2024 NFL Draft: IDP Dynasty Fantasy Football Winners and Losers From the NFC
The NFL Draft is exciting yet nerve-wracking for dynasty fantasy managers. Some players on our rosters remain unchallenged and secure in their roles. Meanwhile, others, whom we expected to have significant roles, suddenly face new competition for their spot.
This article is the second in a two-part series, focusing on the NFC, that examines the biggest IDP winners and losers following the 2024 NFL Draft.
Winners
Kyzir White, LB ARI
White played every down for the Arizona Cardinals until week 11, when a season-ending bicep injury sidelined him. In his absence, a trio of players, including Josh Woods, Krys Barnes, and Owen Pappoe, took on more prominent roles for the remainder of the season.
Josh Woods is now a free agent, and the Cardinals signed former New England Patriots linebacker Mack Wilson to help replace him. Wilson is an upgrade over Woods and could challenge White, as could Pappoe. However, Wilson has consistently struggled in pass coverage throughout his career, and Pappoe is inexperienced. Therefore, White is the leading candidate to assume what will be the sole full-time linebacker in Nick Rallis’ defense.
KYZIR WHITE PICKS OFF DAK PRESCOTT 💚🔥💚🔥💚🔥💚
We love you and miss you Kyzir!!!#Eaglespic.twitter.com/2UNORuZS0j
— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) September 24, 2023
The positive news about White’s recovery from injury certainly works in his favor, as does the fact that the Cardinals did not add to their linebacker corps in the 2024 NFL draft.
Dorance Armstrong, EDGE WAS
In moving from the Dallas Cowboys to the Washington Commanders, Armstrong swapped one situation where he was involved in a heavy rotation for what might be another of the same kind.
However, it’s reasonable to expect Armstrong to earn a more significant snap share with the Commanders because the players he will be competing with in Washington are not the same caliber as those at the Cowboys.
Dante Fowler Jr., Clelin Ferrell, and Efe Obada have achieved moderate success during their NFL careers. Frankie Luvu will leech some snaps as an occasional edge blitzer, too. Still, Armstrong is coming off his best season, and instead of being third in rotation behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, he could lead this group in playing time.
It helps Armstrong’s cause that the Commanders did not add any competition in the 2024 NFL Draft. Don’t believe the rumors that 302 lb Jer’Zhan Newton will see significant time as an edge rusher.
Marcus Davenport, EDGE DET
The Detroit Lions have struggled to find a capable edge rusher to partner with Aidan Hutchinson. In recent years, they have rotated up to four players in their second edge spot. Charles Harris was moderately productive in 2021, as was James Houston in 2022, but last year, the difference in talent and production between Hutchinson and the rest of the group was significant.
New arrival Marcus Davenport has had some bright moments during his NFL career but has never put it together consistently. Nonetheless, if he stays healthy, he’s probably going to be the most effective of the edge group behind Hutchinson because the Lions did not address the position in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, S DAL
The Dallas Cowboys were fond of deploying many three-safety looks under Dan Quinn in 2023. Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse, and Donovan Wilson each had over 750 snaps each last season.
Kearse became a free agent in 2024, and the Cowboys did nothing to replace him in the 2024 NFL Draft. There’s very little safety competition behind Hooker and Wilson entering the season.
Mike Zimmer returned to the NFL to become the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2024. If he utilizes a scheme similar to that which he employed at the Minnesota Vikings, the Cowboys will role with two full-time safeties – Hooker and Wilson.
DeMarcco Hellams OR Richie Grant, S ATL
Richie Grant opened the 2023 season as a full-time safety alongside the excellent Jessie Bates. Unfortunately for Grant, he performed poorly and was benched in favor of DeMarcco Hellams toward the end of the season.
Ridiculous INT by DeMarcco Hellams 😤
📱: Stream #CINvsATL on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySmuK pic.twitter.com/QgpRwer5q6
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2023
Hellams also struggled at times, but he was an improvement over Grant. Jimmy Lake has been brought in as the Atlanta Falcons’ new defensive coordinator, so there’s no guarantee Hellams will retain his role going into 2024. Still, the Falcons appear content with what they have at the position after failing to address the safety position in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Losers
Isaiah McDuffie, LB GB
McDuffie seemed primed for a significant role with the Green Bay Packers following the departure of De’Vondre Campbell. He may still start the season as the second option behind Quay Walker, but he’s on a short leash after the Packers selected Edgerrin Cooper, DLF’s highest-ranked rookie linebacker, with the 45th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Still only 24 years old, McDuffie has ample time to prove he deserves a significant role on a team. The best-case scenario for him is that he outperforms expectations to start the season, holds off Cooper for as long as possible, and parlays his performance into a starting role with a new team once his deal expires in 2025.
Michael Hoecht, EDGE LAR
Hoecht became a solid IDP contributor in 2023, accumulating 66 combined tackles and six sacks. Unfortunately, his raw stats obfuscate his inefficiency. The 26-year-old finished fifth among all edge rushers in snaps, but his sack numbers and pressure totals fell woefully short of his peers on a per-snap basis.
The Rams recognized the need to improve at the position and used the 19th overall pick on Jared Verse, one of DLF’s top-ranked rookie edge rushers. Verse should immediately challenge Hoecht for playing time and may even eat into Byron Young’s snap share.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, EDGE TB
The IDP community is in love with Yaya Diaby, and he deserves credit after registering nine sacks in his rookie season. However, he must generate pressure at a more significant rate to sustain that level of production. The expectation is that he will do so as he continues to develop.
However, Diaby was the team’s best option at edge rusher following Shaquil Barrett’s departure. Tryon-Shoyinka has not become the player the Buccaneers envisioned when they selected him with the 32nd overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has had ample opportunity to make his case but has failed to post a pressure rate above 10.7% in the last three seasons.
The Buccaneers recognized the need to address the edge position in the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting Chris Braswell in the second round. The 22-year-old is not yet ready to shoulder a significant workload at the NFL but could assume a more prominent role once Tryon-Shoyinka’s current deal expires in 2025.
Russell Yeast, S LAR
Yeast started the 2023 season in an every-down role, but he lost favor and fell behind John Johnson III down the stretch. It was hardly surprising considering Yeast missed 22.7% of his tackle attempts last season – ranking 60th out of 61 safeties who played at least 600 snaps.
Johnson is now a free agent, and Jordan Fuller left to join the Panthers, so the Los Angeles Rams brought in Kamren Curl and spent a third-round pick on Kamren Kinchens in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The landing spot is ideal for Kinchens. He’s not the finished product, but he should be an upgrade over Yeast in Chris Shula’s defense.
