Who Should I Start? Nakobe Dean or Malcolm Rodriguez

Saturday, May 24, 11:14 AM

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (knee), who is recovering from the torn left patellar tendon he suffered in the wild-card round of the playoffs last season, has taken up ballet to become lighter and more agile. "There's way more flexibility, of course. Way more mobility," Dean said of the results of his ballet training. "It's definitely something that's helping with my rehab." Last year, Dean and Zack Baun were the Eagles' top two tacklers, with Dean contributing 128 to go with three sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception. The 24-year-old played a career-high 815 defensive snaps in 2024 in 15 games and was an elite run-stopper for Philly's strong defense. Dean finished as the No. 14 linebacker in IDP fantasy leagues in his third year in the NFL. He is likely to be ready for the start of the 2025 season this fall, but don't be surprised if the Eagles manage hi workload carefully early on.

Thursday, June 5, 12:21 PM

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (knee) isn't expected to return from his knee injury until November. Rodriguez made it through 10 games (six starts) for Detroit in 2024 in his third year in the league before tearing his ACL against the Chicago Bears and going on season-ending Injured Reserve. Before the serious knee injury, the 26-year-old had 43 tackles (27 solo), two sacks, and a fumble recovery. With Rodriguez's injury coming late in the season, he's not going to be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign and will just be hoping to rejoin the club in the second half of the season. Rodriguez has a total of 151 tackles (102 solo), three sacks, 10 tackles for loss, five QB hits, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his three NFL seasons and will remain off the IDP fantasy radar.