DeForest Buckner

DeForest Buckner

30-Year-Old Defensive TackleDT
Indianapolis Colts
2023 Fantasy Outlook
The veteran defensive tackle put together another outstanding campaign, recording a career-high 74 tackles last year while piling up at least seven sacks for the fifth consecutive season. Buckner's combination of interior pass rush skills, run-stuffing and consistency (he's missed only two games in a seven-year career) are unmatched at his position, but at 29 it's fair to wonder how much longer he can keep going to war in the trenches without slipping. The Colts scaled back Buckner's snaps on special teams last year, and they could keep an even closer eye on his workload in 2023. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#Subscriber-Only
IDP
$Signed a five-year, $105 million contract with the Colts in March of 2020.
Gets sack in season finale
DTIndianapolis Colts
January 8, 2024
Buckner recorded six tackles (one solo), including a sack, in Saturday's 23-19 loss versus the Texans.
ANALYSIS
Over 17 games this season, Buckner recorded 81 tackles (45 solo) including eight sacks and two forced fumbles, adding a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. His tackle total was a career high, and his production as a pass rusher remained remarkable for a defensive tackle. Perhaps just as impressive is the fact he still hasn't missed a game since 2020. He has one year remaining on his current contract and is clearly still one of the league's better interior defensive linemen.
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Indianapolis ColtsColts 2023 DT Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

81871%
43438%
33329%
25222%
12711%
131%
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2023 DeForest Buckner Split Stats
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Measurables Review
How do DeForest Buckner's measurables compare to other defensive tackles?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 7"
 
Weight
295 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
5.05 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.47 sec
 
Cone Drill
7.51 sec
 
Vertical Jump
32.0 in
 
Broad Jump
116 in
 
Hand Length
11.75 in
 
Arm Length
34.38 in
 
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Team cautious with injury
DTIndianapolis Colts
December 24, 2020
Coach Frank Reich said that Buckner experienced soreness and swelling in his ankle following last Sunday's 27-20 win over the Texans, Kevin Bowen of Indianapolis' 107.5 The Fan reports.
ANALYSIS
Buckner may have experienced after-effects of a physical Week 15 effort, but he didn't seem to be beleaguered by his ankle issue in-game. The 2018 Pro Bowler racked up three sacks against the division-rival Texans, providing him with five total sacks over his past three games. Based on the clarification Reich provided on his star defender's status, it appears Buckner has a chance to suit up Week 16 against Pittsburgh despite missing Wednesday's practice.
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Buckner will never be as valuable as an IDP as he is on the real football field, but he’s still a conventionally valuable defensive lineman IDP. His modest sack totals restrict him to more of the low-end DL1 range of the defensive line IDP rankings. Buckner is a big snare trap in the middle of the Colts defense who frees up everyone else and still finds time to push for double- digit sacks.
Buckner is truly a foundational talent on the defensive line, single-handedly anchoring the Indianapolis front seven and opening possibilities for the rest of the swarming Colts defense to pursue the ball. At 6-7, 291, with exceptional reach and quickness, Buckner tangles up offensive linemen and obstructs throwing lanes like few can. Despite these responsibilities, Buckner piles up numbers on his own part, too. In recent years he has reliably produced about a 60-tackle, 10-sack range for a 16-game season, and health permitting he should keep that up.
There's no way to know exactly how Buckner will fit into the Indianapolis defense, but there's no doubt that he's an elite talent on the line with unusually strong conditioning. Even as the primary concern of the offensive line on any given play, he always showed the ability to play upwards of 1,000 snaps on the interior line. With the Colts, though, it seems unlikely that he'll play much more than 800 snaps. Still, his per-snap numbers from San Francisco would project to roughly 59 tackles and 6.5 sacks per 800 snaps, so Buckner should provide DL2 utility or better in most IDP formats.
Buckner is an elite defender whose uncommon conditioning allows him to approach 1,000 snaps despite the exhausting task of anchoring the San Francisco defensive line. In his three NFL seasons, Buckner already has 201 tackles, and he really threw down the gauntlet last year by breaking out for 12 sacks on 852 snaps. Offenses have already been doing everything they can to slow Buckner, so his per-snap production is mostly sustainable even if last year was the best-case scenario for sack production. Buckner is a sound DL1 with 70-tackle, 10-sack upside.
The general rule is that defensive linemen see fewer snaps the bigger they are, with the reasonable underlying premise being that bigger linemen get more blocking attention, and thus take more of a beating. Buckner seems immune to that rule. He's a huge lineman at 6-7, 300 pounds, yet he's displayed a freakish level of conditioning and durability to play 1,000 snaps or more in a season. Any lineman who plays that much has an advantage over the field of IDPs, making him a strong bet to rank among the positional tackle leaders.
The 49ers selected Buckner seventh overall last year because he fits like a glove as an end in a 3-4 scheme at 6-7, 300, but he likely will play tackle in the 49ers' new 4-3 scheme this year. It's not ideal to be that tall and line up over guard, but Buckner is a unique enough athlete to produce anyway. He was productive as a 22-year-old rookie starter last year, posting 73 tackles despite missing one game with a foot issue. He logged a lot of plays to get there, however, playing 1,005 snaps, and it might be more realistic to project something like 900 this season.
Rookie 3-4 ends normally don't make IDP noise, but Buckner might be a different breed. A rare athlete at 6-foot-7, 291 pounds with incredible conditioning, Buckner is already a polished product and shouldn't need the acclimation time most DEs would require. He was exceptionally productive at Oregon the last two years, exceeding 80 tackles in both seasons while totaling 30 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks in just 28 games. He's a boom-or-bust IDP consideration with a low floor, but Buckner might do a good Calais Campbell impression surprisingly early in his career.
More Fantasy News
Logs sack in win
DTIndianapolis Colts
January 1, 2024
Buckner finished Sunday's 23-20 win over the Raiders with four tackles (three solo), including one sack.
ANALYSIS
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No designation for Saturday
DTIndianapolis Colts
December 14, 2023
Buckner (back) did not practice Thursday but has no injury designation for Saturday's game against the Steelers.
ANALYSIS
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Logs limited practice Wednesday
DTIndianapolis Colts
Back
December 13, 2023
Buckner (back) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Registers eight stops in loss
DTIndianapolis Colts
December 11, 2023
Buckner totaled eight tackles (three solo) in Sunday's Week 14 loss to the Browns.
ANALYSIS
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Gets fifth sack
DTIndianapolis Colts
November 6, 2023
Buckner had four total tackles, including a sack and additional tackle for a loss, and two passes defensed in Sunday's win at Carolina.
ANALYSIS
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