You can view my previous fantasy football IDP profile on Patrick Queen here.
Intro
I’m usually not too high on safeties being a part of my weekly fantasy football IDP lineup. However, Kamren Curl is one of the exceptions I’m willing to make. The rookie seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft played so well in the preseason that he nailed down the top backup safety spot on the team. Once Landon Collins went down with an achilles injury in week 7, Curl was thrust into the starting role and never looked back.
Curl reminds me a lot of Jamal Adams. In fact, the rookie stat line for both Adams and Curl are quite similar. Adams had 83 combined tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 2 sacks in his rookie season in 2017. Curl finished his inaugural season with 88 combined tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks while playing in all 16 games (started 11). The one difference between the two, in my opinion, is that Curl is better in pass coverage than Adams.
Curl, an Arkansas product, played both cornerback and safety. In the three years at Arkansas, his numbers improved every year; combining for 175 tackles and 15 pass deflections during that time.
The Washington Football Team has been trying to fill that safety hole for years since the late Sean Taylor. It looks as if they have finally found their next star safety.
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Fantasy Football Outlook
Curl put up 158.5 fantasy points in 16 games in the 2020 season. He’s owned in just 10 percent of Yahoo leagues and a meager two percent in ESPN leagues! This is blasphemy!
Just kidding, I know there are tons of IDP options out there with high volume positions like linebacker.
Safeties aren’t high on fantasy team owner’s radars, especially when it comes to drafting. The position historically has not been one of great volume. However, given how good and daunting the front seven of Washington is, it allows Curl to have free reign and be a playmaker all over the field.
Among all players labeled in the safety position, Curl ranked 16th overall. This ranking was ahead of veteran guys like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Adrian Amos, Tyrann Mathieu etc. I expect Curl to take that next leap into superstar status.
Reaching for Curl in your fantasy football drafts come August isn’t something that I would recommend. I do, however, think that Curl will be an overlooked prospect. He’s a player that will fall down the IDP charts, simply because he doesn’t have the fanfare behind him just yet. When staring down your draft queue scrambling because everyone in your league drafted all the top playmakers, take a gaze at Curl. He was on the field for 73 percent of the snaps. That is a high number and a lot of faith the coaching staff had in the seventh-round rookie.
Conclusion
The on-field snap count will only continue to rise for Curl as the 2021 season approaches. His experience playing both free and strong safety gives the team flexibility to put him anywhere on the field to make impact plays. Don’t hesitate when it comes time to draft Curl in your IDP leagues. The kid has star written all over him.
