In the second Washington Football Team 4-EYED TEAM PREVIEW, we’re going to be covering the individual defensive players (IDPs) on the Washington Football Team that you should consider rostering for the 2021 fantasy football season.
To say Jack Del Rio’s defense exceeded expectation in 2020 is a bit of an understatement. They were #7 in run defense, #6 in coverage, #5 in pass rushing, #3 in tackling, and the #3 defense overall according to Pro Football Focus. Not a bad turnaround from their 27th ranked overall standing in 2019. With the increase in ranking at the various defensive categories we, too, saw an increase in relevant IDP players available for fantasy managers to roster last season and seasons going forward!
So with that being said let’s take a look at who you should roster in your IDP leagues from the Washington Football Team in our 2021 Washington Football Team 4-EYED IDP 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.*
Defensive Linemen
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Chase Young (Current ADP: DL2)
#FFIDP Watching some Chase Young all-22….this seems like a smart, vet move….Young doesn’t fall for the hand-off…side steps Boston Scott and takes Hurts down…someone missed their assignment on Young – untouched… pic.twitter.com/m1peHjYlXm
— Mike Woellert (@Mike_Woellert) July 13, 2021
Finishing as the DL18 in fantasy points per game (fppg) with 12.8, Chase Young had quite the impressive finish down the stretch of his rookie season. From week 9-17 Young tallied 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and a touchdown for an average of 14.2 fppg. This season he looks to keep his dominant performance from 2020 going against opposing offenses in 2021. Young has the added benefit of finding himself in such a harmonious situation on defense with his fellow defensive lineman being more than capable of drawing their own double-teams. This will allow for plenty of one on one matchups against offensive linemen for Young. It is for that reason why I find his ADP justified. Had he been in a different situation I would have a big problem with it, despite his talent. Draft him as your DL1 and reap the rewards.
Montez Sweat (Current ADP: DL7)
You know that harmonious situation I was mentioning with Young, Montez Sweat is a big part of that. Sweat, in 2020, actually had a better win % versus offensive lineman than Young. He also had more QB hits, sacks, passes defended, and tackles for a loss than Young. Oh, and he averaged more fantasy points per game, granted by a tenth of a point.
With fantasy points I know I’m splitting hairs here, however, I want to really emphasize that watching Montez Sweat play opposite of Young is just like looking at someone staring at themselves in the mirror. While Sweat’s ADP is in the Top 7 I can almost guarantee you that his name value amongst mainstream IDP fans will cause him to slip into the later round of your fantasy drafts which is great news for you. I mean you could potentially get an elite DL1 with DL2/DL3 ADP. Take the discount if you can get it and get ready to cash in on the benefits.
Linebackers
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Cole Holcomb (Current ADP: LB70)
.@ColeHolcomb_ laying the smackdown 😤
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) October 25, 2020
📺: #DALvsWAS FOX pic.twitter.com/RJKNGx6oZs
I really don’t get what the hate or lack of respect towards Cole Holcomb is all about. According to PFF, the guy rates VERY well in coverage, allowing the lowest reception % amongst all other linebackers on the team, doesn’t let receptions go farther on average than 3.2 yards according to his aDOT, and allows for the fewest yards after the catch than any other linebacker on Washington’s roster. His 13.9 fppg and tackle volume down the stretch in 2020 should give you plenty of confidence starting him as a low-end LB2/high-end LB3.
*Special note about rookie Jamin Davis. If over the course of training camp he is moved to the middle linebacking position, draft him as your LB2. The guy is just that good and his game should transfer well to the pro level. Trust me on this.*
Defensive Backs
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Kameren Curl (Current ADP: DB25)
Kameron Curl absolutely demolished Daniel Jones on this safety blitz.
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) November 8, 2020
I am still unsure how Daniel Jones held on to this football.#WashingtonFotoball has less than two minutes to tie or win this game.
Hold on to your butts. pic.twitter.com/4dGBcc3dlK
To say Kameren Curl finished strong down the stretch of the season since taking over for Landon Collins is an understatement:
A second-year player starting at strong safety in 2021, on this defense, with this tackle and playmaking upside?! What’s there not to like. Don’t overthink things during drafts this season. Select him as your DB1 with confidence.
Landon Collins (Current ADP: DB18)
Coming off an Achillies Injury in 2020, Collins will look to come back and play at the high level we’ve been a custom to seeing over the course of his career. For IDP purposes, as of this writing, he has yet to be cleared for on-field activities for Washington making his DB18 ADP too expensive for me. If he falls a couple of rounds later in your drafts THEN I would start looking to draft Collins, not before. However, even then his switch to Free Safety could take some time for him to adjust to. Be very careful in terms of draft capital when selecting Collins.
