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ILB Nick Barnett, Green Bay Packers

HT: 6-2, WT: 233, Born: 5-27-1981, College: Oregon State, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 29

2008 Projections

Best Case

Nick Barnett is one of the best linebackers in the NFL, racking up over 600 tackles in the last five years. A former first round draft pick, Barnett has been a top ten fantasy LB in three of the past four seasons. While he does not put up huge big play numbers, Barnett makes plays all over the field and is solid in both pass and run defense. Should Barnett add a few big plays and continue his tackling prowess, he could be at or near the top of the fantasy LBs this year.

Worst Case

Barnett is a well rounded linebacker and makes a lot of plays, but despite having over 600 career tackles, he has remarkably only forced a single fumble in five years. Barnett is a sure tackler but otherwise puts up pedestrian numbers. If Barnett's tackle numbers slide and he does not increase his peripheral numbers, Barnett could find himself out of the LB1 tier.

Outlook

Barnett is an elite fantasy LB and there is little reason to believe he will not continue to put up big tackle numbers. Anyone who consistently is in the 90 solo tackle range can be expected to be in or around the top ten LBs. Barnett blitzed a little more last year, leading to a personal best of 3.5 sacks. He is a tackling machine and makes just enough big plays to rank among the best fantasy LBs. With his consistent tackle numbers, Barnett should remain a solid and safe mid LB1 in 2008.

Writeups last modified: 2008-06-15 15:01:25