Nick Bosa

Bosa has been remarkably consistent throughout his five-year career. In four full seasons, he's played between 713 and 798 defensive snaps and come away with between 47 and 53 total tackles. More uncharacteristic from the 2023 season was his lack of pass-rush production, as he finished with only 10.5 sacks and a relatively muted 19 percent pass-rush win rate. The explanation is fairly straightforward, however, as he was third in the league in his rate of being double teamed. In response, the 49ers signed Leonard Floyd to a multi-year deal this offseason, which should help keep attention away from Bosa a bit more in 2024. He should be back in the conversation for sack leader once again, keeping him in the conversation as one of the most elite fantasy options along the defensive line.

The second overall pick in the 2019 draft is the complete package athletically, and Bosa led the league in both sacks (18.5) and QB pressures (56) last year despite missing a game due to a groin strain. He's surrounded by talent in San Francisco but could get additional help off the edge if 2022 second-round pick Drake Jackson has a breakout campaign. The loss of defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is big, but veteran coach Steve Wilks is a capable replacement. The last time Wilks held the DC title, Myles Garrett notched a sack a game for Cleveland, a pace Bosa's already shown he can exceed.

No longer the Lesser Bosa, Nick broke out emphatically in 2021, a year after suffering an ACL tear. After 15.5 sacks in 801 snaps, it’s clear that Nick is every bit the threat that brother Joey is. Nick now joins his brother as a top-5 DL, and one who can compete to be DL1 in IDP leagues. Only 25 in October, Bosa is still improving. It doesn’t hurt that second-year DC DeMeco Ryans looks like one of the league’s best.

If ranking just for sack upside then Bosa would be a top-10 IDP defensive lineman. His career was off to a blazing-fast start before he suffered an ACL tear Week 2 last year, and that injury happened early enough in the season that he should be back close to 100 percent healthy for this season. Bosa produced 47 tackles and nine sacks in 789 snaps as a rookie in 2019, and we can probably expect him to breeze past 900 snaps this year if his durability cooperates. Anything less than 50 tackles and double-digit sacks would be disappointing.

Bosa's rookie year numbers don't imply dominance at a glance, but the game tape was more favorable than his stats in the first 16 games, and it's pertinent to note that he posted four sacks in his three playoff games. Turning 23 in October, Bosa is poised to improve and roll some of that postseason production into the 2020 regular season. If you include his postseason production, he totaled 62 tackles and 13 sacks on 936 snaps. It remains to be seen whether the exit of DeForest Buckner harms Bosa's per-snap production any, but a breakout season should be the general expectation for Bosa as he logs upwards of 900 snaps after playing just 789 last year.

Bosa was widely considered the best available player in the 2019 draft, and San Francisco was able to snag him with the second overall pick. The Ohio State product is a unique talent in that he is an adept pass rusher, but his strength and disengagement ability make him stout against the run as well. The 21-year-old's health was a controversial topic during his brief college tenure, and his success in the NFL will be heavily weighted by how often he can stay on the field. When healthy, the younger of the Bosa brothers appears to be a sure thing and can create one of the league's best pass-rush duos with Dee Ford after the 49ers were one of the worst teams in that aspect in 2018.