Fantasy Football

2012 IDP Rankings — Top 50 Overall

James Laurinaitis, LB, STL - 2012 IDP Rankings

Fanatics. That’s what I like to refer to Fantasy Football owners that choose to play in leagues that use Individual Defensive Players (IDP). They are fanatics. So these 2012 IDP Rankings are really for them.

But regular Fantasy Football owners can glean some things from these rankings too. It’s easy to see that running backs in the NFC West are going to have a tough time, once again, going up against the Niners linebackers twice a year. And DE Mario Williams, the top free agent this past offseason not named Peyton Manning, should remain a pass-rushing force in the AFC East.

I used to play in an auction dynasty IDP league from 2002-10 called the Absolute Gridiron Association. It was awesome, plain and simple. But with player salaries and four-year contracts and franchise tags, it just became too much of a bear for me. Oh, and I suck at IDP leagues.

Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, NYG - 2012 IDP Rankings

Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had 16.5 sacks last season, in just his second year in the pros. Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan

 

2012 IDP Rankings from @OlingerIDPGuru

Since I know my limitations, I’ve asked Eric Olinger of DynastyLeagueFootball.com to provide us with his top 50 rankings. Initially, he was reluctant because scoring systems vary greatly from league to league. Many leagues give points for passes defended, and some reward sacks two or three times more than another league. Some leagues start one defensive lineman, two linebackers and two defensive backs, whereas some leagues (like the AGA), start three DL, four LBs and four DBs.

One thing I did learn in my years as an IDP-er, is that cornerbacks are a little tricky.  Good ones are often not thrown to, so their chances at interceptions, tackles and passes defended are usually pretty low. This works the other way, also. A rookie defensive back will get picked on by  an opposing QB, and he’ll get plenty of tackles and passes defended.

Also, linebackers that play on teams with bad offenses are also usually good Fantasy picks.  This is because their offense is unable to stay on the field for very long, giving the linebacker more playmaking opportunities and tackles. (See D’Qwell Jackson.) And that also works the other way, with linebackers being on bad defenses racking up lots of Fantasy points because they can’t get off the field. (See James Laurinaitis.)

I hope you enjoy these rankings and you check out Olinger’s rankings for each position over at DynastyLeagueFootball.com.

 

RANKINGS: Top 60 | QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DST | Top 50 IDP

 

2012 IDP Rankings: Top 50 Overall

 

Rank  Individual Def. Players  Pos.  Team  Age
1  Jason Pierre-Paul DE NYG 23
2  Jared Allen DE MIN 30
3  Patrick Willis LB SF 27
4  Desmond Bishop LB GB 27
5  Navorro Bowman LB SF 24
6  James Laurinaitis LB STL 25
7  D’Qwell Jackson LB CLE 28
8  Mario Williams DE BUF 27
9  Colin McCarthy LB TEN 24
10  Daryl Washington LB ARI 25
11  Derrick Johnson LB KC 29
12  Sean Lee LB DAL 25
13  Curtis Lofton LB NO 26
14  Brian Cushing LB HOU 25
15  Jon Beason LB CAR 27
16  Jabaal Sheard DE CLE 23
17  Cliff Avril DE DET 26
18  Charles Johnson DE CAR 26
19  Trent Cole DE PHI 29
20  London Fletcher LB WAS 37
21  Karlos Dansby LB MIA 30
22  Kam Chancellor S SEA 24
23  Eric Berry S KC 23
24  Morgan Burnett S GB 23
25  Tyvon Branch S OAK 25
26  Terrell Suggs DE BAL 29
27  Julius Peppers DE CHI 32
28  Jason Babin DE PHI 32
29  Justin Tuck DE NYG 29
30  Cameron Wake DE MIA 30
31  J.J. Watt DE HOU 23
32  Donald Butler LB SD 23
33  Chad Greenway LB MIN 29
34  Paul Posluszny LB JAX 27
35  Pat Angerer LB IND 25
36  Stephen Tulloch LB DET 27
37  Lawrence Timmons LB PIT 26
38  Jerod Mayo LB NE 26
39  Sean Weatherspoon LB ATL 24
40  Perry Riley LB WAS 24
41  Luke Kuechly LB CAR 21
42  DeMeco Ryans LB PHI 27
43  J.J. Watt DE HOU 23
44  Calais Campbell DE ARI 25
45  Elvis Dumervil DE DEN 28
46  Chris Long DE STL 27
47  Justin Smith DE SF 32
48  Robert Quinn DE STL 22
49  Osi Umenyiora DE NYG 30
50  Bernard Pollard S BAL 27

 

Follow @OlingerIDPGuru and @DavidGonos on Twitter!

James Laurinaitis, LB, STL - 2012 IDP Rankings

Rams LB James Laurinaitis is on the field an awful lot — which is a good thing for his IDP Fantasy owners. Photo Credit: RamsHerd.com

 

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