• Seattle Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins: Jenkins will regularly surrender explosive pass plays to opposing tight ends.
• Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks: Miami’s new linebacker is ill-suited to effectively shut down opposing tight ends.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Identifying exploitable NFL defenders is critical in making week-to-week fantasy football lineup decisions, and identifying those players well in advance can give fantasy managers an advantage in drafts.
Drafting tight ends who play in soft divisions or face weak opponents late in the year is a potential leg up come the fantasy playoffs. Here, we will break down three NFL linebackers and safeties who should be targeted for fantasy purposes in 2024.
Fantasy managers should also read “3 TE1 breakout candidates in 2024“ for information on the Houston Texans’ shaky linebackers (34.9 PFF coverage grade against tight ends), among others.
LB Jordyn Brooks, Miami Dolphins
Jordyn Brooks, whom the Dolphins signed in free agency, is an old-school NFL linebacker with a skill set ill-suited for the modern-day NFL, making him a linebacker to target for fantasy football purposes in 2024. His 57.3 PFF grade ranks 37th among 41 linebackers with at least 800 defensive snaps.
Miami signed former Cleveland Browns rotational linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. to function as Brooks’ co-starter, but Walker’s tight end coverage abilities are waning as he approaches 30 years old. He surrendered a 100.0% catch rate to the position last year while allowing 1.76 yards per coverage snap. His 60.0% first-down-plus-touchdown rate and 42.6 PFF coverage grade against tight ends both qualify as the second-worst marks of his career.
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