Starting a series of 2022 IDP Tiered Rankings, with Defensive Lineman. The following is a three-part installment discussing and ranking Individual Defensive Players (IDP/IDPs). The positions are in accordance with Sleepers view of the position, which include dual designation.
Why play IDP and Defensive Linemen (DL).
Playing Fantasy Football is immensely fun. Playing with IDPs makes the game double the fun. In over a decade of playing/participating with IDP, the community has grown from wierdos, to niche, to accepted but in the corner y’all go, to now fringe mainstream. Odds are if you don’t play in IDP, at least half of your league mates are. The joy of playing with the defensive stars and receiving points on the most exciting plays in football is something we should all embrace.
One ‘complaint’ about IDP is that the point system varies too much, or that there is not a standard scoring system. Diversity should be embraced, not chastised. The offensive side of Fantasy Football can have 4 or 6 per TD pass, PPR, .5 PPR, can reward 1st downs and punish drops, can give bonus points, have superflex or not and receives little to zero criticism of the variety it can yield. The shame should be true for IDP. Having said that ALWAYS KNOW THE POINT SYSTEM OF YOUR LEAGUE!
Any good Fantasy coach/gm knows you must know how you WIN in your league. 1st and foremost is knowing the point/scoring system. For IDP specifically does the league tilt towards (Sacks 6+ points), is it tackle driven, is it big play=big pay, are there return yards, etc. etc.
If your league is sack-heavy you want edge pressure people; TJ Watt, M. Golden, M. Garrett, N. Bosa, R. Gary. Keep in mind sacks come in bunches, you ride the ups and downs of games having sacks and having 0. If a player could average just 2 sacks a game, they would DEMOLISH the sack RECORD by 11.5 SACKS! It is a beautiful, joyous, and uplifting play… arguably the best in the game. Reward how you see fitting.
DL generally do not get as many tackles, but some garnish enough to be valuable and on a weekly basis a great DL or front four can completely control the game. The following are my updated (as of 8.20.22) DL rankings for 2022.
Tiered Rankings
The below rankings use the assigned positions used by Sleeper including dual
Tier One
Tier Two
Tier Three
Tier Four
That’s the first in our series of 2022 IDP Tiered Rankings- Defensive Lineman. Don’t forget, you can get prepared for your fantasy drafts with our Fantasy Draft Kit. Or you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – USA TODAY Sports
