With training camp being just around the corner, a clearer picture is forming of what starting NFL rosters will look like for the 2021 NFL season. While we’re sure to get definitive answers in the next couple of weeks, there’s value in being ahead of the curve, especially for acquiring assets at a cheap price in IDP leagues.
Here are some of the muddier situations to sort out for IDP relevancy in 2021. We'll use information about how players have performed so far in OTAs, as well as PFF data, to try and clear these situations up before camp starts next week.
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CINCINNATI BENGALS: LBs GERMAINE PRATT vs. LOGAN WILSON vs. AKEEM DAVIS-GAITHER
The Bengals' linebacker corps hasn’t exactly been the most attractive group to pluck IDPs from over the past few seasons, but there is typically at least one who can provide value should you need them in any given week.
Pratt was given a shot to start for a full season in 2020 after filling in as a starter in the back half of his rookie year. While still playing behind the now-departed Josh Bynes, as far as total snaps, Pratt was incredibly underwhelming for the majority of the year. He finished 2020 with a 41.5 overall grade (90th among qualifying linebackers), which included a 29.3 run-defense grade (96th among qualifying linebackers).
It’s still early enough in Pratt's career that he can turn things around, but these numbers struggle to justify any kind of hope for the former NC State product.
Wilson has garnered the most attention from coaches so far this offseason, according to the Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. A third-round pick out of Wyoming just a season ago, Wilson missed some time as a rookie but performed arguably better than his Bengals peers when on the field.
Wilson showed out in his last three seasons with Wyoming, which he topped off with a 90.6 overall grade, a 91.6 run-defense grade and an 81.4 coverage grade in 2019. Bengals coaches are justified in their excitement, considering what they have been getting from their starting linebackers in recent years.
| Bengals 2020 LBs | Snaps | Overall grade | Run defense grade | Coverage grade |
| Josh Bynes | 761 | 52.6 | 47.8 | 60.9 |
| Germaine Pratt | 686 | 41.5 | 29.3 | 64.2 |
| Logan Wilson | 343 | 54.7 | 48.1 | 63.1 |
| Akeem Davis-Gaither | 314 | 40.7 | 31.6 | 49.7 |
| Jordan Evans | 63 | 61.0 | 62.9 | 54.6 |
| Markus Bailey | 44 | 32.6 | 27.0 | 70.5 |
The potential wild cards to get starter snaps are Davis-Gaither, Jordan Evans and Markus Bailey. But unless there is an injury to Pratt or Wilson, they are likely to be nothing more than rotational, part-time players.
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