Arik Armstead

Armstead put together a solid bounce-back campaign after struggling mightily in 2020 without the help of DeForest Buckner or a healthy Nick Bosa to attract the offensive line's best blockers. The 27-year-old finished with 63 tackles and six sacks in 17 games last season. Armstead later proved to be a team player by restructuring what turned out to be a slightly overvalued extension that he signed in March 2020.

After breaking out with 10 sacks in 2019, Armstead reverted to the form he showed in his early years as a disappointing first-round pick, finishing with 49 tackles and just 3.5 sacks across 16 games last season. The 26-year-old was asked to be the team's top defensive lineman following early injuries to Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, but it became clear that he's best suited as a complementary piece. It'll be interesting to see which Armstead shows up this year if the defensive line can stay healthy the way it did during the 49ers' run to Super Bowl LIV.

The 49ers were forced to choose between extending one of their first-round defensive linemen this offseason due to cap limitations, and the club opted to go for the slightly cheaper option in Armstead while trading DeForest Buckner to the Colts. Armstead actually finished with more sacks than Buckner for the first time in the monstrous duo's time together, pacing the team with a career-high 10 sacks. The 26-year-old will be asked to take on a larger role with his former Oregon teammate gone, likely lining up on the outside on early downs and moving to the interior in nickel and dime packages. Armstead will need to replicate his pass-rush success from a year ago to complement his modest tackle totals in order to maintain IDP relevance.

Armstead finally put it all together in his fourth year as a pro, recording 45 tackles and three sacks while, most importantly, staying healthy for an entire season for the first time since his rookie year. The former first-round pick was rewarded by having his fifth year picked up by San Francisco this past offseason. The team added two traditional 4-3 defensive ends in Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, which likely moves Armstead to the inside on most formations. He will have to compete with Solomon Thomas for snaps this season, but neither is expected to have a huge fantasy impact due to their pedestrian sack totals.

Armstead will need to turn things around quickly, as he has remained below 20 tackles and three sacks in each of his first three seasons. A large contributor to that is injuries, which held him out for 18 games in the last two campaigns. A hamstring injury has surfaced in camp now, and he's in danger of missing Week 1. Fantasy owners should be wary of the 24-year-old, as the presence of rookie Jullian Taylor could eat into his playing time even when he is deemed healthy to return.

The 2015 first-round pick is entering make-or-break territory with the 49ers after two unimpressive and injury-plagued seasons. Assuming good health, we could see the best version of Armstead after he reported to camp at a much-lighter 275 pounds. He was used as a run-stuffer in the 49ers' previous 3-4 defense, but the 23-year-old will line up as a traditional defensive end in Robert Saleh's revamped 4-3 scheme, which could result in higher sack totals for Armstead. His new size and role could result in IDP relevance for the first time in his career.

Armstead was eased into action during his rookie season, only participating in 33 percent of team’s defensive snaps and finishing with 19 tackles and a pair of sacks. He is projected to start at one of the 3-4 defensive end positions during his sophomore campaign and has the size and strength to be a disruptive force in the backfield.

Armstead will compete for the starting left defensive end spot vacated by Justin Smith. He is considered raw, but he can earn the spot with a strong showing during training camp. Either way, he likely won't record enough sacks to be relevant in IDP leagues this season.