2018 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings: Getting Defensive

Photo Credit: Keith Allison

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

 

Embed from Getty Images

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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!