| Rank | Player | Team | Comment |
| 1 | J.J. Watt | HOU | |
| 2 | Luke Kuechly | CAR | |
| 3 | Bobby Wagner | SEA | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: Wagner was not even an every down player early in his rookie season but he still managed 86 solo tackles and 55 assists. Not to mention that he was a playmaker with 3 picks and 2.5 sacks. He is a safe pick as your LB1 and I believe he will exceed 100 solo stops this year.
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| 4 | James Laurinaitis | STL | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: Lauriniatis is dependable as they come and can be counted on for triple digit solo tackles and a few big plays, but his low assist totals drop him a slot or two for me.
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| 5 | Navorro Bowman | SF | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: If he were not competing with Patrick Willis for tackles, Bowman might be the #1 LB in the fantasy game.
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| 6 | Lavonte David | TB | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: As a rookie last season David was second in the league with 112 solo tackles, and averaged over 17 points a game which left him tied with Navarro Bowman.
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| 7 | Jason Pierre-Paul | NYG | |
| 8 | Jared Allen | MIN | |
| 9 | Cameron Wake | MIA | |
| 10 | DQwell Jackson | CLE | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: Jackson should be a great fit in the Browns new scheme. I expect his production to bounce back big after a somewhat down season in 2012.
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| 11 | Sean Lee | DAL | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: There is a bit of injury risk with Lee but he has top 5 potential if healthy.
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| 12 | Paul Posluszny | JAX | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: After a poor statistical 2011, Posluszny bounced back strong in 2012. He was one of just eight linebackers to reach triple digits in solo tackles.
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| 13 | Chad Greenway | MIN | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: Greenway is not much of a threat to break the top 5 but he is dependable, consistent and a very safe pick as your LB1.
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| 14 | Patrick Willis | SF | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: Willis is a perennial top 10 linebacker with top 5 potential. Navarro Bowman will likely have a few more tackles but Willis will make up for much of that with big play production and a high number of passes defended.
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| 15 | Jerod Mayo | NE | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: Mayo's tackle numbers fell slightly with the shift weak side linebacker in the Patriots 4-3 last season, but his big play production got a boost.
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| 16 | Osi Umenyiora | ATL | |
| 17 | DeMarcus Ware | DAL | |
| 18 | Desmond Bishop | GB | show |
[Jun 12th] John Norton says: Reports that Bishop will be cut have sent his stock tumbling. If he is healthy Bishop is a quality players and so far no one is talking about his health being an issue. I have to wonder what the Packers are going to do without him but there are teams out there with their fingers crossed that Bishop will hit the open market. This is a great time to buy low on him.
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| 19 | Derrick Johnson | KC | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: All the other numbers are there for Johnson to be an elite fantasy linebacker but the low assist totals (only 15 last season) taint his value enough to drop to the bottom of the elite tier.
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| 20 | Calais Campbell | ARI | |
| 21 | Geno Atkins | CIN | |
| 22 | Greg Hardy | CAR | |
| 23 | Michael Johnson | CIN | |
| 24 | Lawrence Timmons | PIT | show |
[Jun 8th] John Norton says: Timmons has big potential but has been inconsistent throughout his career. He could be anything from a strong LB1 to a low end LB2.
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| 25 | Charles Johnson | CAR | |
| 26 | Colin McCarthy | TEN | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: We had grand expectations for McCarthy heading into last season. He battled the ankle injury all season and may not yet be completely healthy. If he can get to 100% by week one McCarthy could be a 100+ solo guy.
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| 27 | Arthur Brown | BAL | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: The Ravens drafted Brown in the first round to replace Ray Lewis. Those are big shoes for the rookie to fill in NFL terms but Brown has the skill set to parlay his golden opportunity into big box score production.
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| 28 | Stevie Brown | NYG | |
| 29 | Morgan Burnett | GB | |
| 30 | Harrison Smith | MIN | |
| 31 | London Fletcher | WAS | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: Fletcher is likely to be playing the final season of a great career. His perennially outstanding tackle numbers slipped a bit last season but Fletcher managed to replace them with a career best 5 interceptions in 2012. He will find a way to finish in the top 20 again this year.
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| 32 | Mario Williams | BUF | |
| 33 | Justin Smith | SF | |
| 34 | Sean Weatherspoon | ATL | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: When Curtis Lofton left before the 2012 season, Weatherspoon was expected to step up big. He took over a leadership role for the Falcons but it failed to translate to his box score production. I see him as a solid and safe LB2.
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| 35 | Mark Barron | TB | |
| 36 | Roman Harper | NO | |
| 37 | Patrick Chung | PHI | |
| 38 | Bernard Pollard | TEN | |
| 39 | Eric Berry | KC | |
| 40 | Daryl Washington | ARI | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: I really like Washington, especially in the long term. For this year however, the four game suspension is a big factor and when Washington returns he will have Karlos Dansby to compete with for numbers.
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| 41 | Karlos Dansby | ARI | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: Dansby will have the lead role for at least the first four games and will continue to have a significant role even when Daryl Washington returns. Keep in mind that Paris Lenon gave us decent production playing next to Washington over the past couple of seasons. Dansby is much more talented and productive than Lenon.
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| 42 | Von Miller | DEN | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: In 2012 Miller's stellar big play production supplemented his modest 55 solo tackles enough to land him among the top 20 linebackers. Miller is a playmaker but it would be wishful thinking to count on a repeat of his 18.5 sacks or 6 forced fumbles.
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| 43 | Julius Peppers | CHI | |
| 44 | Chandler Jones | NE | |
| 45 | Cliff Avril | SEA | |
| 46 | Chris Long | STL | |
| 47 | D.J. Williams | CHI | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: He may not be the long term answer at middle linebacker in Chicago, but D.J. Williams has a good skill set for the scheme and the veteran savvy to fit with team chemistry. History shows that he can be highly productive in the right situations. This could be one of those situations. There is some risk but the reward could be big.
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| 48 | Manti Teo | SD | show |
[Jun 12th] John Norton says: I am much higher on Te'o than my peers because I believe he will soon be the center piece of the Chargers defense. Donald Butler has not been particularly impressive in that role and NFL teams simply do not use first round picks on two down middle linebackers. I believe they will tilt the scheme to fit what Te'o does well in the passing game, which is zone coverage, and will find a way to cover/mask his deficiencies.
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| 49 | Stephen Tulloch | DET | show |
[Jun 12th] John Norton says: Tulloch gives us decent tackle production but his big play ability and fantasy upside are limited. He is a good third starter or excellent depth.
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| 50 | LaRon Landry | IND | |
| 51 | Charles Woodson | OAK | |
| 52 | Robert Quinn | STL | |
| 53 | Rob Ninkovich | NE | |
| 54 | Shaun Phillips | DEN | |
| 55 | Charles Tillman | CHI | |
| 56 | Jason McCourty | TEN | |
| 57 | Jonathan Cyprien | JAX | |
| 58 | Antrel Rolle | NYG | |
| 59 | Brian Cushing | HOU | show |
[Jun 9th] John Norton says: Brian Cushing has missed time in two of the last three seasons including 11 games last year. The one time he played a full schedule, his numbers were not impressive. Granted that was a different position and scheme, but Cushing was on pace for only 70 solo tackles before the injury last year.
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| 60 | Dannell Ellerbe | MIA | show |
[Jun 11th] John Norton says: Ellerbe is in a good situation and will be productive. I am just not convinced that he is an upgrade over Karlos Dansby. If the Ravens though Ellerbe was that good he would still be in Baltimore.
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