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
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.
Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul had 16.5 sacks last season, in just his second year in the pros. Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan
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.
| 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!
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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In a league w/ a 20-round draft where only 1 LB, 1 DL, and 1 DB start, how early would you recommend going for an IDP, and how many roster positions would you dedicate them (e.g. starters and backups)? Thanks!
Hmmm, well, with just one def player at each position, I'd say you should wait until Round 6 or 7 before taking any defensive players. As far as roster positions dedicated to them -- I'd hold onto one DB, two DL and two LBs. I'd still only draft one TE, K and DST, but I'd get two QBs, five RBs and five WRs.
Donald Butler......top 10 LB this year? Moving into 3 down work this season....expecting big things. Thoughts?