Top 24 Dynasty Edge Rushers (#1-12)

Which edge rushers should be coming off the board first in your dynasty startups? Here are the 12 EDGEs with true week-winning ability.

Jul 17, 2022

Earlier this month, we touched on the back half of the top 24 edge rushers in the league. In this article, we’ll look at the top 12 dynasty EDGEs.

Listen to us talk about these edge rushers on the podcast.

You’ll see an influx of youth here, with high draft capital making a big difference in where these guys are ranked. The biggest difference, though, between these players and the ones we ranked previously? Week-winning ability. You won’t get that very often (or at all) with the guys ranked 13-24. But with these top 12 guys, any of them has the potential to drop 40-50 points and single-handedly win your matchup.

12. Joey Bosa (Los Angeles Chargers)

If you didn’t play in an EDGE-designated league, 2021 brought an unwelcome change for Bosa, with new Coach Staley changing the Chargers’ defensive scheme and moving Bosa to a stand-up OLB role, as opposed to a hand-in-the-dirt DE. Despite this, Bosa was still able to put up numbers in line with his 2020 production, but it was not what you wanted from a guy who was being drafted in the Top 5 at his position. 12th feels right for him, with fringe EDGE1/2 production in his wheelhouse.

11. Danielle Hunter (Minnesota Vikings)

The last time we saw Hunter play a full regular season was 2019, and much like regular fantasy football, IDP has a “What have you done for me lately” mindset. Hunter is still only 27 and can put up points like with the best of them, as showcased by his 40+ point game in Week 2. Don’t make the mistake of counting him out.

10. Chase Young (Washington Commanders)

There’s no other way to put it: Young was an enormous disappointment in 2021 even before he tore his ACL. His 1.5 sacks across 11 games, combined with low QB hit numbers, meant it wasn’t just a conversion problem. However, let’s not forget coming out of Ohio State, Young was seen as a better prospect than both Bosas and on par with Myles Garrett. At only 23 years old, we’re not willing to write him off yet.

9. Kayvon Thibodeaux (New York Giants)

Continuing with the “elite prospect” theme, Kayvon “Diesel” Thibodeaux (a nickname earned in Pop Warner for being a giant among boys) was the top prospect coming out of high school, and was seen by most as the top college player right up until questions about his work ethic popped up midway through 2021. We personally think those questions are a bunch of bull, and that New York got a steal with Thibs at 5. Don’t be surprised if next year, he’s up where Hutch is on this list.

8. Josh Allen (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Allen has well and truly arrived as a premier edge rusher in the league, and he didn’t even break 800 snaps or double-digit sacks last year—both of which should arrive soon in his future. Allen is more than likely the cheapest available high-level edge rusher if you’re looking to acquire one (outside of maybe the next guy on this list). Allen finished as EDGE 12 in 2021 and that should be his floor moving forward.

7. Jaelan Phillips (Miami Dolphins)

The last of the 2021 rookie class in this lineup, Phillips is ranked the highest of the group despite actually being graded the worst by PFF. So maybe draft Phillips with caution in All-22; however, grab him where you can in dynasty. He may have played in all 17 games, but he only started in 2 of them and had a lower snap share than any others of that group except for Gregory Rousseau. With Phillips slated for a starting role, there’s no limit to what the first EDGE drafted in 2021 can do in 2022.

Find more dynasty edge rushers in The IDP Draft Kit: theidpdraftkit.com

6. Aidan Hutchinson (Detroit Lions)

Hutchinson was the best defensive player in college last season, bar none. You could argue he was the best overall—over Stroud, Young, and Addison too. His situation in Detroit is one where he can thrive. Dan Campbell is working to dig this team out of purgatory, and he’s just drafted the perfect hard-nosed grinder to build their team identity around. Hutch isn’t flashy, but he is a beast, and he’s really, really good. Expect plenty of opportunities to come his way to score big for your IDP roster.

5. Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders)

If we’re avoiding Phillips in All-22, Triple-X Maxxx Crosby is in the conversation for the first defensive player drafted. Crosby had a conversion issue nearly every week except the one that didn’t matter (Week 18 vs. LAC) when he blew up for 49 points. Combine that with his 33.70 point game in Week 1, and his 39-point game in Week 6 and you have 52% of his points in 3 out of 17 weeks. That’s anomalous, to say the least. We’d bet the Sode Shack on more of those QB hits becoming sacks in 2022.

4. Brian Burns (Carolina Panthers)

This ranking is all about us counting on Burns to take the next step. He was good in 2021, but he crushed you down the stretch, so much to the point that you might have been better off benching him after the bye week. When we talk about the next step though, that’s not just about raising your highs, it’s things like consistency and the ability to set and forget a player. We truly think that from 2022 onwards, Burns moves up into the top tier to be with the next 3 names.

3. Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns)

If linebackers had a top tier of 4, EDGE has a top tier of 3, and Garrett could arguably be at #1 for some folks. All 3 possess that single-game winning ability, with a 40-50 point game ceiling. But they also all possess solid consistency at an elite level. Garrett’s only issue in 2021 was he dropped off at the end. But, don’t look too much into that, he is absolutely elite and a top 5 IDP asset regardless of who’s ranking.

2. T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers)

The only question with T.J. is how long he can keep this up. He’s 27 now and his brother J.J. started to drop off at 30, but with injury-plagued age 28 and 29 seasons, you could say it was earlier. T.J has been in decent health up until this point and we don’t like predicting injury so we won’t. Watt will be a dominant force for years to come and the only question you need to worry about is: is he on your roster?

1. Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers)

If you have Watt or Garrett here, we don’t blame you. As we said before, they’re all in the same tier. The tie-breaker for us is that Bosa is not yet 25 and he’s scoring at an elite level. Bosa is a guy that can compete with the best offensive guys on any given week and should not be moved unless you’re getting another young upside EDGE (like one of the guys listed in the 24-18 range) and a 1st back as well.