ILB Benardrick McKinney | Houston Texans | 2nd Year
2015 Stats: 63 Total Tackles, 1 Sack
As a rookie in 2015, Houston Texans linebacker Benardrick McKinney started 11 regular season games and well as the team’s Wild Card round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. His production was not at an elite level, but he did offers some glimpses of his potential with nine total tackles in the playoff game against the Chiefs, 10 total tackles in Week 14 against the New England Patriots and nine total tackles in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Some buzz has surrounded McKinney after his rookie season, with a “high ceiling” comment from teammate Brian Cushing in February and head coach Bill O’Brien mentioning him as someone who improved a lot during offseason work. Add that to a recent nugget from the Houston Chronicle that the Texans plan to use McKinney more on passing downs this year, most notably as a pass rusher, and the second-year linebacker belongs on the radar of fantasy owners.
McKinney is currently No. 59 among linebackers on FF Today.com’s IDP rankings, albeit with their green check mark signaling upside potential. As long as he remains relatively off the grid in fantasy rankings, which seems likely with some higher profile defensive teammates, McKinney will be a draft steal as well as a great breakout candidate for IDP owners in 2016.
2016 Projection
125 total tackles, 5 sacks, 2 INT
Breakout Percentage
75%
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