In this second part of our Chargers’ 4-EYED TEAM PREVIEW, we’re going to be covering the Chargers’ IDP that you should consider rostering for the 2021 fantasy football season.
If the injury bug bit the Chargers’ offense last year, then it must have devoured the defense. The Chargers lost a combined 47 games between their core defensive players. Just at a glance, here are the players and the games missed: Joey Bosa (4), Uchenna Nwosu (3), Drue Tranquill (15), Kyzir White (5), Chris Harris (7), Nasir Adderley (1), and Derwin James (16). This collective unit’s missed games would devastate most teams, but the Chargers were resilient and a lot of players stepped up.
So which players on the Chargers are going to step up THIS YEAR and help you win your fantasy title?
Let’s explore this and more in our 2021 Chargers IDP Team Preview.
Defensive Line
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Joey Bosa (Current ADP: DL6/LB7)
The ceiling is very apparent for Joey Bosa. When healthy, he will finish as a top 10 option at DL. Bosa has played two-16 game seasons (2017/2019), and in those two seasons, he has finished as the DL7 and the DL5. Unfortunately as mentioned above, Bosa’s likelihood to stay on the field for 16 games is difficult to project. He has played a total of 63 of a potential 80 games in his 5 years in the NFL (78%).
If you look at his fantasy points per snap, he has averaged .31/snap over the past 4 years. This is the type of production that you look for with your DL1. The risk is there with injury, but if you can absorb the risk, Bosa will reward you with consistency.
Linebacker
Kenneth Murray (Current ADP: LB25)
The 2020 first-round pick definitely had a huge weight on his shoulders during his rookie campaign, with the number of injuries happening around him. As far as his play was concerned it’s hard to say if he was nursing a shoulder injury last year, which he had surgically repaired 6 months ago. Regardless, with or without injury, he “shouldered” the load and played the 19th most snaps among LBs in 2020. While many would consider his finish (LB47) a major disappointment, his second year in the league under new HC Brandon Staley could lead to something of a breakout.
So what does the new Staley defensive scheme have in store for Murray?
For starters, we hope it is a reduction in pass coverage. His 543 plays in coverage were the 12th most among LB’s (93% of coverage roles in pass plays). What doesn’t help is that he was terrible in coverage! Hopefully, Staley’s defense is a little more blitz-heavy than in years past. Let’s not forget that he possesses 4.52/40 speed, watch below!
Kenneth Murray got me going to Spotify so I can listen to “Shoulder Lean” with this one.
— Dalton “Fall Damage” Miller (@DaltonBMiller) March 7, 2020
Little dip to reduce his surface area and then he locates and drives. pic.twitter.com/xhyFpxSVCq
Drue Tranquill/Kyzir White
This is a battle of potential rotational pieces. Drue Tranquill carried a lot of buzz entering 2020, but injury hushed that real quick. Kyzir White stepped in admirably last year and carried fantasy relevance not only on his play at LB but because he had DB designations.
No longer DB eligible in 2021, the upside isn’t quite as high, but there are still some positives to be had.
For one, we don’t know how Staley is going to deploy his ILB’s. The mention of Murray going “downhill” has me thinking that Tranquill and White are both in more coverage bases, but what will the snap share look like? I believe that Tranquill will get the majority of the snaps, and he is a good tackler, so that could translate into a100+ tackle season. Monitor this “battle”, er defensive scheme, in LA.
Defensive Back
Derwin James (Current ADP: DB5)
If there is a DB in the NFL that I want to see get a full 16 game workload, I don’t know if there is anyone I want to see more than Derwin James.
James missed all of 2020 due to a torn meniscus in OTA’s, after a disappointing 2019 in which he missed all but 5 games due to a knee injury.
We have to look all the way back to 2018 to remember just how good Derwin James can be. That year, as a rookie, he was named an All-Pro on the heels of 105 tackles (75 solos), 13 passes defended, 3.5 sacks, and 3 INT. As a rookie, he was the DB2 overall! Please injury gods, let this man play.
During OTA’s, James has been moving up to the line a lot, playing the “money” backer in Staley’s defense. This “money” backer is a hybrid LB/DB role that could wreak havoc on opposing offenses. With James moving all over the field, there is a great chance that he fills the stat sheet!
It’s not a coincidence that the #Chargers have had their 1st and 3rd best PFF coverage grades of the season in the two games Derwin James has played.pic.twitter.com/He0lvi1vwJ
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) December 12, 2019
That’s all for our Chargers’ IDP coverage for today. Stay tuned for our double coverage of another AFC West team tomorrow, the Las Vegas Raiders.
