Justin Smith (1 Viewer)

[benyamen]

I'm a recoveing Umenyiora owner and I'm trying to figure out how to fill the hole he left behind in my roster.

I'm hearing lately that Justin Smith is going to be playing a fair bit of OLB in SF and not just DE. If he's getting more snaps at OLB does that raise his value significantly? He was kind of mediocre at DE, but if he gets the extra tackles and such at OLB does that raise his value? I know that it's a major advantage if you can play guys like Suggs or Ware at DL, would Justin Smith start to fit into this category? I could likely get him relatively cheap.

 

[Dirty Hairy]

The simple answer is yes, Justin Smith should be a very good value if he is classified as DE. I was very shocked to find MyFantasyLeague left him at DE. My understanding is that he will be OLB in a 3-4 defense most of the time, which should generate very nice numbers for a DE.

The big qualifier is that final designations have not yet been determined, but MFL did make a significant number of changes last week.

 

[benyamen]

Ya, I'm playing on sportsline and they aren't exactly on top of things when it comes to positions.

 

[Jene Bramel]

I'm not sure how much more value Smith can squeeze out. He was already a near 50 solo tackle guy as a defensive end. In order to get more tackles as an OLB, he'll have to play better in coverage or become a better pass rusher. Since he's highly unlikely to ever become (or be used) as an all-around player and doesn't really have the explosiveness to beat an offensive lineman off the edge as a standup pass rusher, I don't see his linebacker snaps being all that helpful.

Guys like Bryan Thomas were a totally different story. He was a guy with a little range and a little explosiveness who ended up working better in space than on the line. He could have a big jump in value going from a 35 solo tackle end to a 50 tackle linebacker.

It's also worth noting that Smith really isn't getting that many snaps at OLB -- about 25% in each of the last two preseason games and that he's playing DT on clear passing downs. It's not a great setup for extra tackles anyway.

 

[Qtip Callahan]

I'm not sure how much more value Smith can squeeze out. He was already a near 50 solo tackle guy as a defensive end. In order to get more tackles as an OLB, he'll have to play better in coverage or become a better pass rusher. Since he's highly unlikely to ever become (or be used) as an all-around player and doesn't really have the explosiveness to beat an offensive lineman off the edge as a standup pass rusher, I don't see his linebacker snaps being all that helpful.Guys like Bryan Thomas were a totally different story. He was a guy with a little range and a little explosiveness who ended up working better in space than on the line. He could have a big jump in value going from a 35 solo tackle end to a 50 tackle linebacker.It's also worth noting that Smith really isn't getting that many snaps at OLB -- about 25% in each of the last two preseason games and that he's playing DT on clear passing downs. It's not a great setup for extra tackles anyway.

I thought Bert Berry at OLB last year might help him sneak a few extra tackles. Not really. Same with Robert Geathers in Cincy. Unless the player is more athletic or explosive, these hybrid guys aren't necessarily a lock for better stats. Geathers is pretty athletic, but his stats didn't really improve during the game last year he played OLB for the Bungals.