Updated IDP rankings: Bobby Wagner, Blake Martinez among must-have defensive stars in 2022
There are a number of reasons why people play fantasy football. The quest for eternal and everlasting glory. The opportunity to win a few bucks. Or a good old-fashioned love of the game of football.
What doesn’t square with that last one is that so many fantasy leagues all but ignore half of the game. The NFL may feature three- and four-wide sets and rules that favor the offense, but defense still wins championships. However, in standard fantasy leagues, defense is all but irrelevant. You grab a team defense late on draft day and it scores a handful of points per week.
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Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues restore order to the universe. Defensive stars like Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner, Cleveland Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett and Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James get to make a fantasy impact just like running backs and wide receivers.
Many fantasy managers resist IDP leagues for one reason — it’s an unfamiliar format. No one wants to look silly on draft day. But the reality is IDP leagues really aren’t that different. And with just a few tips, even novices in the format can have a successful draft.
General IDP Draft Strategy
Without question, the query I get most from managers new to IDP leagues is, “when should I start drafting IDPs?” It’s a question with no pat answer. In fairly standard IDP formats that include two starters on the defensive line, two or three linebackers and two defensive backs, the first defensive players can start being drafted as early as Round 4 or as late as Round 8.
The thing is, you don’t have to set the pace with IDPs to build a solid lineup. Once the first few IDPs are drafted, elite names will trickle off the board. Then, a couple rounds later, the first real run on defensive players usually takes place. Just try not to get frozen out of that run, and you’ll probably be fine.
Finally, it’s vital that you examine the scoring in your league and determine two things. The first is the ratio between solo tackles and big plays like sacks and interceptions — the bigger that ratio, the more value that big-play types like edge-rushers and ball-hawking defensive backs have. The second is how the top IDPs score relative to their offensive counterparts. If the top linebackers score on par with a WR3, that’s one thing. If they score like a RB1, it’s quite another.
A Note on the Top 100 IDPs Overall
The Top 100 IDPs overall isn’t necessarily a “draft by numbers” list, where you can just take the highest-ranked available player and all is well and good in the universe. There are a lot of variables in any draft — rigidly adhering to a list is usually asking for trouble.
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Where this list can come in handy is as a tiebreaker between similarly-ranked players and as a way to get a general feel for how the main IDP positions stack up against one another.
Top 100 IDPs Overall
| Rank | Player | Rank | Player |
| 1 | Bobby Wagner — ILB. LAR | 51 | Brian Burns – DE, CAR |
| 2 | Roquan Smith – ILB, CHI | 52 | Christian Kirksey – OLB, HOU |
| 3 | Blake Martinez – ILB, NYG | 53 | Robert Quinn – DE, CHI |
| 4 | Jordyn Brooks — ILB, SEA | 54 | Minkah Fitzpatrick – S, PIT |
| 5 | Myles Garrett – DE, CLE | 55 | Cody Barton – OLB, SEA |
| 6 | Darius Leonard – OLB, IND | 56 | Quincy Williams – ILB, NYJ |
| 7 | Devin White – ILB, TBB | 57 | Jessie Bates – S, CIN |
| 8 | De’Vondre Campbell – ILB, GBP | 58 | Trey Hendrickson – DE, CIN |
| 9 | Micah Parsons – ILB, DAL | 59 | Quay Walker – ILB, GBP |
| 10 | Aaron Donald – DT, LAR | 60 | DeForest Buckner – DT, IND |
| 11 | T.J. Watt – OLB, PIT | 61 | Budda Baker – S, ARZ |
| 12 | Foyesade Oluokun — ILB. JAX | 62 | Montez Sweat – DE, WAS |
| 13 | Fred Warner – ILB, SFO | 63 | Anthony Walker – ILB, CLE |
| 14 | Denzel Perryman – ILB, LVR | 64 | Demarcus Lawrence – DE, DAL |
| 15 | Nick Bosa – DE, SFO | 65 | Jamal Adams – S, SEA |
| 16 | C.J. Mosley – ILB, NYJ | 66 | Josey Jewell – ILB, DEN |
| 17 | Logan Wilson – ILB, CIN | 67 | Jeffery Simmons – DT, TEN |
| 18 | Danielle Hunter – DE, MIN | 68 | Kamren Curl – S, WAS |
| 19 | Jordan Poyer – S, BUF | 69 | Jalen Thompson – S, ARZ |
| 20 | Bobby Okereke – OLB, IND | 70 | Josh Allen – DE, JAX |
| 21 | Lavonte David – ILB, TBB | 71 | Dre Greenlaw – OLB, SFO |
| 22 | Joey Bosa – DE, LAC | 72 | Nicholas Morrow – OLB, CHI |
| 23 | Cole Holcomb – OLB, WAS | 73 | Justin Simmons – S, DEN |
| 24 | Derwin James – S, LAC | 74 | Sam Hubbard – DE, CIN |
| 25 | Eric Kendricks – ILB, MIN | 75 | T.J. Edwards – ILB, PHI |
| 26 | Demario Davis – OLB, NOS | 76 | Kamu Grugier-Hill – ILB, HOU |
| 27 | Nick Bolton – ILB, KCC | 77 | Jayron Kearse – S, DAL |
| 28 | Cameron Jordan – DE, NOS | 78 | Chris Jones – DT, KCC |
| 29 | Jerome Baker – ILB. MIA | 79 | Jonathan Greenard – DE, HOU |
| 30 | David Long – ILB, TEN | 80 | Johnathan Abram – S, LVR |
| 31 | Chandler Jones – DE, LVR | 81 | Jamin Davis – ILB, WAS |
| 32 | Antoine Winfield – S, TBB | 82 | Logan Ryan – S, TBB |
| 33 | Tremaine Edmunds – ILB, BUF | 83 | Emmanuel Ogbah – DE. MIA |
| 34 | Shaq Thompson – ILB, CAR | 84 | Zaven Collins – ILB, ARZ |
| 35 | Maxx Crosby – DE, LVR | 85 | Gregory Rousseau – DE, BUF |
| 36 | Myles Jack – ILB, PIT | 86 | Vonn Bell – S, CIN |
| 37 | Cameron Heyward – DE, PIT | 87 | Jonathan Allen – DT, WAS |
| 38 | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – OLB, CLE | 88 | Drue Tranquill – ILB, LAC |
| 39 | Kevin Byard – S, TEN | 89 | Randy Gregory – DE, DEN |
| 40 | Kyzir White – OLB, PHI | 90 | Kenny Moore – CB, IND |
| 41 | Zach Cunningham – ILB, TEN | 91 | Alex Anzalone – ILB, DET |
| 42 | Devin Lloyd – ILB, JAX | 92 | Yannick Ngakoue – DE, IND |
| 43 | Kyle Dugger – S, NEP | 93 | Divine Deablo – ILB, LVR |
| 44 | Haason Reddick – DE, PHI | 94 | Taylor Rapp – S, LAR |
| 45 | Deion Jones – ILB, ATL | 95 | Quinnen Williams – DT, NYJ |
| 46 | Harrison Smith – S, MIN | 96 | Ernest Jones – ILB, LAR |
| 47 | Patrick Queen – ILB, BAL | 97 | JaQuan Brisker – S, CHI |
| 48 | Leonard Williams – DE, NYG | 98 | Chase Young – DE, WAS |
| 49 | Xavier McKinney – S, NYG | 99 | Tyrann Mathieu – S, NOS |
| 50 | Jordan Hicks – ILB, MIN | 100 | Christian Wilkins – DT, MIA |
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
In recent years, scarcity was the keyword with defensive linemen — in 12-team leagues that start a pair, the number of reliable weekly starters dried up before the number of managers who needed them could grab two. That jacked up the value of said reliable options.
However, with the advent of “True Position” EDGE designations and 3-4 rush linebackers getting dual eligibility with some IDP providers, the pool of available talent up front has become considerably deeper. In leagues such as that, fantasy managers can afford a little more patience when selecting defensive linemen.
Still, it’s a good idea to use one early pick (say one of the first three) on a defensive lineman/edge rusher who you can plug into the starting lineup with confidence. Then, depending on how deep the pool of available talent is, you might be able to play the waiting game a bit before circling back for a second starter and depth.
Top 50 Defensive Linemen
| Rank | Player | Rank | Player |
| 1 | Myles Garrett – DE, CLE | 26 | Randy Gregory – DE, DEN |
| 2 | Aaron Donald – DT, LAR | 27 | Yannick Ngakoue – DE, IND |
| 3 | Nick Bosa – DE, SFO | 28 | Quinnen Williams – DT, NYJ |
| 4 | Danielle Hunter – DE, MIN | 29 | Chase Young – DE, WAS |
| 5 | Joey Bosa – DE, LAC | 30 | Christian Wilkins – DT, MIA |
| 6 | Cameron Jordan – DE, NOS | 31 | Charles Harris – DE, DET |
| 7 | Chandler Jones – DE, LVR | 32 | Marcus Davenport – DE, NOS |
| 8 | Maxx Crosby – DE, LVR | 33 | Carl Lawson – DE, NYJ |
| 9 | Cameron Heyward – DE, PIT | 34 | Aidan Hutchinson – DE, DET |
| 10 | Haason Reddick – DE, PHI | 35 | Brandon Graham – DE, PHI |
| 11 | Leonard Williams – DE, NYG | 36 | Trevis Gipson – DE, CHI |
| 12 | Brian Burns – DE, CAR | 37 | Jermaine Johnson – DE, NYJ |
| 13 | Robert Quinn – DE, CHI | 38 | Kwity Paye – DE, IND |
| 14 | Trey Hendrickson – DE, CIN | 39 | Josh Sweat – DE, PHI |
| 15 | DeForest Buckner – DT, IND | 40 | Travon Walker – DE, JAX |
| 16 | Montez Sweat – DE, WAS | 41 | Javon Hargrave – DT, PHI |
| 17 | Demarcus Lawrence – DE, DAL | 42 | Darrell Taylor – DE, SEA |
| 18 | Jeffery Simmons – DT, TEN | 43 | Jadeveon Clowney – DE, CLE |
| 19 | Josh Allen – DE, JAX | 44 | George Karlaftis – DE, KCC |
| 20 | Sam Hubbard – DE, CIN | 45 | Zach Allen – DE, ARZ |
| 21 | Chris Jones – DT, KCC | 46 | J.J. Watt – DE, ARZ |
| 22 | Jonathan Greenard – DE, HOU | 47 | Grady Jarrett – DT, ATL |
| 23 | Emmanuel Ogbah – DE. MIA | 48 | Arik Armstead – DE, SFO |
| 24 | Gregory Rousseau – DE, BUF | 49 | Frank Clark – DE, KCC |
| 25 | Jonathan Allen – DT, WAS | 50 | Da’Ron Payne – DT, WAS |
Target: Cameron Jordan — DE, NO: Jordan has long been one of the most undervalued DL1 in IDP leagues. The 33-year-old has 50 total tackles and/or 12 sacks in each of the past five seasons, and last year he ranked seventh in fantasy points among defensive linemen.
Fade: Chase Young — DE, WAS: When healthy, Young has Top 5 talent. But he’s coming off an ACL tear, will miss the first four games on the season while on the PUP list and no one knows how long it will take him to get up to speed once he is back.
Target: Gregory Rousseau — DE, BUF: Last year, Rousseau logged 50 total tackles while playing just 49 percent of the Bills defensive snaps. With Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes no longer in Buffalo, the second-year pro should see a big uptick in playing time. Can you say breakout?
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LINEBACKERS
The linebacker position is the lifeblood of most IDP leagues. With most leagues featuring scoring that favors tackles, linebackers are both the highest-scoring and most consistent players. Most IDP squads will go exactly as far as the linebackers take them. They are like bell-cow running backs or elite receivers — there is no such thing as too many.
Given that, a significant early investment in linebackers is an absolute must on draft day. At least two of your first three picks should be linebackers. If the league features three weekly starters, you’re going to want at least two reliable every-week starters. You can platoon matchup plays in the last spot if you’re feeling froggy. Also, if your IDP league has a “flex” spot, you’re going to want to slot a linebacker there as well.
Top 50 Linebackers
| Rank | Player | Rank | Player |
| 1 | Bobby Wagner — ILB, LAR | 26 | J. Owusu-Koramoah – OLB, CLE |
| 2 | Roquan Smith – ILB, CHI | 27 | Kyzir White – OLB, PHI |
| 3 | Blake Martinez – ILB, NYG | 28 | Zach Cunningham – ILB, TEN |
| 4 | Jordyn Brooks — ILB, SEA | 29 | Devin Lloyd – ILB, JAX |
| 5 | Darius Leonard – OLB, IND | 30 | Deion Jones – ILB, ATL |
| 6 | Devin White – ILB, TBB | 31 | Patrick Queen – ILB, BAL |
| 7 | De’Vondre Campbell – ILB, GBP | 32 | Jordan Hicks – ILB, MIN |
| 8 | Micah Parsons – ILB, DAL | 33 | Christian Kirksey – OLB, HOU |
| 9 | T.J. Watt – OLB, PIT | 34 | Cody Barton – OLB, SEA |
| 10 | Foyesade Oluokun — ILB. JAX | 35 | Quincy Williams – ILB, NYJ |
| 11 | Fred Warner – ILB, SFO | 36 | Quay Walker – ILB, GBP |
| 12 | Denzel Perryman – ILB, LVR | 37 | Anthony Walker – ILB, CLE |
| 13 | C.J. Mosley – ILB, NYJ | 38 | Josey Jewell – ILB, DEN |
| 14 | Logan Wilson – ILB, CIN | 39 | Dre Greenlaw – OLB, SFO |
| 15 | Bobby Okereke – OLB, IND | 40 | Nicholas Morrow – OLB, CHI |
| 16 | Lavonte David – ILB, TBB | 41 | T.J. Edwards – ILB, PHI |
| 17 | Cole Holcomb – OLB, WAS | 42 | Kamu Grugier-Hill – ILB, HOU |
| 18 | Eric Kendricks – ILB, MIN | 43 | Jamin Davis – ILB, WAS |
| 19 | Demario Davis – OLB, NOS | 44 | Zaven Collins – ILB, ARZ |
| 20 | Nick Bolton – ILB, KCC | 45 | Drue Tranquill – ILB, LAC |
| 21 | Jerome Baker – ILB. MIA | 46 | Divine Deablo – ILB, LVR |
| 22 | David Long – ILB, TEN | 47 | Ernest Jones – ILB, LAR |
| 23 | Tremaine Edmunds – ILB, BUF | 48 | Matt Milano – OLB, BUF |
| 24 | Shaq Thompson – ILB, CAR | 49 | Jonas Griffith – ILB, DEN |
| 25 | Myles Jack – ILB, PIT | 50 | Malcolm Rodriguez – ILB, DET |
Target: Blake Martinez — ILB, NYG: Before tearing his ACL last year, Martinez eclipsed 140 total tackles and finished as a Top 10 fantasy option in four straight seasons. Getting a player with that resume outside the Top 10 at his position is how champions are made.
Fade: Deion Jones — ILB, ATL: The good news is that Jones is finally back on the practice field. The bad news is that he is coming off easily the worst season of his career, faces an uncertain future in Atlanta and is being drafted in many leagues as though he was the Top 10 option from 2020.
Target: Nick Bolton — ILB, KC: When he played all three downs last season, Bolton produced at a high level. He did the same thing at the University of Missouri. And from all indications, he’s going to be an every-down player for the Chiefs in 2022.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
I will freely admit that my views on defensive backs are not shared by all in the IDP community. There are analysts who I respect who swear by the notion that rostering an elite defensive back is worth the price in drafts.
It is not an opinion I share, however.
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The defensive back position is two things. The first is deep — easily the deepest position in IDP. In this age of subpackages as base defenses, the list of defensive backs who don’t leave the field is longer than ever before. The second is unpredictable—the list of top-10 defensive backs at the beginning of the season is a lot different from the list at the end.
No one expected Jalen Thompson to post top-10 numbers last year.
Given those realities, the smart play at defensive back is to wait. Load up on linebackers and defensive linemen, and then target upside plays in the secondary late. If they pan out, outstanding. If they don’t, there will be startable options available on the waiver wire into the regular season.
Top 50 Defensive Backs
| Rank | Player | Rank | Player |
| 1 | Jordan Poyer – S, BUF | 26 | Jordan Fuller – S, LAR |
| 2 | Derwin James – S, LAC | 27 | Tracy Walker – S, DET |
| 3 | Jeremy Chinn – S, CAR | 28 | Jordan Whitehead – S, NYJ |
| 4 | Antoine Winfield – S, TBB | 29 | Brandon Jones – S, MIA |
| 5 | Kevin Byard – S, TEN | 30 | Grant Delpit – S, CLE |
| 6 | Kyle Dugger – S, NEP | 31 | Jalen Ramsey – CB, LAR |
| 7 | Harrison Smith – S, MIN | 32 | Jalen Pitre – S, HOU |
| 8 | Xavier McKinney – S, NYG | 33 | Julian Love – S, NYG |
| 9 | Minkah Fitzpatrick – S, PIT | 34 | Quandre Diggs – S, SEA |
| 10 | Jessie Bates – S, CIN | 35 | Kyle Hamilton – S, BAL |
| 11 | Budda Baker – S, ARZ | 36 | Adrian Amos – S, GBP |
| 12 | Jamal Adams – S, SEA | 37 | Justin Reid – S, KCC |
| 13 | Kamren Curl – S, WAS | 38 | Nick Cross – S, IND |
| 14 | Jalen Thompson – S, ARZ | 39 | Jevon Holland – S, MIA |
| 15 | Justin Simmons – S, DEN | 40 | Marcus Maye – S, NOS |
| 16 | Jayron Kearse – S, DAL | 41 | Marlon Humphrey – CB, BAL |
| 17 | Johnathan Abram – S, LVR | 42 | Micah Hyde – S, BUF |
| 18 | Logan Ryan – S, TBB | 43 | Adrian Phillips – S, NEP |
| 19 | Vonn Bell – S, CIN | 44 | Talanoa Hufanga – S, SFO |
| 20 | Kenny Moore – CB, IND | 45 | Kendall Fuller – CB, WAS |
| 21 | Taylor Rapp – S, LAR | 46 | Amani Hooker – S, TEN |
| 22 | JaQuan Brisker – CHI | 47 | L’Jarius Sneed – CB, KC |
| 23 | Tyrann Mathieu – S, NOS | 48 | Darnell Savage – S, GBP |
| 24 | Xavier Woods – S, CAR | 49 | Xavien Howard – CB, MIA |
| 25 | Trevon Diggs – CB, DAL | 50 | Kareem Jackson – S, DEN |
Target: Kyle Dugger — S, NWE: Dugger is one of this year’s poster players for defensive backs with Top 10 upside available at a discount. After taking a big step forward in his second season, Dugger is a good bet to eclipse the 100-tackle mark in 2022.
Fade: Derwin James — S, LAC: James parlayed an outstanding 2021 season into a massive payday, and he’s the first defensive back selected in most IDP drafts this summer. But James has also missed time in three of four NFL seasons, and more than 10 games in a year twice.
Target: Jaquan Brisker — S, CHI: Kyle Hamilton may have been the first safety drafted in 2022, but Brisker is going to lead all rookie defensive backs in fantasy points. He’s talented, has shined in training camp and is slated for an IDP-friendly box safety role with the Bears this year.
(Top photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports)
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