The Philadelphia Eagles let defensive tackle, Javon Hargrave, leave in free agency, and the San Francisco 49ers won the bidding war for his services. Hargrave received a four-year $81 million dollar contract, with $40 million guaranteed. What impact will this signing have on San Francisco’s defense and what to expect for Hargrave going forward?

The Past

Hargrave played his college football at South Carolina State and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 3rd round with the 89th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons in Steel City where he played 63 games, making 52 starts and producing 168 total tackles, 106 solo stops (63% solo rate), 22 TFLs, 22 QB hits, 14½ sacks, two forced fumbles, one recovery that he returned for a touchdown, and two PBUs. While not the most staggering of numbers, you have to remember he was playing as a true nose tackle between two stud defensive ends, Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. Fresh off his first 60 tackles/40 pressure season in 2019, the Steelers thought he would cost too much to keep and let would let him hit free agency.

The Philadelphia Eagles would be the highest bidder for Hargrave, as they gave him a three-year $39 million dollar contract. Philadelphia who has historically been known for their interior defensive line strength would be getting the impact player that would take their defense to the next level. More importantly, Hargrave would get to slide out to defensive tackle where he was more naturally suited to play. In three seasons with the Eagles Hargrave would play in 48 games, with 44 of them being starts. He would record 161 tackles, with 80 being solos (49.6% solo rate), 24 TFLs, 42 QB hits, 23 sacks, two forced fumbles, three recoveries, and four PBUs. After back-to-back 60 tackles/40 pressure seasons and a career-high 11 sacks, Hargrave would once again find himself in line for a big payday.

The Future

That next payday came from the San Francisco 49ers who have one of the top defenses in all of the NFL, in the form of four years for $81 million. What the 49ers are getting is an impact player who can wreak havoc from the interior. Hargrave will be replacing Javon Kinlaw who they hoped would be that guy but it just never materialized for either. Hargrave will be playing with a loaded San Francisco front line, which is nothing new for him. As I mentioned he played with Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt in Pittsburgh, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham in Philadelphia, and now Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead and the best linebackers he’s ever played in front of. San Francisco led the NFL with a league-low 16.3 points allowed per game last season and now has an elite player on the inside to shut down running lanes and rush the passer.

Fantasy Outlook

So what does all of this mean for fantasy managers? Hargrave has developed into one of the more reliable fantasy options at the defensive tackle position. In three of the last four years, he has had 60 tackles/40 pressure seasons and 18½ sacks over the last two seasons. Those are reasonable expectations (60/40/8) for him going forward. Hargarve should be able to easily provide you with 15+ fantasy points per game and that should easily be in the top 15 at the defensive tackle position. He finished ranked 11th in average per game scoring (16.09 ppg) in IDP Nation Listener League II. This easily makes him a tier 1 option, in position-specific leagues.

In general position leagues (DL), his value obviously isn’t as good but it still can carry some fantasy weight. In these types of leagues, his best value is as a DL4 where his floor value makes him a reliable fantasy option. If he can repeat the double-digit sack totals again, then I would even bump him up a tier to a DL3. Hargrave will be a great fit in SnaFrancisco and have one hell of a supporting cast around him that should allow him to continue to be a fantasy star. Even coming off such a great season as he is, I feel he’s still an underrated option that can most likely be acquired at a decent value. 

All stats provided by Pro Football Reference

Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy