Vita Vea

Vea recorded his best all-around season yet in 2023, posting a career-high 43 tackles and two forced fumbles while compiling the second-highest sack total of his career (5.5) across 15 games. The formidable anchor of the Buccaneers' front should continue serving as one of the league's most versatile interior defensive linemen, and the knack he's shown for getting to the quarterback as his career has progressed gives him more IDP value than many defensive tackles. Vea also has shown excellent durability, appearing in 45 of a possible 51 regular-season contests in the last three seasons.

Vea, already one of the league's elite run-stopping interior linemen, became more of a factor in the pass rush than any other season prior in 2022, recording a career-high 6.5 sacks that surpassed the high-water mark of four he'd established the previous year. The 2018 first-round pick continued to contribute his usual tackle numbers as well, tallying 31 stops while also logging one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Vea also saw over 500 defensive snaps for the second straight season and should have a similar role in the upcoming campaign.

Vea is the proverbial roadblock in the middle of a defensive line that teams crave, and his 6-4, 347-pound frame projects to pay off in multiple ways this season. Unfortunately for Vea's IDP prospects, the fantasy benefits of his presence are likely to be reaped mostly by defensive teammates. Vea will assuredly prove a difficult load to budge in the running game, which should allow him to notch his fair share of tackles. Additionally, the double- and triple-teams that he'll draw should go a long way toward affording the proficient pass-rushing trio of Vinny Curry, Jason Pierre-Paul and Gerald McCoy a robust share of one-one matchups. While Vea certainly isn't devoid of ability to get to the quarterback - as his 9.5 career college sacks attest - he'll likely be tasked with stopping the run first and foremost during his rookie campaign.