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He’s arguably my favorite player in all of football, so the following may be a bit of favoritism.
I feel like fantasy players don’t experience IDP enough, and it’s a shame because it adds an entirely different and fun dimension to the game. Of course, to be successful in IDP leagues, you need to know which guys are worth targeting. Most of the time, fantasy owners want to look to acquire as many busy linebackers as they can. When I say busy, I simply mean guys who are all over the field on Sunday, making tackles, ball-hawking, you name it. Fantasy owners, look no further than 38-year old London Fletcher.
That’s right. He’s 38-years old, but the Washington Redskins captain has shown no signs of slowing down lately. Over the past three seasons, Fletcher has averaged an impressive 147 tackles per year, as well as eight interceptions during that span. 2012 was Fletcher’s 12th straight season with at least 110 tackles. You simply cannot ignore that consistent production from one of the game’s most overlooked players in recent memory. Last year he had seven games with double-digit tackles, and, of course, played all 16 games. I say that with such obviousness because in his 16-year career, Fletcher has yet to miss a single game. That speaks volumes, especially considering there has been a handful of occasions where he was questionable, but still suited up for action. During his time in Buffalo, I watched Fletcher quite a bit, and can honestly say he is one of the most intelligent players in the game today. His play recognition is outstanding and is literally involved in every single play of the game. Fantasy owners want a guy who does a little bit of everything, and that’s exactly what Fletcher provides them with. He is closing in on 2,000 career tackles, has an impressive 23 career interceptions and 37 sacks.
While some people tend to stray away from 38-year old veterans, Fletcher has continually produced each and every season, despite how old he gets. Of course, I’d still prefer the young, up-an-coming linebackers like Luke Kuechly and Paul Posluszny, but Fletcher is still a more than viable fantasy option. He is a warrior and will do everything he can to win football games, which tends to lead to a boatload of tackles, as well as some added fantasy value in the turnover department. At age 38, perhaps expect a bit of regression, but not nearly enough to keep him anywhere near away from my fantasy radar.
Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.
You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
