should definitely be considered his floor since that was a product of just pass-rushing duties. With his expanded role look for his average to increase making him a high ED3/ low ED2.
Linebackers
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Jamie Collins (Current ADP: LB62)
In the words of Rodney Dangerfield,
“Whats a guy gotta do to get a little respect around here?!”
I’m sure Jamie Collins would be thinking the same thing if he played IDP fantasy football using IDP123 scoring.
Finishing the 2020 season averaging 15.3 fantasy points per game, Collins finished as the LB26 on the season. With news of Collins being asked to rush the passer more in 2020, according to The Heavy’s Max DeMara, his LB3 status in 2020 should climb to mid-to-high LB2 status in 2021 with his more aggressive playmaking role. Fire him up in that spot with confidence.
Defensive Backs
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Tracey Walker (Current ADP: DB22)
The 2019 DB5 in fantasy points per game hit a bit of a snag in 2020 as he suffered for a majority of the season with a foot injury which caused him to lose a large number of snaps, decreasing his playmaking opportunity. When he did log over 50 snaps a game he averaged in the high single-digits in total tackles and the high teens in fantasy points per game. My advice for this fantasy season is to kind of ignore what you saw from Walker last season. Foot injuries are no laughing matter for a player who is constantly shifting directions left and right, frontwards and backward while playing in coverage. I would recommend valuing him as a high DB2 with low-to-mid DB1 upside in 2021. By the way playing on a bum foot he still averaged 11.3 fantasy points per game.
