Fantasy Football Draft Preview: IDP

When Should I Draft IDP?

Hang on a sec …

Your first question can’t be “when should I draft IDP.” Because the answer will differ immensely by format – and even by league within similar formats.

Knowing your scoring and lineup settings matters a lot for your IDP league, for two key reasons:

1. The offensive side of fantasy football sports some pretty widespread standards. You’ll find plenty of variations, but most leagues fit into a common format. With IDPs, however, there’s no such broad commonground.
2. Fantasy players in general know much less about this side of the ball – even many who have played in IDP leagues for years.

Less commonality in format and less available info makes it more difficult, even if you’re trying to study.

But that’s why we’re here, you and I.

To look into when you should target IDPs in your particular draft, which positions make sense when, and – ultimately – who to target.

Let’s get to it … 

YOUR Rankings Will be Different

We have to base our IDP rankings on a default scoring system

The only way to know “When should I draft IDP” in your specific league is to create your Draft War Room cheat sheet.

 

IDP Strategy Guide

• How to Draft DL
• How to Draft LB
• How to Draft DB

With so many different lineup and scoring formats, we’ll go position by position here to talk through some draft strategies.

But before that, let’s hit on one lower-level format type …

1-3 IDPs

This is the most basic way to approach IDP fantasy football. And frankly, it’s really easy.

Imagine only starting 1-3 offensive guys from the entire pool of QBs, RBs, WRs, and TEs.

That’s what you’re doing here.

Just don’t reach for anyone too early. There will be plenty of defensive players for everyone in this format – including plenty still left on waivers after the draft.

Now let’s get to position specifics …

 

How to Draft DL

The DL valuations in your IDP draft will hinge on two key factors:

1. How your league scores sacks (and other pressure stats) vs. tackles.
2. How many you have to start, and whether they’re further split into specific position buckets.

Sack vs. tackle scoring not only matters for how much this position group matters in your league. It’ll also help determine the type of player(s) you should target.

If your league leans heavily into sack and pressure scoring, then players such as Packers Edge Rashan Gary get more attractive.

If your league leans more toward tackles, then Panthers DT Derrick Brown and Raiders DT Christian Wilkins could be studs.

EDGE

Pay attention to exactly what position this group fits in your league.

Some leagues include all edge types in DE. Some call them LBs or even specifically “edge.” Too many still split them across multiple positions – with, say, T.J. Watt at LB but Myles Garrett at DE.

The issue there seems obvious: Watt and Garrett play the same role for their teams. So we want them counted at the same position in fantasy.

Split them and we’re suddenly comparing Watt instead with Foye Oluokun and Zaire Franklin, who collect stats in far different ways.

The Leader(s)

T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

Watt led my DL rankings last year coming off an injury-wrecked 2022 – and delivered.

He led the league in sacks for the third time in four years and led the position in scoring.

Watt’s cross-category production has included 5+ passes defensed in six of his seven seasons and five more forced fumbles than anyone else in the league since he arrived in 2017.

 

Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

Crosby turns 27 this month, which makes him nearly three years younger than Watt.

The Raider has ranked among the top four edge players in total pressures each of the past three seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. He also has delivered 30+ QB hits for three straight seasons.

Crosby led the league in tackles for loss in 2022 and then tied for the lead last season. So the more your league counts pressure stats and plays behind the line, the more fantasy value Crosby holds.

 

The Challengers

Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

At just 25, Parsons is:

• two years younger than Maxx Crosby
• nearly two years younger than Nick Bosa
• 3.5 years younger than Myles Garrett

His 40.5 sacks through three seasons trail only Watt, Garrett, and Bosa over that same span. Parsons also sits tied for third over the past three years in QB hits (89) and ranks fourth in tackles for loss (51).

And it’s quite possible we haven’t even seen his statistical peak yet. Our historical aging data says D-lineman tend to peak in the age 26-28 range.

 

Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns

Garrett turns 29 this December, putting him technically just beyond that peak range. But he also might be coming off the best season of his career.

Garrett reached 14 sacks for the third straight season in winning his first Defensive Player of the Year award. He tied Parsons for third league-wide in QB hits over the past three years and ranked just ahead of him in tackles for loss (52).

Only Watt has more sacks than Garrett over that span, by 1.

 

Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers

Bosa endured what looked like a down season in 2023. That included tying for just 17th in the league in sacks and ranking well outside the top 20 D-linemen in fantasy points.

But Bosa’s 35 QB hits trailed leader T.J. Watt by just one. PFF credited Bosa with the third-most total pressures among all edge players, the third-best pass-rushing grade at the position, and the third-best overall grade.

Both grades continued steady improvement for Bosa to mark career highs. And his 115 QB hits over the past three seasons lead his nearest competitor by 18 (Crosby).

 

Sleepers & Values

Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers

I headed into this draft season prepared to fade Mack. His 6-sack outing in Week 4 against the Raiders last year accounted for 35% of his total sacks for the year and 23.4% of his fantasy points in a balanced-scoring format.

But the market seems to have overcorrected for that. Mack sits just 19th among D-lineman in the Fantasy Pros expert consensus rankings right now. I just watched him go 14th among edge players in my most experienced IDP league.

(I’d have taken him sooner but had already drafted Watt and Parsons.)

Mack delivered the second-most total pressures and second-most tackles for loss of his career in his age-32 season. He also tied for his second-most solo tackles and hit 70 total tackles for the first time since 2017 – while more than doubling his previous high in passes defensed.

It’s easy to bet on Mack at this year’s draft cost.

 

Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams

Verse looks poised to start immediately for a defense that needs help in the front seven now that Aaron Donald has retired.

Verse tied for fifth among all FBS edge players in total pressures last season. He averaged 1.18 tackles for loss per game for his college career. Among the past two draft classes, only Will Anderson beat that rate.

Verse looks well set up to collect tackles right away, including tackles behind the line. 

We’ll see if he can get into double-digit sack territory. But you likely won’t have to spend much to find out. Verse sits just 65th among D-linemen in the FantasyPros consensus. He’s 19th in our default DL rankings.

 

DT

If your league plays with any DT-specific slots, then this looks like the top group to target …

DeForest Buckner (3D Value: 92)
Christian Wilkins (91)
Derrick Brown (91)

Buckner has easily led this position in recent draft rankings, at least when Donald didn’t qualify as a DT. Wilkins and Brown, though, are coming off strong statistical seasons and are younger than Buckner.

Wilkins has ranked among the top 24 fantasy D-linemen for three straight seasons (depending on your scoring format). He doubled his previous sack high in 2023 and now joins what could be a sneaky-strong Raiders front.

Brown looks especially attractive for tackle-heavy leagues. He set the NFL record for total tackles by a D-lineman last year. Brown has also tallied 12+ QB hits in three of his four seasons.

 

How to Draft LB

Your Draft War Room will help guide you for exactly when LBs make sense in your specific draft.

Keep in mind, though, that ADP will vary widely – especially for IDP, a format with far fewer drafts from which to pull data.

And ADP factors into those in-draft valuations that power your recommendations. It doesn’t mean that a too-low ADP will keep your Draft War Room from ever recommending a certain player. But don’t be afraid to reach over a few offensive guys for a LB who hasn’t hit the top of your list yet.

That said, keep in mind the low market values on some of those favorites highlighted above. You just might be able to wait, grab an extra offensive guy or two, and then steal that breakthrough LB your league mates haven’t even heard of.

 

Clear Leader

Foye Oluokun, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Coming off three straight years of likely leading your league in LB scoring, Oluokun sits 6.0 and 6.2 3D Value points ahead of the next two guys in our default LB rankings. 

(For context, another seven players sit within 6.0 points of No. 2 Zaire Franklin.)

Oluokun has led the league in solo tackles, total tackles, or both for three straight years – dating back to his final Atlanta season. He also hasn’t missed a game since 2020 and has defensed 5+ passes each of the past three years.

 

Challengers

Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts

Only Oluokun collected more tackles than Franklin over the past two years. There’s a bit less appeal if you’re hunting for big plays, though.

Franklin dipped from 12 tackles for loss in 2022 to just 3 last year. He dipped from 3 sacks to 1.5 while seeing his PFF pass-rushing grade dip significantly vs. the previous season.

Franklin has defensed six passes in each of his two full starting seasons, though, and remains locked in as Indy’s defensive leader.

 

Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens

Smith ranked just 10th among LBs in fantasy points per game last season, his first full year in Baltimore. That’s not terrible, but I’m betting there’s more in store.

Smith’s total tackle numbers remained in line with his previous two years, and he might find upside in that category with Trenton Simpson taking over the departed Patrick Queen next to him.

Smith’s career-low 1.5 sacks also masked a career high in pass-rush chances. Smith’s 93 attempts – according to PFF – beat his 2022 by 27 and his previous high by 18.

Expect more sacks and plenty of scoring in 2024.

 

Sleepers & Values

Troy Andersen, Falcons

I wrote up Andersen as a sleeper in last year’s version of this article, and again among this year’s IDP Sleepers. We don’t know what last year would have produced, because Andersen tore a pectoral muscle in Week 2.

We do know that Atlanta’s defense allowed Rashaan Evans to rank among the top 8 fantasy LBs in 2022 and Nate Landman to deliver LB3-level scoring last year after stepping in for Andersen and serving as the No. 2 off-ball LB.

The biggest question for Andersen is playing time under a new coaching staff that has referred to him, Landman, and Kaden Elliss all as starters at a position likely to have no more than two on the field at nearly all times.

Andersen easily leads the group in physical upside, though. He:

1. Delivered huge college production despite starting his career on offense, and
2. Tested hyper-fast for the position at the Combine – at a large size (6’4, 243 pounds).

You can read more in that linked Sleepers article above. But you can also now stash Andersen at the end of most drafts. He sits just LB49 in the FantasyPros consensus.

 

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns

This guy has run hot and cold since arriving as a Round 2 pick in 2021. And his overall snap share for 2023 (76.3%) didn’t display any growth vs. the previous year (75.4%).

But JOK topped 80% playing time in six of the final eight games, with a regular-season high of 97% in Week 17 (before he and other starters sat out Week 18). Then he hit 100% in the playoff loss at Houston.

We’ll see exactly how playing time works alongside import Jordan Hicks. But Owusu-Koramoah is reportedly in extension talks with the Browns and has displayed cross-category scoring ability. That included career highs last year in:

• Solo tackles
• Assists
• Sacks
• Passes defensed
• INTs
• Tackles for loss

JOK’s 20 TFLs ranked fourth in the league, led all non-edge players, and marked exponential growth vs. his first two seasons.

There’s top-12 upside here at a high-LB3 price tag.

 

Jack Campbell, Detroit Lions

Campbell let fantasy players down as a rookie after landing in Detroit as a first-round pick. But that’s driving down the price to take another shot on him this year.

The FantasyPros consensus has Campbell just 40th among LBs. He sits 25th in our base LB rankings. And the upside reaches well beyond that.

Detroit coaches have praised the second-year man’s offseason. And there’s a reason the Lions drafted him in Round 1. Campbell:

• Led FBS in tackles as a 2021 sophomore
• Won the Butkus Award (nation’s top LB) in 2022
• Delivered strong speed and agility at the Combine, with elite size for the position.

 

How to Draft DB

Last year, I thought there was a defined top shelf at safety. But neither Derwin James nor Jalen Pitre delivered to that degree.

Injuries got in the way, and James wound up good – ranking fourth in fantasy points per game among DBs who played more than three games.

We also got the Kyle Hamilton breakout I was hoping for. But the overall production at safety aligned with not prioritizing safety too early. And that’s how I had always drafted it before.

Bountiful Top Shelf in 2024

You’ll find small steps down in 3D Values among the top guys in our DB rankings.

The rankings probably won’t look exactly the same in your synced Draft War Room, but you’ll likely still see plenty of options near each other at the top.

And that group is bound to include at least an option or two going at a value price in your IDP draft … 

Value Picks Inside Top 6

I listed a pair of my top 6 DBs among my early IDP sleepers back in June. Honestly, I was primarily guessing that those guys would go undervalued. And it looks like I was right.

I have since moved Broncos S Brandon Jones down because he's dealing with a hamstring injury. But he already sat 33rd among DBs in the Fantasy Pros consensus and will present big upside anywhere from DB2 territory down.

Seahawks S Julian Love sits just 13th among DBs in the consensus despite delivering top-5 scoring last year.

I have him third in baseline 3D Value – and first in total fantasy points (by our default scoring). Seattle just extended him for big money this summer.

How to Treat These Sleepers

First of all, the wide gap between our projection and the market ranking for both players tells you that you don’t need to jump on either when he first comes into view in your Draft War Room rankings.

Although you don’t need to draft Love as soon as he tops your board, you certainly can. He brings more past production than Jones and sports the higher floor.

I’m more confident in the Seattle safety, especially behind a weak set of LBs.

What About the Rest?

Last year, Camryn Bynum and Reed Blankenship went from fantasy no-names to top-10 producers among DBs.

Justin Simmons went the other way, and is still searching for a team as of this writing.

My point: DB can be pretty wild. And I don’t see significant tier breaks beyond the aforementioned top shelf.

Fit DBs into your draft rather than reaching for specific DB targets.

Bynum, for some reason, sits just 14th in the FantasyPros consensus. He's an easy buy anywhere around there after a top-3 fantasy season in 2023.

 

CB

If you play in a league that requires any CB starters, this position should be your lowest priority. (And if you don’t have to use any corners, very few will even be worth your attention.)

Devon Witherspoon stands as the biggest exception.

The guy lost three full games to injury as a rookie (including the opener) and left two others early. But he ranked ninth in fantasy points per game among DBs who played more than three games.

Witherspoon won on:

• Tackles
  • 18th among DBs in total tackles per game across 12 healthy outings
  • 17th in solos per game
• Coverage plays
  • 16 passes defensed
• Pass rushes
  • 3 sacks tied for second most among DBs
  • 10th-most pass-rush attempts among CBs
  • Second-most total pressures (10)

Will 2024 Change Hurt?

New HC Mike Macdonald is reportedly not yet sure how Witherspoon’s role will break down between outside-CB and the slot. Though the coach said “he needs reps out there” at the end of July, indicating Witherspoon remains better suited for the inside – at least for now.

Witherspoon played 348 of his 883 snaps on the boundary last year, according to Pro Football Focus. He also spent 83% of snaps for his final college season on the outside.

I’m not worried that Witherspoon will lose playing time overall. More snaps out wide vs. in the slot would likely hurt his tackle production, but I’m not panicking over potential shift there right now.

The Seahawks should be looking to continue leveraging the young CB’s versatility. And he left big-play upside on the field last year, with just 1 INT.

 

Rookie CBs to Know

New corners can often be good sources for tackle and on-ball production because offenses are looking to test them.

Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles

Philly’s first pick of 2024 might not start opposite Darius Slay on the outside right away. But Mitchell looks poised to at least operate as the primary nickel back.

That positions Mitchell in a valuable role – closer to the action than outside CBs are – and most teams run nickel and other “sub” package defenses more than they do their “base” defense at this point.

We’ll see what Mitchell can offer as a tackler. But he defensed 37 passes over just the past two seasons, with six INTs. That means attractive upside.

Terrion Arnold, Detroit Lions

This first-rounder should easily open the season in the starting lineup for a defense that’s churning its secondary and looking for playmakers.

Arnold totaled 20 passes defensed and 6 INTs over his final two college seasons. But he also added 6.5 tackles for loss in 2023 alone.

That suggests a player capable of making plays both in coverage and coming forward. And Detroit should play from ahead in plenty of games this season.

Kamari Lassiter, Houston Texans

The second-round pick has been generating buzz since the spring and appears to be on the verge of winning the starting job opposite Derek Stingley Jr.

It’s not yet clear whether Lassiter would move inside for sub packages or cede that role to veteran Desmond King. 

But Houston drafted Lassiter for his versatility. And Stingley’s developing strength in coverage could push more targets toward the rookie no matter where he’s lined up.

  

Want to Learn More About IDP?

Whether you’re new to IDP and interested in the basics or looking to build out your IDP strategy, this article is ready to help.

And you can find most of that info in the video below …