Why You Should Invest in Fred Warner on Your IDP Dynasty Team
The San Francisco 49ers defense is a dynasty farm. Loaded with talent and set for depth, you should expect a regression from the group as a whole but not too much of one. Notable players include Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead, Richard Sherman, Kwon Alexander, Emmanuel Moseley, and Dre Greenlaw. Losing DeForest Buckner might hurt the pass rush in the short term, but the ceiling of Javon Kinlaw and the overall talent everywhere else will prevent this unit from becoming a sinking ship.
My personal favorite player on this defense, however, has to be third-year inside linebacker Fred Warner. Though he didn’t make the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro Team, Warner was easily one of the team’s most important players, putting on coverage clinics against seemingly everyone he went up against. For a third-round pick, getting All-Pro level talent out of him this quickly has done nothing but help the 49ers.
Warner’s tape also translated to the box score, as he had 90 solo tackles, three sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, nine pass disruptions, an interception, and two forced fumbles. Among FantasyData’s rankings for linebackers, he was 11th in fantasy points (150.6). However, this includes outside linebackers, so looking at inside linebackers Warner was seventh, more impressive.
There are those who consider Warner to already be a top-five coverage linebacker in the league (I’m one of those people), and some even consider him to be the absolute best right now. It might be a little too early for that kind of praise, but it’s never too early for the Warner hype train, whether debating on him for the top five coverage linebackers or riding his hype as a dynasty option.
It also helps that the 49ers have been a linebacker factory for the longest time, having drafted players like Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, and Chris Borland. Warner is the next of that great middle linebacker breed, and going through the tape, we can check why he’ll be a cornerstone for this defense.
It should go without saying that Warner’s coverage ability is sensational. Even when Kwon Alexander was missing games, it was Warner’s ability that helped hold the fort for the 49ers defense.
Above, Warner is going up against Marquise Brown, one of the league’s fastest receivers. Brown initially has Warner beat on his route break as he runs the slant. Warner, however, recovers immediately thanks to a crafty spin move that puts him back in the proximity of Brown. As the receiver prepares to haul in a pass from Lamar Jackson, Warner leaps and extends his outside arm into Brown’s catch radius, breaking up a completion on one of the more impressive plays of his sophomore season.
Warner’s spin move is used as a last ditch effort to recover when a receiver makes a cut on his route. More often times than not, this has worked out in #54’s favor. His movement here suggests he’s sensing a post route, but his timely footwork allows him to make an adjustment and get back in the receiver’s wheelhouse. Once again, his arm comes into the receiver’s catch window, breaking up a pass that nearly gets picked.
Warner’s instincts continue to be razor sharp in this play. This is more of a great play by him than it is an errant throw by Russell Wilson, as the quarterback expects him to continue chasing the H-back in the flat while he makes a pass on the run to the receiver running the shallow crosser. Warner, however, stops on a dime and breaks this pass up as he unfortunately lets an interception slip through his hands. Nevertheless, his sharp break on the ball prevents a completion in spectacular fashion.
Warner’s reads down the field seem to get better and better the more he plays. Take for instance this play against the Falcons. The linebacker takes a huge risk steering away from the deep receiver over the middle of the field, but doing so pays off exponentially as Matt Ryan aims a little shorter to a receiver that’s already double covered. Warner’s fast break on the read allows him to fool Ryan even though this pass once again falls to the turf for an incompletion.
Warner’s value to the 49ers defense also extends its way out of the box score. You can see here (also against the Falcons) that he has a good understanding of pre snap ability, putting his fellow linebackers in position to audible against the receiver in motion. Doing this allows the linebackers to cover the zones Ryan is aiming at, and eventually the quarterback is taken down on a sack from the pass rush.
At last, Warner gets his interception against Jared Goff, and it’s on a play that’s simultaneously one of the worst throws of the year and a brilliantly casual read from the linebacker. It’s like he’s running a mirror route of the receiver on the screen, and Goff has no idea Warner is even there as he takes this to the house for his first career pick six on his first career interception.
Fred Warner is one of the smartest linebackers around, and after some incredible regular season and postseason play, a larger audience is just beginning to realize this. In terms of athleticism he has that and then some, with an incredible recovery and is also athletic at the catch point, allowing for some timely disruptions and even interceptions. In terms of mental ability, Warner also has this in spades, as he’s able to audible at the line of scrimmage at a high level and makes some of the best reads you’ll find from an active linebacker.
As such, it would be wise to consider investing in Warner for your IDP leagues, as he presents the tape and box score excellence to have a sustainable career that’ll satisfy NFL teams and fantasy owners alike. He’s an incredible player who’s just getting started and adds a ton of value to a 49ers defense that plays at the next level with him around.
Invest now and expect the return to be high.
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