Anthony Spencer (1 Viewer)

[Go deep]

Just wondering why Anthony Spencer gets so little respect in the dynasty rankings and in general. He is a 26 year old first round pick and was a top 5 LB over the 2nd half of 2009 after Dallas hit its stride. Any thoughts?

 

[Anthony Borbely]

Basically, the high majority of 3-4 OLBs are not great in balanced scoring systems like the one we use at FBGs. They may have a great fantasy season here and there, but very few are consistently good from year to year. Other than James Harrison, I can't think of one 3-4 OLB who has had back-to-back top 20 seasons and that includes Spencer's teammate, DeMarcus Ware. That lack of consistency, lower tackle numbers that 3-4 OLBs produced, and the volatility of sack and other big play numbers make me leery of ranking many of them high. I also skew my rankings in favor of consistent tacklers, so I am probably lower as a rule on 3-4 OLBs than most of the staffers. Spencer is in a huge tier of about 15-20 LBs for me and that includes players like Dumervil, Woodley, Orakpo, and Pace. Any of them could be a top 20 LB, but not every year. If a stud like Ware can't do it every year, I doubt many can.

I will add that the scoring system is the key. These players have much more value in leagues that favor big play scoring.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Basically, the high majority of 3-4 OLBs are not great in balanced scoring systems like the one we use at FBGs. They may have a great fantasy season here and there, but very few are consistently good from year to year. Other than James Harrison, I can't think of one 3-4 OLB who has had back-to-back top 20 seasons and that includes Spencer's teammate, DeMarcus Ware. That lack of consistency, lower tackle numbers that 3-4 OLBs produced, and the volatility of sack and other big play numbers make me leery of ranking many of them high. I also skew my rankings in favor of consistent tacklers, so I am probably lower as a rule on 3-4 OLBs than most of the staffers. Spencer is in a huge tier of about 15-20 LBs for me and that includes players like Dumervil, Woodley, Orakpo, and Pace. Any of them could be a top 20 LB, but not every year. If a stud like Ware can't do it every year, I doubt many can.I will add that the scoring system is the key. These players have much more value in leagues that favor big play scoring.

Spencer and Orakpo (and possibly Matthews) have Harrison/Ware 60-12 potential, but it's really hard to rank them in the top 25 until they prove some measure of consistency. Unless you're in a big play league or are okay with a player who could be 1-0-0 or 7-2-2 as your every week LB1, the 3-4 OLBs would slot in that big LB3 tier for me.

 

[kurtrudder]

What affect do you see the Bobby Carpenter trade having on Spencer and the overall LB picture in Dallas?

 

[Jene Bramel]

What affect do you see the Bobby Carpenter trade having on Spencer and the overall LB picture in Dallas?

Very little effect. Jason Williams was going to take Carpenter's place in the nickel packages before Sean Lee was drafted, so Carpenter had no role in the defense already. Spencer might lose a few snaps to Victor Butler or a healthier Brandon Williams, but Carpenter wasn't in line to take OLB snaps this year either.