IDP (individual defensive players); it sounds like a southern rap click, but it's actually a fantasy football format for the fantasy dork in all of us;
For the true fantasy nerd, the one who needs even more players to manage, more inane bullshit to tide him over; I present IDP; individual defensive players. This format has you draft a collection of defenders instead of a team's defense/special teams. The impact on scoring can be much more significant than that of a team defense. In a league last year that I won I did so by getting nearly 35 fantasy points per game out
of my IDP talent. The common football head knows a team's defensive talent and their depth charts much less than the offensive side of the ball. You need to be aware of not only who is starting on defense, but what scheme the defense employs and how the coordinator plans to utilize the players in that scheme. Essentially you need to become a fucking uber nerd to really excel at the IDP format.
Urlacher is a beast, but don't draft names over production
Don't simply take the best names in the talent pool; big name defenders often do produce but there are many players you may not be familiar with that provide better value and even better production than the big names. Ray Lewis is great right? But Mike Peterson or Donnie Edwards may well have better fantasy seasons. Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed? Great players may well be the top fantasy safeties, but Michael Lewis and Adrian Wilson can be just as productive several rounds later in your draft. Basically do some research and try to recognize which players will be a consistent fantasy force.
Adalius Thomas; who? he was the top fantasy IDP scorer in '05 with 4TDs
Sometimes a player’s numbers are inflated by a huge multi sack game with the rare TD score; and then their value gets boosted, where as the player who is getting you 10+ tackles with out the huge turnover weeks is getting you production week in and week out. So in your league look at the previous year(s) production not only by total numbers but check their game logs too, to see if they give you dependable numbers.
Now you need to be careful how you address drafting your IDP talent; make sure you have satisfied every starting position on offense as well as some important depth before you start drafting IDP. Let some Larry Shitpants in your league get Keith Bulluck in the 10th while you draft Koren Robinson. Don't get caught in a run of IDP players, often once the first dude comes off the rest flock like retarded sheep. Get good offensive talent, defenders can be drafted in the mid teens or so on and you'll still get a quality collection if you know what’s up. More importantly, rely on me like a crutch my feeble friend; I will walk you through this process and only ask that you stay loyal to my fantasy advice like black tar heroin.
Here's a breakdown of the IDP format;A IDP league often starts 5 defensive players each week; 1 Defender position (any position) 2 Down Lineman (any LB or DL) and 2 DB (any S or CB)
Standard IDP usually scores the players like this;
Tackle Solo (0.5)
Tackle Assist (.25)
Sack (3)
Interception (3)
Fumble Force (3)
Fumble Recovery (3)
Touchdown (6)
Safety (2)
Pass Defended (1)
Block Kick (2)
As you can see sacks and turnovers are a big deal; but don't look past tackles, they are the real source of consistent production. In terms of overall fantasy numbers a top IDP player can give your team nearly 100 points in a season (and your team over 400), and win you several match ups. That being said here is breakdown that I put together; ranking the players by position as well as a total value chart;
DL; down linemanYou need to start two down lineman in most leagues; the majority of points from DE's and DT's come from sacks and forced fumbles. A prolific pass rusher is often a staple of your IDP pool, since every sack is worth 3 points a big DE game cant get you 7-10 points when tackles are added in, so make sure to get at least one sack artist when considering DL players. There are only a handful of pass rush tackles worth owning, so focus on the end position and get a double digit threat.
The top producers at the DL position however are linebackers. They are the players who get you the consistent tackles and the top ones can get you a variety of sacks, pass defenses and turnovers. Jon Vilma last year got me 173 tackles; that shit is crazy, dude gave me 8 points each week with mostly tackles, with turnovers and what not being gravy. So make sure you acquire some top backers, often MLB's in a 4-3 put up big tackle numbers, while a number of OLBs can offer a variety of stats. In a 3-4 ILB are big tackle producers as well, with the OLB's often providing solid sack numbers (Merriman, Suggs, Ware for example). Here are the top DL players;
He's my #1 Fantasy Defender for '06 (that can't help but sound gay)
1. Keith Bulluck OLB; Dude gets high tackle totals, interceptions and sacks every year, with a TD in 3 out the last 4 seasons. He can carry your defense and even your team on some weeks. He has yet to have his career year and will make tons of plays on an improving Titans defense. You can’t go wrong drafting Keith; he has been the top ranked player going into the last two seasons for a reason, he produces.
Dude is ready to break out
2. Jonathan Vilma ILB; The experts have him ranked #5 or so in their cheat sheets, personally I see him as a top 3 talent. Lewis and Edwards are both beasts, but are aging and have most likely seen their best seasons already. Vilma had 173 motherfuckin tackles last year, think about that. He ranked #4 in IDP total points last year without many peripheral stats; sacks, interceptions, TDs etc. He’s the safest week to week player I can imagine; double digit tackles with potential for turnovers every week. And he’s entering just his third season.
Some would say the loss of Abraham will hurt Vilma’s effectiveness; I would say it increases his fantasy production. He will be used more in the pass rush and will have even more plays in the passing game to make now that a top sack threat is gone. With Robertson and Ellis still in town the Jets front seven is still a team strength. The swith to the 3-4 could hurt in the sense that the extra O-guard will be roming for linebackers, but Vilma shouldn't be affected much. Look for a retarded season from Vilma; I’m talking 160+ tackles and an increase in stats across the board.
3. Donnie Edwards ILB; Old head that still dominates games. With Merriman developing Edwards can make plays all over the field. He is a solo tackle monster; and can get you 7 points without a turnover stat. I trust him even though the Chargers were shopping him at draft time; they had to because of a huge cap number, not on account of his production.
You may not know much about him, but draft him if you want to win (Chris Brown looks like a beeyotch in this play)
4. Mike Peterson; He is a sack artist as well as a high tackle LB. He was #2 overall in IDP numbers last season. He could be #1, and is a great value after more traditional top names come of the board. Don’t take Ray or Urlacher before this cat, names don’t mean shit.
5. Jason Taylor DE (plays 3-4 olb too); He gets the most diverse stats of all IDP players; double digit sacks, pass deflections, 70 tackles and nice turnovers numbers. He will probably slip behind Peppers and Urlacher, but he will put up better numbers.
London is a safe pick
6. London Fletcher MLB; With Spikes back in the game Fletcher gets some help in Buffalo. He’ll be able to pursue more with Spikes using his range to help in the run game. Fletcher always gets high tackles and a handful of sacks. He’s a good value as your top LB.
"Yo Jamal you need this?"
7. Ray Lewis MLB; I know this is low for Ray considering what he’s done. But his health has been an issue these past few seasons. With Ngata at DT and Reed back in tow, Ray is prime for another prolific season, I only wonder about his durability after some high mileage years.
8. Zach Thomas MLB; Another old head with high tackles. He’s a warrior on an old but stout defense; I like him for at least one more season. He could wear down soon.
9. Julius Peppers DE; Sack monster with an improved defense around him. Could be a 14+ year for him. Doesen’t get the tackles so needs some fumbles to be worthy of how high he’ll get drafted.
"Stay down cracker, stay down."
10. Osi Umenyiora DE; He is coming into his own opposite of that gap toothed monster, with high sack numbers and 70+ tackles he is a stud IDP talent. He’ll slip past some bigger names and be a steal if you need DL talent.
The Best of the Rest DL(by position);- Aaoron Schobel DE Bills; He's the rare DE who gets double digit sacks as well as 70 tackles. With the improved health of the Buffalo defense he should continue to produce. You can get this big white goon as the 5th or 6th DE and he could be top 3.
- Lofa Tatupu MLB Seahawks; Considered him in the top ten, he's young aggressive and in a scheme that allows for high tackles. With Julian Peterson in town he could go nuts. Gets you high tackles as well as a handful of sacks and picks. Plus his name sounds like a shitty tatoo.
- Brian Urlacher MLB Bears; You know the name, the game as well; high solo tackles and nice sack numbers. The talent on the defense actually hurts him fantasy wise, since he's asked to make less plays and control the run. He may not be a value in your draft since some moop will draft him high because of his name.
- Will Witherspoon MLB Rams; He got paid like a muthafucka to help make the Rams D semi legit. He had some quality seasons in Carolina but is now asked to be the leader of a defense. He could put up very high tackles and could prove to be a top 5 producer with that shitty Rams D line.
- Andra Davis MLB Browns; He is a beast of an athlete in the mold of a young Willie Mc, and ironically he is paired with Willie and Romeo in the pound now. He had 150 tackles last season, and only needs to improve on the other stats to become elite. He is a great sleeper pick while other cats grab bigger names like Brookings.
- Michael Strahan DE Giants; If you keep waiting for him to breakdown then pass on him. If you realize that he's one of the best ever then get him if he slips. Osi is the better pick of the two this season but Mike could easily get 15, especially with statue morons like Bledsoe and to a lesser extent Brunell in division. His wife calling him gay was classic though.
- Jon Abraham/Pat Kearney DE Falcons; Both are beasts, and Abraham could reignite the crazy white boy in Pat. Jon is good for 12 sacks atleast, he's safe as your sack player, Kearney will go late, and still provide value for double digit sack
- Smith is a freak athlete, and has more street cred than his namesake
- Will Smith/Charles Grant DE NO; Smith is not the fresh prince, he is a freak athlete in the mold of Freeney who could literally drop 15 this season, Grant is a talent too, but both need to stay healthy to be a value.
- Mathis/Freeney DE Colts; These guys are the reason the Colts D woke up; any time you limit the QB's comfort and time you succeed and promote turnovers. Having locked up both players for a long time it looks like a good combo to trust. Mathis offers more late round value, Freeney is a one trick pony at times.
- Jared Allen DE KC; He is like Schobel, big DE who gets high sacks and nice tackles. He could flourish in Herm's scheme, and produce 12+ sacks easy.
Suggs can juggle underachieving backs with his legs in addition to being a sack specialist
- Terrell Suggs/Adalius Thomas; OLB/DE; These guys are specialists. Suggs is a top sack artist who will offer you little else besides some ff's, Thomas was the #1 fantasy IDP guy last season, but much of his #s stem from 4TDs, a feat unlikely to be repeated. Either way with Lewis and Reid back these two could have even more freedom to attack the QB and force big plays.
- Erasmus James/Kevin Wiliams Vikings DE/DT; Both guys can get you 12 sacks, with Williams giving 60 tackles as well. The Vikings defense could be a sleeper in the IDP format, with a talented secondary and a good line, it's only the LBs that hold them back
- Keith Brooking OLB Falcons; He's an undersized bulldog type player that's created a career out of hustle. His tackles have steadily gone down but his pics and sacks have gone up. With Abraham in town he could be a value for tackles.
- Trotter, Pierce, Dansby, Hawk, Briggs, Morgan, Bruschi, Brooks; All very big names, can all produce, but each has their issues. These names could produce just as much as the names above, but they aren't as safe or consistant on the whole. Watch for the MLB's; Trott, Morgan and Pierce for example to get high tackles but low extras, while OLBs Hawk, Brooks, Dansby and Briggs could get you a variety of stats based on their scenarios but with less total tackles.
Defensive Backs; Just like the DL position you want to focus on getting players who get you high tackles as well as the turnover stats. A CB coming of a low tackle high INT season (like Deltha O'neal) isn't a value for your team. But a SS coming of a high tackle low INT season (Mike Lewis) is a great one. There are a handful of DBs that are elite, and the drop off can be steeper than in the DL categorey. Focus on getting two high tackle elite DBs before you get any depth at DL. I often like to get the best available defender first; like a stud MLB and then grab my two DBs, since they provide a distinct advantage over your competition.
You'll notice that safeties often ranks among the top IDP DBs; since they get the tackles and have the range to get the deflections and INTs that help you win weeks.Someone has to make tackles in Zona, and it's gonna be Wilson
1. Adrian Wilson S Cards; He absolutely broke out last season. I usually don't like to reward a player with little track history, but the numbers Wilson produced are very repeatable. He is a top blitz safety in the mold of Dawkins and a high tackle S who can get you 110 tackles, giving you the week in week out numbers you can rely on. His int are not there, but his coverage skills should only improve as the defense matures.
2. Ronde Barber CB Bucs; He is the most consistant fantasy DB over the last 5 seasons. He gets high tackles in the 80's range and is always a threat for pass deflections, interceptions and the occaisonal TD. He was my second defender drafted last season.
Remember him? You should
3. Ed Reed S Ravens; He could very well be #1, he's coming off an injury riddled season so that drops him a little. He defines gamechanger and is the only DB capable of high numbers in tackles, int, pd, tds,ff and sacks. Take the gamble.
4. Brian Dawkins S Eagles; He gets slept on because of his age and the Eagles decline, but he was the #2 fantasy DB and still provides sacks, tackles and interceptions. The 20+ pass deflections will continue as he always hawks the ball. Don't sleep on him.
Wilson (on the right) in the club, meeting up with Strahan on the DL
5. Gibril Wilson S Giants; He's got 100 tackle potential and hasn't yet had a big turn over/sack season. With the improving defense Wilson may have more freedom to ball hawk and blitz, proving to be a great late value as people take big name CB like Champ and Ty over him.
6. Troy Polamalu S Steelers; He's a warrior, literally I think he's like a kongan warrior or something. He
drives a Kia and hits hard as shit. With intangible hustle and skills he could have a career year as he really emerges as the leader on the defense. He's a safe fantasy IDP guy.
Retire? Why? because the Bears, that's why
7. Charles Tillman CB Bears; With 96 tackles and 5 INT he provides S numbers from the CB spot. In a division with some shitty INT QBs you can expect even more production. Him and Manning Jr form one of the most physical tandems in the league.
Clements is a ball hawk, and is a top 5 corner on the low
7/8. Nate Clements/Terrence McGee CBs Bills; They both provide high tackles and can get you high deflections. Clements gets you INTs and McGee can get you return TDs.
9. Sean Taylor S Redskins; This is high for him, and he's probably high right now, but he's a super talent. A fercious player in the mold of Dawk, only more athletic. If spitting in faces were a stat he'd be #1 but he'll settle for top 10. He's never really put it together and he's still been useful. I expect a monster season.
More of this would be nice; sacks from M Lew
10. Michael Lewis S Eagles; Both Eagles safeties get high tackles and lots of extras. Lewis is less of a coverage man and more of a run stuffer; he can get you the FF and FR that could win you a game. He's coming off a "down season" even though he still produced for the IDP format.
Look for these DBs to produce for your IDP squad, more than anything look for DBs who get tackles and deflections, as those stats indicate a play maker who will help you each week; Champ (he's still great, but you really on INT games too much with him), Roy Williams; tackles and sacks, could be top 10 easy if he gets some help in coverage, D Sharper; low tackles high INT is cheap in the drafts, S.Brown; gets tackles and TDs, a value at CB, Smooth/Winfield; could break out together on underrated minny d, r.mathis; could lead the league in INT.
