Colts' Rookie Pass Rushers Tabbed As Fantasy Top 50 IDP Dynasty Rookies
With the 2021 NFL Draft behind us and rookie mini camps coming to an end, the NFL enters a sort of dead period in late spring. Things don't slow down from a fantasy football perspective though, as those who compete in dynasty leagues are gearing up for fantasy drafts to grab members of the rookie class.
In many dynasty leagues, individual defensive players are part of the roster. Ahead of drafts, Pro Football Focus ranked the top 50 IDP rookies. PFF's rankings saw the Indianapolis Colts' first two draft picks land inside the top 50.
PFF's rankings are based on true position IDP leagues, meaning edge rushers will be categorized as such, not as linebackers even when they're deemed to be playing in a 3-4 defense. That allows edge rushers to hold their NFL value no matter what kind of scheme they’re drafted into.
Knowing that, if you compete in IDP dynasty leagues, it may be wise to grab Kwity Paye or Dayo Odeyingbo at some point in your draft, according to PFF's rankings.
Paye came in at No. 6 in PFF's rankings, following Miami's Jaelan Phillips as the second EDGE defender on the list. Phillips ranked second. Here's what PFF had to say about Paye as a dynasty IDP rookie.
An ideal situation for one of our IDP rookies, Paye joins a defensive line in Indy that is in desperate need of a top-tier edge rusher. Having played the 2020 season with the likes of Justin Houston, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Denico Autry and Tyquan Lewis as their primary starters on the edge, the Colts were in need of a fresh face to take over for the future. After all, not one of those players was able to crack a pass-rush grade above 70.0 for the year. Paye, meanwhile, has been consistently improving his game while at Michigan, boasting an 87.1 pass-rush grade this past season, which contributed to an 86.3 overall grade. Paye’s athleticism and physicality are off the charts, and he should get a great opportunity to see the field and improve as a pass rusher as well as contribute as a run defender. Over the past three seasons, Paye has a run defense grade of 88.5, which should prove vital to a potential every-down role in the Colts defense.
Though Paye is a raw pass rusher in this draft class, there's no denying his strength, athleticism and ability to play the run at a high level, which should get him on the field almost immediately.
On Saturday, Bleacher Report took a shot at projecting Paye's rookie season stats, projecting Paye for 58 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks, which would have him lead the 2021 first round in sacks.
Following Paye's ranking at No. 6 in the draft class from an IDP perspective, Odeyingbo slotted in at No. 35 in PFF's rankings.
Though Odeyingbo is projected to miss at least the first month or so of the season while recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in January while training for the NFL Draft, Odeyingbo could get onto the field quickly once fully healed and make an immediate impact against the run and provide some serious pass rushing juice from the interior of the Colts' defensive line.
Have thoughts on Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo's dynasty IDP rankings from Pro Football Focus? Drop a line in the comment section below!
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