Fantasy Football IDP Leagues: When Should You Draft Defensive Players?

Most fantasy football owners play in leagues that require just one defense/special teams group, giving points based on how the entire team performs. That's easiest for casual fans or those taking part just for fun. It's hard enough to know all the offensive players necessary to succeed without also digging into defense, where players rotate more often and fantasy scoring isn't always as straightforward.

Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues are often preferred by more veteran fantasy owners who want to increase the degree of difficulty, rewarding those who put in that extra time (otherwise known as degenerates, a group in which I include myself).

With more players available to draft, it means more draft strategies come into play. Should you focus on offense early or give more credence to the top defensive players who perform every year? Which defensive positions are most important to target first? Are you putting way too much of your life into fantasy football?

Let's answer some of these questions and look at a few strategies for drafting your team in an IDP league. As with everything, there is no one “right” way to build your roster; a lot comes down to personal preference, who you want to focus on, and the way your draft unfolds.

This is more about strategy than the basics of this league type. If you are unfamiliar with IDP leagues and want to learn more, you can do so here.

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When Should You Draft Defensive Players?

A lot depends on your league type and how many points you get for each stat. If you get one point for tackles and two points for bigger stats, like sacks and interceptions, then focusing on linebackers and safeties who rack up those tackle numbers is the best way to go. In that case, you can wait until the later rounds to fill your spots.

A common way of scoring used by ESPN gives four points for sacks, fumbles forced, and fumbles recovered and five points for interceptions while topping out at 1.5 points for solo tackles. In that case, you're incentivized to go after those guys who get after the quarterback, like Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett, and T.J. Watt, and you will have to take those players earlier to secure the best.

Your first five (or so) picks should always go toward offense. It's easier to predict who will perform well among offensive players than on defense, so securing guys like Ja'Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Allen early sets you up for the most success. The top quarterback will approach 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns; the top sack guy will get around 20. The difference between the stats of top offensive performers are further from an average player at the position than the top defensive players; you can find similar defensive stats easier.

How early you should start drafting defensive players is a tougher question. If your league starts going after defenders in the first five rounds, it's probably better to focus on the high-level offensive players who are left while knowing you can find guys later to approximate the defensive value.

My personal preference is to wait and not start after defenders until about the eighth round or later. With that strategy, most of those top guys are going to go off the board before I focus on that side of the ball, meaning I'm probably waiting even longer and targeting good matchups in the 12th round or later with the intention of streaming mostly.

Streaming Defenders

Tackles can be found anywhere. Linebackers who don't rush the passer are some of the most devalued players in real football, but they rack up the most tackles, get more sacks than defensive backs, and get more interceptions than defensive linemen. It's the easiest place to find fantasy production, meaning streaming linebackers is generally the best way to go rather than splurging for a guy like Fred Warner or Roquan Smith.

Defensive back is also a place I prefer streaming because interceptions are often so random. There are guys who are ball magnets and regularly pick off a few passes, but most interceptions are dependent on a bad pass, a receiver not in position, or the randomness of a ball popping up into the air. Safeties who get more tackles are often the safest fantasy players at the position, though they are less likely to get interceptions.

Sacks are a little different. There is luck involved, but the top sack producers often continue that performance from year to year, making them more valuable fantasy players. Pass rushers are the only defensive players who are really worth going after a little earlier, again after the fifth round or so. When streaming pass rushers, we're generally looking at the teams with the worst offensive lines, like last year's Texans, or a young quarterback who brings more on himself, like Caleb Williams last year.

Streaming defenders is easier than doing the same with offensive players because there are so many more guys who get involved. That's another reason that focusing on offense earlier is a better strategy while taking your defenders toward the end of the draft.

The “No Defense” Strategy

This follows the plan of not taking any defensive players until your last picks when you have to fill the positions.

You will miss out on those top pass rushers and the linebackers and defensive backs with the biggest names, but you can load up on your offense and probably have the best offensive group (on paper) of any team in your league. With streaming easier among defensive players, that gives you a leg up on your league-mates, though luck will always play a big part.

Attack the Pass Rush Strategy

I'm a proponent of the “no defense” strategy, but this is the only other strategy that I see as feasible toward having a successful draft. With sacks the most consistent stat outside of tackles, going after one of two of the top guys is reasonable and can set you up well.

As an example, let's say you have the 10th pick in a 10-team league, giving you the last pick of the fifth round and first pick of the sixth round. If no pass rushers come off the board before that time, you could take Crosby and Garrett and start with two absolute studs on defense.

You would miss out on Rashee Rice, DeVonta Smith, Sam LaPorta, and more really good skill players drafted around that same range, but it would give you two defensive ends to start with who are likely to combine for 30-plus sacks and fill two defensive line spots every week. You can then shoot for depth at the skill positions and leave the rest of the defense until the end again, knowing you can find similar guys later and stream the linebackers and defensive backs.

Interspersed Defensive Players Strategy

I don't recommend this strategy. This would mean choosing defensive guys throughout the draft to try to match the strength of your offense and defense in terms of top-line talent and depth. The most common path would probably be grabbing one of those top pass rushers (like Watt), a good linebacker (like Warner), and a big-name defensive back (like Minkah Fitzpatrick).

Most owners using this strategy would then fill their defensive starters before the final few rounds and maybe even have a defensive backup or two. I'll just keep going back to streaming being easiest with defensive players. Those bench spots are valuable for high-ceiling players, particularly on offense, so using one on a middling linebacker isn't a good use of resources. It's one thing if you're holding onto a top pass rusher while he is out for a few weeks, but using a roster spot all season for a defensive guy on your bench is lessening your chances of building the strongest team.

WR/CB Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

Hunter is the one outlier as a must-draft player in IDP leagues. Make sure you know the scoring rules of your league before your draft, but in standard ESPN leagues, Hunter can get both offensive and defensive fantasy scoring while taking up just one spot. In that case, putting him into one of your defensive back spots is the best way to maximize your points.

Not only will Hunter get those defensive stats, but all his receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns will also count from one of your defensive players. That is a wildly valuable player and a true unicorn, like getting pitching stats when Shohei Ohtani is in your DH spot.

If that is the case, and Hunter can score both ways, he is a player who can be drafted in the same range as those top pass rushers or even earlier. We don't know what he will be as a rookie, but he's likely to be on the field a lot, and his ability to score points in more ways than anyone else makes him a top defensive player.

Conclusion

My best advice for IDP leagues is to keep focus on building your offense while knowing you can stream more effectively on defense. It's OK to consider taking one of the top pass rushers, but I even shy away from that unless guys slide, preferring instead to have a strong offensive core.

A good rule I use is not to be the first person to take a defensive player. Let someone else kick off those festivities and plan your path forward based on where in the draft you are. If defenders start flying off the board in the fifth or sixth round, take advantage of building a really strong stable of skill players and trust your waiver wire skills on the other side of the ball.