Congratulations, you have decided to begin enjoying the befits of playing in a fantasy football league that does not limit your player selection to the usual quarterback/running back/wide receiver/tight end offensive positions, but also allows you to select those beasts that play on defense, too. Playing in a league with individual defensive players will broaden your appreciation for the entire game being played on the gridiron, and will allow you to root for your players to not only try to score, but also to prevent those aforementioned offensive types from moving down the field and getting into the end zone. Ah, the thrill of two-way football. It is not all peaches and cream on the defensive side of the ball, however, and there are some key techniques that you want to employ to get the maximum value out of your IDP personnel. 

First, as with any fantasy league you are involved in, you must understand your league rules. This is a basic commandment, but often neglected. How your commissioner has set up scoring, roster limits and position eligibility is extremely important as to just how you approach the draft and implement in-season management of your roster. 

Secondly, you need to figure out where the emphasis is concerning how your IDPs rack up points for your team. Are you in a "big play" league, where sacks, interceptions, and defensive takeaways are valued highly? Or is your league more of a tackle oriented system, where the value of your players is increased when they are on the field every down as opposed to being specialty substitutions on passing downs? A three down linebacker in a tackle oriented league has tremendous value, while a nickel or dime back that takes the field on obvious passing downs is the kind of player to target in a league that rewards heavily for defensive turnover production.

We all want to snag that hot rookie off the draft board, but be cautious with regard to defensive players. Obviously, a rookie will have a steep learning curve to overcome at a minimum, as adjusting to the speed and complexity of the pro game can dampen a first year player’s impact tremendously. Then there is the worry about a rookie ‘hitting the wall” as the season drags on, as none of these young players have been subjected to the ongoing grind of a NFL season previously. Add to this the fact that they are going up against savvy veteran players, and you would do well to wait on the shiny, new IDPs in favor of proven defensive players. Just to be contradictory, though, if a rookie has been drafted and is expected to start immediately, because his predecessor has been cut, traded or retired, then by all means target the youngster. Just be sure to monitor his playing time in camp and during the pre-season to make certain he really is being slotted in as a starter on defense. For example, keep an eye on Detroit inside linebacker Jarrad Davis, who should be an every down player immediately.

It is tempting to grab the stud IDPs in your drafts, thinking you will get a leg up on your competitors. You are better served by filling your starting offensive roster prior to drafting IDPs, however, unless you play in a league that dramatically pumps up defensive stats. You need to have a firm offensive foundation to compete in fantasy football in general, as there are only so many top notch QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs. While a J.J. Watt, Luke Kuechly or Landon Collins can be a key foundation for your team, there are also many other good to excellent defensive players that can carry you week to week. Equate it to the decision to grab a stud QB or wait on the position and use a committee approach; both techniques can work, so long as you can adjust during the season to take advantage of match ups and work the waiver wire effectively. Plus, if you read the weekly IDP Reports on Fantasy Alarm, you will be able to make savvy free agent additions to your squad and outperform your opponents.

When drafting IDP, keep the scarcity of certain positions in mind, but not at the expense of building depth. For example, if your league uses defensive tackle as a required position (as opposed to the general defensive linesman designation), you will find that after the top few DTs, the pool thins out rapidly. That is not a reason to take a DT before a top 20 linebacker, though, as the point difference between the top DT and the 10th DT off the board will not win you many weeks, while the 20th best LB may just give you enough tackles to win a close match up once or twice a season.

Understand the eligibility options employed by the platform your league plays on, as getting a linebacker that also qualifies as a defensive linesman can yield significant benefits. Not all platforms determine eligibility equally, and sneaking in an IDP that outperforms those other players at his position due to dual eligibility status can be the difference between making the playoffs and playing in the consolation round. 

When considering defensive backs, do not be charmed by a shutdown corner, such as Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals. Offenses will avoid throwing the ball to his side of the field, and therefore, a better option is the corner playing on the opposite side of the field that sees more action and has more chances to make tackles, pick off passes and generally be involved in the game. The trend to use multiple receiver sets has diminished this effect somewhat, but it is still not wise to trust a cornerback that has proven his ability to keep any receiver off the stat sheet with his coverage skills. 

Speaking of defensive backs, if your league does not differentiate between cornerbacks and safeties, the rule of thumb is to draft safeties for their tackle production. Unless your league uses a big play format, then you will want to seek out the good hands corners that see significant action on a weekly basis. Safeties are especially valuable during weeks when they face run-oriented offenses, as they will usually wind up filling gaps and making tackles all game long. 

When trolling the waiver wire, whether to cover a bye week issue or replace an injured IDP, look to the upcoming schedule. Is the player you are targeting going to face a high-powered offense or some plodding run oriented, grind it out team? Are there going to be significant tackle opportunities or is a big play week in store? Adjust and adapt to the schedule when you make your waiver claims.

Finally, have fun, and make sure to check our site for the latest suggestions in the weekly IDP column throughout the season. The analysis there will help you outfox your opponents. 

To help you plan for your drafts, below are the top 50 linebackers, defensive linesmen and defensive backs at the present time. Realize that these are incredibly early projections for all these players, and will need to be adjusted as training camps go forward and preseason play takes place.

 

 

Linebacker

Rank

Name

POS

Tm

1

Luke Kuechly 

ILB

CAR/11

2

Lavonte David 

OLB

TB/11

3

Ryan Shazier 

ILB

PIT/9

4

Bobby Wagner 

ILB

SEA/6

5

Jamie Collins 

OLB

CLE/9

6

Alec Ogletree 

ILB

LAR/8

7

Khalil Mack 

OLB

OAK/10

8

Vontaze Burfict 

OLB

CIN/6

9

Sean Lee 

OLB

DAL/6

10

Jatavis Brown 

OLB

LAC/9

11

Kwon Alexander 

ILB

TB/11

12

Deion Jones 

ILB

ATL/5

13

Lawrence Timmons 

ILB

MIA/11

14

Benardrick McKinney 

ILB

HOU/7

15

C.J. Mosley 

ILB

BAL/10

16

Zach Brown 

ILB

WAS/5

17

Chris Kirksey 

OLB

CLE/9

18

Telvin Smith 

OLB

JAX/8

19

Mark Barron 

ILB

LAR/8

20

Von Miller 

OLB

DEN/5

21

Myles Jack 

ILB

JAX/8

22

Darron Lee 

ILB

NYJ/11

23

Jarrad Davis 

ILB

DET/7

24

Danny Trevathan 

ILB

CHI/9

25

Edwin Jackson 

ILB

IND/11

26

Jordan Hicks 

ILB

PHI/10

27

Nigel Bradham 

OLB

PHI/10

28

Reggie Ragland 

ILB

BUF/6

29

Vic Beasley 

OLB

ATL/5

30

Preston Brown 

ILB

BUF/6

31

Derrick Johnson 

ILB

KC/10

32

Vince Williams 

ILB

PIT/9

33

Jerrell Freeman 

ILB

CHI/9

34

Eric Kendricks 

ILB

MIN/9

35

Thomas Davis 

OLB

CAR/11

36

Markus Golden 

OLB

ARI/8

37

NaVorro Bowman 

ILB

SF/11

38

Denzel Perryman 

ILB

LAC/9

39

Kamalei Correa 

OLB

BAL/10

40

Nick Vigil 

ILB

CIN/6

41

Haason Reddick 

ILB

ARI/8

42

Kiko Alonso 

ILB

MIA/11

43

Brandon Marshall 

ILB

DEN/5

44

K.J. Wright 

OLB

SEA/6

45

Malcolm Smith 

ILB

SF/11

46

Chandler Jones 

OLB

ARI/8

47

Will Compton 

ILB

WAS/5

48

De'Vondre Campbell 

OLB

ATL/5

49

Bud Dupree 

OLB

PIT/9

50

Justin Houston 

OLB

KC/10

 

Defensive Linemen 

Rank

Name

POS

Tm

1

J.J. Watt 

DE

HOU/7

2

Joey Bosa 

DE

LAC/9

3

Melvin Ingram 

DE

LAC/9

4

Jason Pierre-Paul 

DE

NYG/8

5

Carlos Dunlap 

DE

CIN/6

6

Danielle Hunter 

DE

MIN/9

7

Michael Bennett 

DE

SEA/6

8

Cameron Jordan 

DE

NO/5

9

Cliff Avril 

DE

SEA/6

10

Calais Campbell 

DE

JAX/8

11

Olivier Vernon 

DE

NYG/8

12

Everson Griffen 

DE

MIN/9

13

Trey Flowers 

DE

NE/9

14

Ezekiel Ansah 

DE

DET/7

15

Brandon Graham 

DE

PHI/10

16

Jadeveon Clowney 

DE

HOU/7

17

Marcell Dareus 

DT

BUF/6

18

Emmanuel Ogbah 

DE

CLE/9

19

Jerry Hughes 

DE

BUF/6

20

Myles Garrett 

DE

CLE/9

21

Demarcus Lawrence 

DE

DAL/6

22

Cameron Wake 

DE

MIA/11

23

Aaron Donald 

DE

LAR/8

24

DeForest Buckner 

DE

SF/11

25

Fletcher Cox 

DT

PHI/10

26

Kawann Short 

DT

CAR/11

27

Muhammad Wilkerson 

DE

NYJ/11

28

Ndamukong Suh 

DT

MIA/11

29

Akiem Hicks 

DE

CHI/9

30

Leonard Williams 

DE

NYJ/11

31

Charles Johnson 

DE

CAR/11

32

Sheldon Rankins 

DT

NO/5

33

Geno Atkins 

DT

CIN/6

34

Sheldon Richardson 

DE

NYJ/11

35

Dante Fowler Jr 

DE

JAX/8

36

Robert Ayers 

DE

TB/11

37

Frank Clark 

DE

SEA/6

38

Taco Charlton 

DE

DAL/6

39

Shaq Lawson 

DE

BUF/6

40

Solomon Thomas 

DT

SF/11

41

Jurrell Casey 

DE

TEN/8

42

Linval Joseph 

DT

MIN/9

43

Kony Ealy 

DE

NE/9

44

Noah Spence 

DE

TB/11

45

Gerald McCoy 

DT

TB/11

46

Stephon Tuitt 

DE

PIT/9

47

Derek Wolfe 

DE

DEN/5

48

Mario Addison 

DE

CAR/11

49

Connor Barwin 

DE

LAR/8

50

Michael Johnson 

DE

CIN/6

 

Defensive Back

Rank

Name

POS

Team/Bye

1

Landon Collins 

S

NYG/8

2

Keanu Neal 

S

ATL/5

3

Reshad Jones 

S

MIA/11

4

Kurt Coleman 

S

CAR/11

5

Barry Church 

S

JAX/8

6

Harrison Smith 

S

MIN/9

7

Jahleel Addae 

S

LAC/9

8

Kenny Vaccaro 

S

NO/5

9

Eric Weddle 

S

BAL/10

10

Eric Berry 

S

KC/10

11

Morgan Burnett 

S

GB/8

12

Bashaud Breeland 

CB

WAS/5

13

Shawn Williams 

S

CIN/6

14

Josh Norman 

CB

WAS/5

15

Su'a Cravens 

S

WAS/5

16

T.J. Ward 

S

DEN/5

17

Micah Hyde 

S

BUF/6

18

Jabrill Peppers 

S

CLE/9

19

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix 

S

GB/8

20

Sean Davis 

S

PIT/9

21

Malcolm Jenkins 

S

PHI/10

22

Jaquiski Tartt 

S

SF/11

23

James Bradberry 

CB

CAR/11

24

Jalen Ramsey 

CB

JAX/8

25

Malcolm Butler 

CB

NE/9

26

Jamal Adams 

S

NYJ/11

27

Logan Ryan 

CB

TEN/8

28

Rodney McLeod 

S

PHI/10

29

Tyrann Mathieu 

S

ARI/8

30

Karl Joseph 

S

OAK/10

31

Vernon Hargreaves III 

CB

TB/11

32

Tony Jefferson 

S

BAL/10

33

Marcus Peters 

CB

KC/10

34

Jonathan Cyprien 

S

TEN/8

35

Maurice Alexander 

S

LAR/8

36

Ron Parker 

S

KC/10

37

Earl Thomas 

S

SEA/6

38

Ronald Darby 

CB

BUF/6

39

Brent Grimes 

CB

TB/11

40

Janoris Jenkins 

CB

NYG/8

41

Marcus Maye 

S

NYJ/11

42

Kam Chancellor 

S

SEA/6

43

Trumaine Johnson 

CB

LAR/8

44

Byron Jones 

S

DAL/6

45

Quintin Demps 

S

CHI/9

46

Darian Thompson 

S

NYG/8

47

Daryl Worley 

CB

CAR/11

48

Jalen Collins 

CB

ATL/5

49

Chris Harris 

CB

DEN/5

50

Daniel Sorensen 

S

KC/10