Four weeks into the season, we officially have enough linebacker data to be dangerous. Or at least dangerous enough to convince ourselves that a guy playing 100% of the snaps should actually make tackles.
That's the problem with looking at snap counts alone. Being on the field is great, but if you're just out there getting your steps in, that doesn't help our IDP lineups.
So this week we're digging a little deeper. Along with snap percentage, I'm looking at tackle rate, box snaps, coverage usage and pressure opportunities. Who's actually around the football? Who's turning those snaps into production? And which part-time linebacker is quietly screaming for more playing time?
We also have roles changing fast. Some linebackers are moving toward every-down
status, others are watching their snaps disappear and a few injuries have opened the door for potential Week 5 waiver targets.
For reference, tackle rate is simply total tackles divided by defensive snaps.
Now let's go around the league and figure out who's actually playing linebacker and who's just wearing the uniform.
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona has two startable linebackers, although Jack Gibbens has been the better option by the numbers.
Mack Wilson Sr. (67 snaps, 100%) wore the green dot in Week 4 and finished with six tackles and a sack. Gibbens (61 snaps, 91%) had eight tackles, giving him eight stops in consecutive games.
Gibbens also carries a 13.7% tackle rate for the season. Wilson has the communication role and every-down usage, but Gibbens continues to squeeze more tackle production out of his opportunities.
IDP Takeaway: Both are playable, but Gibbens has been the better producer.
Baltimore Ravens
Roquan Smith (64 snaps, 100%) remains your every-down linebacker.
Trenton Simpson (36 snaps, 56.2%) is where I've finally reached my limit. He's playing fewer than 60% of the snaps, which I would not trust in normal IDP leagues. There was some thought that Baltimore might eventually ramp his role back up, but we haven't seen it. That's especially frustrating because Simpson has been productive when he's actually on the field.
Teddye Buchanan saw only 11 snaps this week. I'm done starting Simpson, but I'd still rather hold Buchanan until he's healthy and we get a chance to see what his role looks like with a legitimate workload.
IDP Takeaway: Roquan is the only Baltimore linebacker I'm confidently starting.
Buffalo Bills
Terrel Bernard (70 snaps, 92.1%) remains the top option.
Dorian Williams (52 snaps, 68.4%) is more interesting than his Week 4 workload might suggest. Williams has a 16.5% season tackle rate, so the production has been there when he's on the field.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr received only around 20% of the snaps, so we're not there with him yet.
IDP Takeaway: Bernard is the starter. Williams is a deeper-league streamer because the tackle efficiency remains strong.
Carolina Panthers
Devin Lloyd (71 snaps, 100%) returned and Tyrel Dodson went right back to the bench.
Lloyd immediately reclaimed an every-down role and has a 16% tackle rate for the season.
Bobby Okereke (53 snaps, 74.6%) remains a strong LB2.
IDP Takeaway: Lloyd is back. Okereke remains playable. Nothing else here requires much discussion.
Chicago Bears
There's not much to talk about here unless we want to get negative.
T.J. Edwards (32 snaps, 100%) still has the lowest tackle rate among linebackers with at least 190 season snaps at 6.3%.
Devin Bush (31 snaps, 96.9%) has been the better bet for production, although his season tackle rate is still only around 10%.
Those remain your top two linebackers because the playing time is there, but I'm getting frustrated enough that DeMarco Jackson continues to tempt me as a stash.
Eventually, something has to change. I just haven't had the guts or roster space to pull the trigger yet.
IDP Takeaway: Edwards and Bush remain playable because of volume, but neither tackle profile inspires much confidence.
Cincinnati Bengals
No major developments with Barrett Carter (61 snaps, 100%). He's your every-down linebacker.
Demetrius Knight Jr. (45 snaps, 73.8%) remains playable in medium and deeper leagues, but his Week 4 workload was his lowest snap share of the season. That's something worth monitoring.
IDP Takeaway: Carter is the one I trust. Knight's declining workload puts him on the watch list.
Cleveland Browns
Carson Schwesinger (72 snaps, 100%) wore the green dot against the Steelers and finished with nine tackles. Seven of those were assists and he also had two missed tackles. He has played every defensive snap and owns a 12.9% season tackle rate.
Quincy Williams (71 snaps, 98.6%) managed only four tackles despite another near-every-down workload.
That's the problem. Both have excellent opportunity. Only one is giving us the production we want.
IDP Takeaway: Schwesinger is the start. I'm avoiding Williams wherever possible.
Dallas Cowboys
As suspected, this linebacker corps has turned into a four-headed rotation.
Dee Winters (44 snaps, 80%) led the group in playing time in Week 4, while Jaishawn Barham (39 snaps, 70.9%) was also involved.
I'm not interested in trying to predict which Dallas linebacker wins the weekly snap-count lottery.
IDP Takeaway: I'm staying away until someone separates from this rotation.
Denver Broncos
Alex Singleton (66 snaps, 100%) is a beast. There's really no other way to put it.
The season-long underlying numbers make the profile even stronger. Singleton has accumulated 263 box snaps and owns a 16.8% tackle rate.
That's exactly what we're looking for: every-down playing time, heavy box alignment and strong tackle efficiency.
Justin Strnad (56 snaps, 84.8%) still has deeper-league or best-ball appeal because of his splash-play ability.
IDP Takeaway: Singleton is an LB1. Keep starting him.
Detroit Lions
Jack Campbell (75 snaps, 100%) remains the one Detroit linebacker you don't have to think about. He wore the green dot against Carolina and exploded for 14 tackles, giving him a 19.4% tackle rate for the game. He also generated two pressures on only three pass-rush opportunities.
Campbell's season tackle rate hasn't been spectacular, but the every-down workload and heavy box usage continue to give him plenty of opportunities for performances like this.
The bigger development is Derrick Barnes (45 snaps, 60%). Barnes saw his role collapse after playing 88.5% in Week 3 and finished with just one tackle. His season tackle rate is also only 7.9%. Reduced playing time plus poor tackle efficiency is about the worst combination we can get.
IDP Takeaway: Campbell is locked in. Barnes is trending in the wrong direction quickly.
Green Bay Packers
Zaire Franklin (63 snaps, 100%) remains the every-down option.
The bigger story is Edgerrin Cooper (34 snaps, 54%), who appears likely to miss the remainder of the season with an Achilles injury. That puts Isaiah McDuffie directly into the spotlight.
McDuffie made the waiver list last week as a short-term fill-in, but this injury changes the equation. If he inherits Cooper's workload, McDuffie has a path toward an every-down role for the rest of the season.
IDP Takeaway: McDuffie isn't just a temporary replacement anymore. He's an all-format waiver target with legitimate rest-of-season value.
Houston Texans
Jake Hansen (74 snaps, 94.9%) looks like the LB1 right now. He piled up 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. He also logged 44 coverage snaps, drawing six targets and allowing six receptions for 40 yards.
Kenneth Murray (64 snaps, 82.1%) maintained a significant role, but Hansen remains the linebacker I prefer while Henry To'oTo'o is on IR.
There's another name worth knowing: Wade Woodaz.
If Azeez Al-Shaair and Murray are both unavailable, Woodaz could suddenly become relevant in deeper formats. If Murray is dealing with a concussion, I'm operating under the assumption that he could miss Week 5 until we hear otherwise.
Houston's coverage tendencies also make this situation interesting. More zone can create additional rally-to-the-football opportunities for linebackers.
IDP Takeaway: Hansen is the short-term starter I want. Woodaz becomes interesting if Houston's injuries continue piling up.
Indianapolis Colts
Akeem Davis-Gaither (62 snaps, 96.9%) grabbed this job and doesn't appear interested in giving it back. ADG has combined near-every-down playing time with a 14.5% season tackle rate.
Indianapolis has also shifted away from man coverage toward considerably more zone. That can create additional tackle opportunities underneath as linebackers rally to the catch.
Jaylon Carlies (30 snaps, 46.9%) had a strong week, but his production remains far too volatile for me. Don't believe me? He had two assists the previous week.
IDP Takeaway: It's ADG or bust for me right now.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Foyesade Oluokun (76 snaps, 100%) remains an elite IDP linebacker.
The more interesting story is LB2. Ventrell Miller (51 snaps, 67.1%) continues to operate in that 65-75% range. More importantly, his season tackle rate sits at 16.4%. That's excellent efficiency for someone who isn't playing every down. The question isn't whether Miller can produce. It's whether Jacksonville will eventually give him enough opportunities to become a weekly option.
IDP Takeaway: Oluokun remains automatic. Miller has legitimate deeper-league value because he's producing enough to overcome the reduced workload.
Kansas City Chiefs
Nick Bolton (84 snaps, 100%) remains your LB1.
Drue Tranquill (55 snaps, 65.5%) is the player we need to discuss.
Look at the trend: 97.9% → 83.6% → 65.5%
That's not something I'm ignoring anymore. Tranquill remains a sneaky deeper-league option, but I'm no longer treating him like an every-down linebacker.
IDP Takeaway: Bolton is the starter. Tranquill's shrinking role makes him increasingly matchup-dependent.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quay Walker (60 snaps, 100%) finished with six tackles and a tackle for loss in Week 4.
Nakobe Dean (60 snaps, 100%) wore the green dot but managed only four tackles after recording 12 the previous week.
The important part is that both remain every-down players. The problem is that neither has consistently separated himself as a high-end fantasy producer.
IDP Takeaway: Both are usable. Neither is someone I'm particularly excited about starting.
Los Angeles Chargers
Daiyan Henley (54 snaps, 90%) remains the clear-cut top linebacker.
Del'Shawn Phillips (52 snaps, 86.7%) is the mover. That's a significant increase in opportunity, but I'm not chasing it after one week. Give me another game before I start trusting Phillips in anything other than deeper leagues.
IDP Takeaway: Henley is the starter. Phillips needs to be on the watch list after that Week 4 workload.
Los Angeles Rams
Nate Landman (57 snaps, 93.4%) bounced back in a big way. He wore the green dot and remains the linebacker I trust in this defense. Landman's season alignment has also been excellent, with 213 box snaps, giving him the kind of positioning we want from an IDP linebacker.
Omar Speights remains the LB2, but his playing time is too unpredictable because the Rams frequently operate with only one linebacker.
IDP Takeaway: Landman is the linebacker I trust. Speights remains too volatile.
Miami Dolphins
Jacob Rodriguez (78 snaps, 100%) had the best performance of any linebacker this week. He recorded 18 tackles, including 10 solos, for a ridiculous 25% tackle rate in the game. Rodriguez also recorded four run stops. The season-long numbers make the breakout even more impressive.
Rodriguez has accumulated 227 box snaps and owns an 18.7% season tackle rate, giving him one of the best combinations of workload, alignment and tackle efficiency in the league.
Jordyn Brooks (78 snaps, 100%) also remains an every-down option and produced 13 tackles this week. Brooks was heavily targeted in coverage, seeing 11 targets and allowing nine receptions for 115 yards.
IDP Takeaway: Rodriguez isn't just an interesting waiver story anymore. He's becoming a weekly starter.
Minnesota Vikings
Blake Cashman (38 snaps, 97.4%) and Eric Wilson (36 snaps, 92.3%) have quietly become a useful duo. They continue to combine near-every-down usage with a strong tackle profile. Wilson has been solid outside of Week 1.
IDP Takeaway: I'm comfortable starting both depending on league depth.
New England Patriots
Robert Spillane (59 snaps, 100%) wore the green dot and finished with seven tackles and a sack against Buffalo.
Christian Elliss (59 snaps, 100%) also played every snap despite entering the game questionable with a chest injury.
Both linebackers are staying on the field regardless of personnel. Spillane remains the preferred option, but Elliss' every-down role keeps him firmly in the IDP conversation.
IDP Takeaway: Spillane first, Elliss second, but both are playable.
New York Giants
Tremaine Edmunds (66 snaps, 100%) wore the green dot and finished with nine tackles, eight solo tackles and two tackles for loss versus the Cardinals.
Arvell Reese (66 snaps, 100%) also recorded nine tackles, all solo, while adding a tackle for loss, an interception and three pass breakups. Reese also rushed the passer 14 times and generated two pressures. That's what gives him the higher ceiling in leagues that reward pressures and splash plays.
IDP Takeaway: Both are startable. Reese has the more exciting ceiling.
New York Jets
The Jets "benefited" from a lot of snaps in Week 4. Don't expect this to become the norm every week.
Demario Davis (93 snaps, 100%) wore the green dot and finished with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Jamien Sherwood (87 snaps, 93.5%) exploded for 15 tackles.
I've been hesitant to play Davis or Sherwood outside matchup-based or flex situations, but performances like this from Sherwood can change that thinking.
IDP Takeaway: The opportunity isn't the issue. Sherwood is beginning to give us the production needed to trust him more.
Philadelphia Eagles
Here's your weird stat of the week:
There are two Trotters in the league right now. Both led their respective teams in tackles.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (84 snaps, 100%) suddenly became a major part of the Eagles' defense with Zack Baun unavailable and Trotter took advantage. His season tackle efficiency has been strong whenever he's been on the field, so Week 4 showed what can happen when you combine that efficiency with an every-down workload.
Understand exactly what you're buying, however. Trotter's immediate value remains tied to Baun's availability. If Baun clears concussion protocol, Trotter could go right back to a reserve role.
IDP Takeaway: Trotter is one of my favorite late-week waiver adds if Baun doesn't clear protocol. If Baun returns, the situation changes quickly.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Patrick Queen (64 snaps, 100%) remains the first linebacker I'm starting.
But Payton Wilson (52 snaps, 81.2%) deserves more attention than simply calling him LB2.
Wilson owns a 15.6% season tackle rate, so he's producing at a high level when given the opportunity. That's exactly the kind of player I want to keep monitoring because the production is already there if the role grows.
IDP Takeaway: Queen remains the safer play, but Wilson's efficiency keeps him firmly on the IDP radar.
San Francisco 49ers
Fred Warner (65 snaps, 100%) and Dre Greenlaw (56 snaps, 86.2%) remain the top two options.
Nothing complicated here. Greenlaw has been particularly efficient this season with a tackle rate north of 17%.
IDP Takeaway: Start them and move along.
Seattle Seahawks
Ernest Jones IV (71 snaps, 100%) remains your elite LB1.
Drake Thomas (56 snaps, 78.9%) is much harder to trust.
Look at the progression: 100% → 93.6% → 78.5% → 78.9%
His role has clearly become more dependent on Seattle's personnel packages and weekly defensive approach. That's enough volatility for me to avoid him outside the deepest formats.
IDP Takeaway: Jones is automatic. Thomas is too package-dependent for me.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Josiah Trotter (50 snaps, 83.3%) might have the most interesting underlying profile in this entire article. This is exactly the increase in playing time we've been waiting to see. He owns a ridiculous 19.2% season tackle rate and 147 of his 156 season defensive snaps have come in the box.
That's more than 94% of his snaps aligned in the area where we want our IDP linebackers operating. Now he has played more than 80% of the defensive snaps in Week 4. That's a potentially important development.
Alex Anzalone (60 snaps, 100%) remains the other full-time option.
IDP Takeaway: Trotter's efficiency was already screaming for more playing time. Week 4 may finally be the beginning of that expanded role.
Tennessee Titans
Anthony Hill Jr. (64 snaps, 100%) remains the main guy.
Hill wore the green dot in Week 4 and played every defensive snap for the fourth straight week. His season profile is excellent, combining every-down usage with a 15.5% tackle rate.
Cody Barton (53 snaps, 82.8%) saw his role increase and continues to have deeper-league appeal.
Cedric Gray (30 snaps, 46.9%) remains primarily a base-package linebacker. That's not enough playing time.
IDP Takeaway: Hill is the clear starter. Barton is moving into deeper-league consideration. Gray stays on my bench.
Washington Commanders
Sonny Styles (49 snaps, 74.2%) remains one of the more fascinating linebackers to track. His athletic profile, alignment and splash-play ability continue to provide upside, but Frankie Luvu's return changed the workload.
Styles fell to 74.2% in Week 4. He was also seen having his knee looked at, although he remained in the game. The other concern is efficiency. Despite the attractive alignment we've seen this season, Styles has produced only around a 9% tackle rate. That's why I'm not treating the athletic profile and alignment as guaranteed production yet.
Luvu (63 snaps, 95.5%) returned to a near-every-down role but remains too inconsistent for me to trust as anything more than a bye-week or matchup play.
IDP Takeaway: Styles remains the player I'm most interested in long-term, but Luvu's return clearly changed the Week 4 equation.
This article originally appeared on The Huddle: Week 4 Linebacker Usage and Review
