Viewing the fantasy football IDP profile of the Baltimore Ravens’ stud linebacker Patrick Queen.
You can view my previous IDP profile on the Falcons’ linebacker Deion Jones here.
Overview
The Queens Gambit! Well not quite a gambit as Patrick Queen put together a solid rookie campaign in the 2020 season. To even my own surprise, he amassed over 100 tackles. Oddly enough though, I felt that Queen left a lot out there to be desired on the field.
The Ravens have had successful linebackers over the years. We are talking about the likes of Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Peter Boulware, C.J. Mosley (who I also did an IDP Profile on here), etc., who have been stalwarts in that Ravens’ linebacker group. Queen has pretty big shoes to fill but he is up to the task.
Drafted in the first round in the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU, there was no shortage of pressure on Queen to come in and quickly make an impact. After losing Mosley to the New York Jets in free agency in 2019, there was a void in the Ravens linebacking core.
The Ravens needed to get younger, faster, and more athletic in the middle linebacker spot. They needed a player who can cause havoc and disrupt games. Queen fit that billing while at LSU. He was 6th in assisted tackles and 4th in tackles for loss in the SEC in 2019.
Queen ran a 4.50 at the 2020 combine; tied with guys like CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk! He can get sideline to sideline quickly and make impact plays, and fits the new mold of linebackers we are seeing take the NFL by storm. Let’s take a look at his rookie stats from the 2020 season:
Total Tackles: 106
Tackles for Loss: 9
Int: 1
Pass Deflections: 2
QBhits: 10
As a reference, former Ravens’ LB C.J. Mosley put up 133 tackles and 8 tackles for loss in his rookie season back in 2014. Queen is much faster and quicker than Mosley, therefore he can impact the game much differently. Queen finished third in the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year votes in 2020 season.
Fantasy Football Impact
Queen finished with 192 total fantasy football points in 16 games during the 2020 season. That is 12 points per game over the course of the 16 game regular season. This was ahead of some elite players such as Jamal Adams and K.J. Wright. Queen will get better from here on out too. With rookie growing pains out of the way, watch for him to take the next step.
Rob Ryan is the new inside linebackers coach for the Ravens. As we all know, the Ryan family are all guys with high energy and high emotions. They also love to play aggressively and input a lot of trust into their players. This will mesh well for Queen’s style of play.
Queen was on the field for 80 percent of the snaps in his rookie season, the most among the entire linebacking group of the Ravens. That is a lot of trust the team had in Queen in only his first season in the NFL. I fully expect that snap count to easily be in the 90 percent range come the 2021 NFL season barring any injuries.
For fantasy football owners that is a huge plus to draft a player with that high of a snap count! For IDP players, it’s one of the most important things to look at when deciding which player to draft on to your team. Despite this and the early success he’s had, I can easily envision many owners overlooking Queen in their fantasy football leagues on draft day.
Conclusion
Patrick Queen is not a big name yet and is flying under the radar. However, do not make the mistake letting him slide by you in your fantasy football draft! Right now, I like Queen’s upside a lot. He has the potential to finish as a Top-10 IDP player at his position, and a player you should be able to count on for years to come!
