Fantasy football has traditionally been an offensive-dominated endeavor where teams win and lose based on the yards, catches and touchdowns scored by their players. That is, except for one unique position — the IDP.
In fantasy football, IDP stands for “individual defensive player” and allows participants to select a single player on defense whose stats are added to weekly totals. Fantasy football leagues normally use IDP in place of team defenses and special teams, though some leagues can utilize both.
Role of IDP in fantasy football
Traditional fantasy football leagues place the strongest emphasis on offensive players. Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends are the skill players who amass the most stats on a weekly basis, and make up the bulk of traditional fantasy football rosters.
The majority of leagues also include a single team’s defense and special teams, which racks up weekly points based on the total points allowed, sacks, interceptions, fumbles, blocked kicks and touchdowns scored. Most leagues do not include individual defensive players (they are not part of the default scoring system in Yahoo and NFL.com public leagues, two of the most popular fantasy football platforms).
But many leagues choose to include individual defensive players — the IDP — whose stats are calculated and added to a participant’s final score just the same as a quarterback or running back. This can add more chances for draft strategy, trades, and overall a greater level of interest since league participants can have a whole new set of players to track every week.
Because IDP fantasy football leagues are outside the norm, it can be difficult to develop a comprehensive strategy for how to draft and manage players. The strategy for individual defensive players will depend largely on the specific league’s settings and just how much emphasis is placed on their scoring.
How Does Scoring Work for IDP Players?
Because the largest fantasy football platforms do no have the IDP as a default player, scoring systems can vary widely from league to league. There are some general rules, with stats being compiled using the most common defensive stats — tackles, interceptions, safeties, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, blocked kicks and touchdowns. Some leagues break stats down further, adding more points for a solo tackle versus an assisted one or additional points for tackles for a loss.
That means participants need to evaluate their league settings to determine how much emphasis is being placed on defensive players. Ideally, their stats should be roughly equal to what offensive players accumulate to avoid an imbalance. If offensive players score 20 points or more in a good week but individual defensive players top out at around 10 points, then there wouldn’t be much reason to use draft capital on defensive players or spend as much time and effort managing that part of your roster.
As Pro Football Focus noted, IDP scoring can often be skewed too much toward certain players, so many leagues opt for different scoring systems for different positions.
“One method that can be successful is actually using different scoring settings by position,” the report noted. “I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in the FPL IOP Invitational league over the last two seasons. This uniquely formatted league actually has different positional scoring settings. For example, linebackers score 2 points per solo tackle, while defensive linemen score 2.5 points per solo tackle. This and many other positional differences in scoring level the playing field between the IDP positions.”
Below is one example of an IDP fantasy football scoring system used by one league commissioner to create some equality between offensive and defensive players.
| Defensive Stat | Fantasy Points |
|---|---|
|
Tackle (solo) |
2 pt |
|
Tackle (assisted) |
1 pt |
|
Tackle for loss |
3 pt |
|
Forced fumble |
5 pt |
|
Fumble recovery |
4 pt |
|
Pass defended |
4 pt |
|
Interception |
6 pt |
|
Sack |
4 pt |
|
Safety |
5 pt |
|
Blocked kick |
5 pt |
|
Turnover return |
20 yards = 1 pt |
|
Kickoff/punt return |
15 yards = 1 pt |
|
Touchdown |
6 pt |
|
Extra point return |
2 pt |
How to draft IDP players in fantasy football
Because IDP fantasy football leagues are outside the norm, it can be difficult to develop a comprehensive strategy for how to draft and target players. The strategy for individual defensive players will depend largely on the specific league’s settings, including how many defensive players are on each fantasy team and how much emphasis is placed on their scoring.
In the best IDP leagues, there should be roughly as many defensive players drafted as offensive players. While these can be flex positions, many leagues call for a certain number of players to be selected the major positions — linebacker, defensive line, and secondary.
In the above scoring system, the top IDP player will generally be a middle linebacker, with overall scoring close to a top wide receiver. The next most valuable defensive players are usually defensive ends (or edge-rushing linebackers) who rack up points through tackles and sacks.
Selecting players in the secondary can be tricky. While safeties will generally get reliable stats through tackles and interceptions, the league’s best cornerbacks are often some of the worst players to pick in IDP fantasy football. Quarterbacks tend to avoid throwing to lockdown corners, so they can have a great football game without getting many fantasy football stats at all.
While the concept can sometimes be complicated and the position requires a bit more research than traditional offensive players, playing in an IDP fantasy football league can be rewarding and add a new level of competition.
