IDP Strategy Guide for 2020 (Fantasy Football)

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Between the weekly variance and the NFL’s offensive-centric nature, team defenses in fantasy are hard to figure out. Sure, playing matchups and targeting “bad” offenses can work, but we’ve all fallen victim to a defense getting torched in one of those matchups. Or, worse, a team defense losing points after their quarterback threw a pick to give the other team excellent field position.

If those types of things frustrate you, I have a solution: Individual Defensive Players (IDP).

Rather than streaming defenses or playing matchups, fantasy owners can select players like Aaron Donald, Darius Leonard, and Jamal Adams. These players get points for tackles, sacks, interceptions, touchdowns, and, depending on scoring, even forced fumbles and tackles for loss.

Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

I am going to walk you through some basics for using IDP in your leagues. We will look at different types of scoring as well as draft strategies. Hopefully, by the end, you will be better prepared and willing to dip your toe into the IDP waters.

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Scoring Setups

Like any other fantasy league that rewards points for offense only, IDP leagues offer a wide range of scoring options. The term “tackle-heavy” is standard in most IDP leagues, and it pushes linebackers up the draft board, particularly ones that play inside.

If you are thinking of using IDP for the first time, this might be an excellent approach to start with. Your league can limit the number of defensive players each team must roster, and it will organically push defensive players down the draft board. This approach shouldn’t drastically alter the landscape of the league in the first year, and it should give owners a chance to get accustomed to using IDPs.

The other setup, and one that is popular among veteran IDP leagues, is “big-play” scoring. This system rewards more points for interceptions and sacks, though the extent to which these are rewarded often varies.

In big-play leagues, if a tackle is worth one point, sacks and interceptions should be worth at least three. Depending on how much you want to weigh those big plays, making them worth four points can work as well. It just depends on how much you want to boost certain players in regards to value.

Some IDP leagues will also reward points for forced fumbles, tackles for loss, and other key defensive contributions.

Draft Strategy

The obvious question for fantasy owners is when defensive players should come off the board relative to their offensive counterparts. Scoring will have a major effect on your draft strategy, so understanding the setups I highlighted above is critical. A couple of years ago, one of my redraft leagues implemented defensive players. Whether it was through poor planning or just trying to get cute, two owners picked defensive players in the fifth and sixth rounds of the draft. While the scoring was beneficial for inside linebackers, it wasn’t weighted heavily enough to consider taking one so early. It goes without saying: Know your league’s scoring before you draft.

Roster construction is the other, and, perhaps, the most important variable, as positional scarcity will play a role in your strategy. Reliable defensive line options are limited, so this isn’t a position you can afford to ignore. In looking at FantasyPros’ IDP rankings, there is a sizeable drop-off from the second tier to the third, and it only gets worse from there. Depending on how deep your league is, you can make a strong for reaching on a player like Danielle Hunter, Joey Bosa, or Donald.

In a tackle-heavy league, we want to target three-down inside linebackers like Leonard and Bobby Wagner. That said, no matter the scoring system, linebacker is the deepest of any IDP position, so there is no need to reach. As for defensive backs, there is a lot of variance at the position production-wise. You can typically stream matchups weekly if you end up missing out on a couple of the top-tier options like Adams and Derwin James. Much like the linebacker position, don’t reach for a defensive back.

If you’re playing in a league implementing IDP for the first time, don’t be intimidated. Try and simplify things; think of tackle-heavy fantasy leagues as you would PPR on the offensive side of the ball. The player pool is expanded, and there are pockets of value to be had late in drafts with players who are tackle machines but maybe don’t contribute much in coverage or when rushing the passer. Think of big-play leagues as you would standard fantasy leagues that award more points for touchdowns.

Your pre-draft preparation will ultimately determine your success. There are far fewer resources available to evaluate IDPs, so you can create an edge by familiarizing yourself with your league’s scoring system. By having a strategy entering the draft, you will likely be ahead of the majority of your league.

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