Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet: Linebacker Rankings 2019

Author:
Athlon Sports
Publish date:
Jul 30, 2019

Let's face it, as appealing as the elite defensive linemen are when it comes to winning a fantasy football league that uses Individual Defensive Players (IDPs) linebacker is the position that can make or break your roster. The reason why is pretty simple – linebackers are generally the top scorers among IDPs because they are in on the majority of plays.

That's certainly the case when it comes to the top fantasy options at linebacker. Take Darius Leonard, the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Pro led the NFL with a whopping 163 tackles, nearly 20 more than the next closest guy, another LB (Blake Martinez). But Leonard did more than stop ball carriers. He also recorded seven sacks, two interceptions, forced four fumbles, recovered two, and was credited with eight pass breakups. The only thing he didn't do last year was score a TD, yet he still finished as the No. 1 scoring IDP overall (Athlon scoring).

The Colts' tackling machine leads the linebacker rankings for 2019 and is part of a youth movement of sorts at the position as fellow second-year pros Leighton Vander Esch, Roquan Smith, and Tremaine Edmunds join him in the top 10 (see below). That doesn't mean you should forget about grizzled veterans like Bobby Wagner, Deion Jones, Like Kuechly or Lavonte David, to name a few. And just because a Khalil Mack or C.J. Mosley isn't in the top 10 that doesn't mean they can't produce like one when all is said and done.

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There are certainly no lack of linebackers to choose from, but which one you decide to draft and when could be the difference between having a good season in an IDP league or a championship campaign.

2019 Positional Rankings: QB I RB I WR I TE I DST I K I DL I LB I DB

2019 Linebacker (LB) Rankings


Rank	Player	Team	Bye
1	Darius Leonard	IND	6
2	Bobby Wagner	SEA	11
3	Deion Jones	ATL	9
4	Leighton Vander Esch	DAL	8
5	Luke Kuechly	CAR	7
6	Roquan Smith	CHI	6
7	Tremaine Edmunds	BUF	6
8	Blake Martinez	GB	11
9	Lavonte David	TB	7
10	Alec Ogletree	NYG	11
11	Cory Littleton	LAR	9
12	Jaylon Smith	DAL	8
13	Devin White	TB	7
14	Khalil Mack	CHI	6
15	Kiko Alonso	MIA	5
16	Kwon Alexander	TB	7
17	C.J. Mosley	NYJ	4
18	Eric Kendricks	MIN	12
19	Joe Schobert	CLE	7
20	Devin Bush	PIT	7
21	Nick Vigil	CIN	9
22	Myles Jack	JAC	10
23	Jordan Hicks	ARI	12
24	Danny Trevathan	CHI	6
25	Demario Davis	NO	9
26	T.J. Watt	PIT	7
27	Christian Kirksey	CLE	7
28	Rashaan Evans	TEN	11
29	Avery Williamson	NYJ	4
30	Nigel Bradham	PHI	10
31	Fred Warner	SF	4
32	Kyle Van Noy	NE	10
33	Von Miller	DEN	10
34	Chandler Jones	ARI	12
35	Jayon Brown	TEN	11
36	Jarrad Davis	DET	5
37	Todd Davis	DEN	10
38	Anthony Hitchens	KC	12
39	Benardrick McKinney	HOU	10
40	K.J. Wright	SEA	11
41	Shaq Thompson	CAR	7
42	Raekwon McMillan	MIA	5
43	Josey Jewell	DEN	10
44	Matt Milano	BUF	6
45	Mason Foster	FA