
Football is back! And with it comes our 2018 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings.
IDP is short for independent defensive players. In this format, fantasy players draft defensive players instead of team defenses for fantasy scoring.
IDP leagues have become a lot more common as of late. This is likely due to the customization that IDP leagues can provide.
The rankings below are based on the typical IDP scoring system which are usually:
Two points per solo tackle.
One point per assisted tackle.
Four points per sack, interceptions, forced fumbles, and fumbles recovered.
Six points per touchdown.
There are more settings for IDP leagues, and you should be sure to view your leagues settings before drafting, but those are a few of the basics. Also, I have broken the rankings up into three different sections: defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs.
2018 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings
Defensive Linemen
1. | Joey Bosa | Los Angeles Chargers |
2. | Khalil Mack | Oakland Raiders |
3. | J.J. Watt | Houston Texans |
4. | Aaron Donald | Los Angeles Rams |
5. | Chandler Jones | Arizona Cardinals |
6. | Jadeveon Clowney | Houston Texans |
7. | Cameron Jordan | New Orleans Saints |
8. | Trey Flowers | New England Patriots |
9. | Demarcus Lawrence | Dallas Cowboys |
10. | Myles Garrett | Cleveland Browns |
11. | Danielle Hunter | Minnesota Vikings |
12. | Brandon Graham | Philadelphia Eagles |
13. | Calais Campbell | Jacksonville Jaguars |
14. | Everson Griffen | Minnesota Vikings |
15. | Yannick Ngakoue | Jacksonville Jaguars |
16. | Jason Pierre-Paul | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
17. | Cameron Hayward | Pittsburgh Steelers |
18. | Akiem Hicks | Chicago Bears |
19. | Ryan Kerrigan | Washington Redskins |
20. | Ezekiel Ansah | Detroit Lions |
21. | Vic Beasley Jr. | Atlanta Falcons |
22. | Carlos Dunlap | Cincinnati Bengals |
23. | Jurrell Casey | Tennessee Titans |
24. | Frank Clark | Seattle Seahawks |
25. | DeForest Buckner | San Francisco 49ers |
26. | Mario Addison | Carolina Panthers |
27. | Mike Daniels | Green Bay Packers |
28. | Takkarist McKinley | Atlanta Falcons |
29. | Solomon Thomas | San Francisco 49ers |
30. | Carl Davis | Baltimore Ravens |
31. | Bruce Irvin | Oakland Raiders |
32. | Fletcher Cox | Philadelphia Eagles |
33. | Muhammad Wilkerson | Green Bay Packers |
34. | Jabaal Sheard | Indianapolis Colts |
35. | Malik Jackson | Jacksonville Jaguars |
36. | Kawann Short | Carolina Panthers |
37. | Ndamukong Suh | Los Angeles Rams |
38. | Stephon Tuitt | Pittsburgh Steelers |
39. | Robert Quinn | Miami Dolphins |
40. | Geno Atkins | Cincinnati Bengals |
41. | Emmanuel Ogbah | Cleveland Browns |
42. | Gerald McCoy | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
43. | Michael Bennett | Philadelphia Eagles |
44. | Derek Barnett | Philadelphia Eagles |
45. | Linval Joseph | Minnesota Vikings |
46. | Derrick Morgan | Tennessee Titans |
47. | Grady Jarrett | Atlanta Falcons |
48. | Shaq Lawson | Buffalo Bills |
49. | Kenny Clark | Green Bay Packers |
50. | Julius Peppers | Carolina Panthers |
51. | Cameron Wake | Miami Dolphins |
52. | Bradley Chubb | Denver Broncos |
53. | Tyquan Lewis | Indianapolis Colts |
54. | Sam Hubbard | Cincinnati Bengals |
55. | Brandon Williams | Baltimore Ravens |
56. | Marcus Davenport | New Orleans Saints |
57. | Alex Okafor | New Orleans Saints |
58. | Olivier Vernon | New York Giants |
59. | Chris Jones | Kansas City Chiefs |
60. | Damon Harrison | New York Giants |
For me, the defensive linemen group is the most shallow of the three groups. This year, I think it is the opposite. There is no real drop-off in this group until you get to the 30 range. For example, I have Fletcher Cox ranked at 32 and I would be more than comfortable starting him this year.
Linebackers
1 | Luke Keuchly | Carolina Panthers |
2 | Bobby Wagner | Seattle Seahawks |
3 | C.J. Mosley | Baltimore Ravens |
4 | Sean Lee | Dallas Cowboys |
5 | Deion Jones | Atlanta Falcons |
6 | Kwon Alexander | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
7 | Telvin Smith | Jacksonville Jaguars |
8 | Blake Martinez | Green Bay Packers |
9 | Eric Kendricks | Minnesota Vikings |
10 | Christian Kirksey | Cleveland Browns |
11 | Denzel Perryman | Los Angeles Chargers |
12 | K.J. Wright | Seattle Seahawks |
13 | Zach Brown | Washington Redskins |
14 | Anthony Hitchens | Kansas City Chiefs |
15 | Lavonte David | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
16 | Bernardrick McKinney | Houston Texans |
17 | Roquan Smith | Chicago Bears |
18 | Jarrad Davis | Detroit Lions |
19 | Avery Williamson | New York Jets |
20 | Mark Barron | Los Angeles Rams |
21 | Reuben Foster | San Francisco 49ers |
22 | Tremaine Edmonds | Buffalo Bills |
23 | Danny Trevathan | Chicago Bears |
24 | Deone Bucannon | Arizona Cardinals |
25 | Wesley Woodyard | Tennessee Titans |
26 | Joe Schoebert | Cleveland Browns |
27 | Kamalai Correa | Baltimore Ravens |
28 | Mason Foster | Washington Redskins |
29 | Alec Ogletree | New York Giants |
30 | Von Miller | Denver Broncos |
31 | Tahir Whitehead | Oakland Raiders |
32 | Justin Houston | Kansas City Chiefs |
33 | Myles Jack | Jacksonville Jaguars |
34 | Kiko Alonso | Miami Dolphins |
35 | Dee Ford | Kansas City Chiefs |
36 | Haason Reddick | Arizona Cardinals |
37 | Demario Davis | New Orleans Saints |
38 | Thomas Davis | Carolina Panthers |
39 | Jamie Collins | Cleveland Browns |
40 | Brandon Marshall | Denver Broncos |
41 | Jon Bostic | Pittsburgh Steelers |
42 | Jordan Hicks | Philadelphia Eagles |
43 | Leighton Vander Esch | Dallas Cowboys |
44 | Kyle Van Noy | New England Patriots |
45 | Vince Williams | Pittsburgh Steelers |
46 | Rashaan Evans | Tennessee Titans |
47 | Melvin Ingram | Los Angeles Chargers |
48 | Nigel Bradham | Philadelphia Eagles |
49 | Vontaze Burfict | Cincinnati Bengals |
50 | Dont'a Hightower | New England Patriots |
51 | Preston Brown | Cincinnati Bengals |
52 | Raekwon McMillan | Miami Dolphins |
53 | Zach Cunningham | Houston Texans |
54 | Whitney Mercilus | Houston Texans |
55 | Anthony Barr | Minnesota Vikings |
56 | T.J. Watt | Pittsburgh Steelers |
57 | Alex Anzalone | New Orleans Saints |
58 | Terrell Suggs | Baltimore Ravens |
59 | Kendall Beckwith | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
60 | Matt Milano | Buffalo Bills |
The linebacker group is very deep this year. You could draft a player well into the 40 range and still get a dependable linebacker that can get you 10-15 points a game. At the top, I really like C.J. Mosley this year. He’s entering his contract year and is likely to put up big numbers.
Defensive Backs
1 | Landon Collins | New York Giants |
2 | Harrison Smith | Minnesota Vikings |
3 | Reshad Jones | Miami Dolphins |
4 | Keanu Neal | Atlanta Falcons |
5 | Kevin Byard | Tennessee Titans |
6 | Tyrann Mathieu | Houston Texans |
7 | Jordan Poyer | Buffalo Bills |
8 | Tony Jefferson | Baltimore Ravens |
9 | Eric Weddle | Baltimore Ravens |
10 | Karl Joseph | Oakland Raiders |
11 | Morgan Burnett | Pittsburgh Steelers |
12 | Barry Church | Jacksonville Jaguars |
13 | Lamarcus Joyner | Los Angeles Rams |
14 | Jamal Adams | New York Jets |
15 | Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix | Green Bay Packers |
16 | Micah Hyde | Buffalo Bills |
17 | Eric Berry | Kansas City Chiefs |
18 | Budda Baker | Arizona Cardinals |
19 | Sean Davis | Pittsburgh Steelers |
20 | Adrian Amos | Chicago Bears |
21 | Marshon Lattimore | New Orleans Saints |
22 | Andrew Sendejo | Minnesota Vikings |
23 | Earl Thomas | Seattle Seahawks |
24 | Jaquiski Tartt | San Francisco 49ers |
25 | Glover Quin | Detroit Lions |
26 | Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles |
27 | Daniel Sorenson | Kansas City Chiefs |
28 | Jahleel Addae | Los Angeles Chargers |
29 | Derwin James | Los Angeles Chargers |
30 | Justin Simmons | Denver Broncos |
31 | Jalen Ramsey | Jacksonville Jaguars |
32 | Xavier Rhodes | Minnesota Vikings |
33 | John Johnson | Los Angeles Rams |
34 | Antoine Bethea | Arizona Cardinals |
35 | Bradley McDougald | Seattle Seahawks |
36 | Tavon Wilson | Detroit Lions |
37 | Mike Adams | Carolina Panthers |
38 | Adoree Jackson | Tennessee Titans |
39 | Malik Hooker | Indianapolis Colts |
40 | Vonn Bell | New Orleans Saints |
41 | Anthony Levine | Baltimore Ravens |
42 | Chris Conte | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
43 | Marcus Peters | Los Angeles Rams |
44 | Clayton Geathers | Indianapolis Colts |
45 | Ricardo Allen | Atlanta Falcons |
46 | Devin McCourty | New England Patriots |
47 | Adrian Phillips | Los Angeles Chargers |
48 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Miami Dolphins |
49 | D.J. Swearinger | Washington Redskins |
50 | Eric Reid | Free Agent |
51 | Darius Slay | Detroit Lions |
52 | Jabrill Peppers | Cleveland Browns |
53 | Kenny Vaccaro | Tennessee Titans |
54 | Reggie Nelson | Oakland Raiders |
55 | A.J. Buoye | Jacksonville Jaguars |
56 | Matthias Farley | Indianapolis Colts |
57 | Marcus Maye | New York Jets |
58 | Darian Thompson | New York Giants |
59 | Jeff Heath | Dallas Cowboys |
60 | Patrick Peterson | Arizona Cardinals |
The defensive back group is the most troubling for me this year. Once you get past 20 or 25, the lack of reliable safety options falls off, and you start to see more cornerbacks, which I tend to stay away from for fantasy purposes.
And there you have it, your 2018 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings! Good luck this season!
Playing in an IDP league and need help drafting? Check out our partner FantasyPros DraftWizard!
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