The Game Day’s sports content editor Matt De Lima, the No. 3 2022 IDP in-season ranker on FantasyPros, delivers his lists for fantasy football individual defensive player rankings.
There is no industry standard in IDP for the number of players to use or an official IDP scoring system. Any IDP rankings list should include a preferred scoring system as a point of reference. Click here to see my preferred league setup and scoring system.
Included rookies in these rankings lists, but generally speaking, you don’t want to consider them much of a sure thing until they earn lots of consistent playing time.
Let’s take a spring look at the top 60 fantasy football IDPs at DL, LB, and DB for the 2023 NFL season.
Fantasy Football IDP Rankings 2023
These fantasy football rankings are current as of Wednesday, May 10.
Linebackers IDP Rankings
| Rk | Tr | Player Name | POS | TM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Roquan Smith | LB | BAL |
| 2 | 1 | Nick Bolton | LB | KC |
| 3 | 1 | Foyesade Oluokun | LB | JAC |
| 4 | 1 | Fred Warner | LB | SF |
| 5 | 1 | Logan Wilson | LB | CIN |
| 6 | 2 | Pete Werner | LB | NO |
| 7 | 2 | Devin White | LB | TB |
| 8 | 2 | Tremaine Edmunds | LB | CHI |
| 9 | 2 | Bobby Okereke | LB | NYG |
| 10 | 2 | Josey Jewell | LB | DEN |
| 11 | 2 | Dre Greenlaw | LB | SF |
| 12 | 2 | Cole Holcomb | LB | PIT |
| 13 | 2 | De'Vondre Campbell | LB | GB |
| 14 | 3 | Quay Walker | LB | GB |
| 15 | 3 | Shaquille Leonard | LB | IND |
| 16 | 3 | Nakobe Dean | LB | PHI |
| 17 | 3 | David Long Jr. | LB | MIA |
| 18 | 3 | Jordyn Brooks | LB | SEA |
| 19 | 3 | Bobby Wagner | LB | SEA |
| 20 | 3 | Jordan Hicks | LB | MIN |
| 21 | 3 | Frankie Luvu | LB | CAR |
| 22 | 3 | Zaire Franklin | LB | IND |
| 23 | 3 | T.J. Edwards | LB | CHI |
| 24 | 4 | Shaq Thompson | LB | CAR |
| 25 | 4 | Eric Kendricks | LB | LAC |
| 26 | 4 | Lavonte David | LB | TB |
| 27 | 4 | C.J. Mosley | LB | NYJ |
| 28 | 4 | Divine Deablo | LB | LV |
| 29 | 4 | Drue Tranquill | LB | KC |
| 30 | 4 | Troy Andersen | LB | ATL |
| 31 | 4 | Terrel Bernard | LB | BUF |
| 32 | 4 | Alex Singleton | LB | DEN |
| 33 | 4 | Brian Asamoah II | LB | MIN |
| 34 | 4 | Zaven Collins | LB | ARI |
| 35 | 4 | Jamin Davis | LB | WAS |
| 36 | 4 | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | LB | CLE |
| 37 | 5 | Christian Kirksey | LB | HOU |
| 38 | 5 | Matt Milano | LB | BUF |
| 39 | 5 | Denzel Perryman | LB | HOU |
| 40 | 5 | Alex Anzalone | LB | DET |
| 41 | 5 | Ernest Jones | LB | LAR |
| 42 | 5 | Willie Gay Jr | LB | KC |
| 43 | 5 | Demario Davis | LB | NO |
| 44 | 5 | Azeez Al-Shaair | LB | TEN |
| 45 | 5 | Monty Rice | LB | TEN |
| 46 | 5 | Christian Harris | LB | HOU |
| 47 | 5 | Devin Lloyd | LB | JAC |
| 48 | 5 | Isaiah Simmons | LB | ARI |
| 49 | 5 | Jerome Baker | LB | MIA |
| 50 | 5 | Nicholas Morrow | LB | PHI |
| 51 | 5 | Ja'Whaun Bentley | LB | NE |
| 52 | 6 | Leighton Vander Esch | LB | DAL |
| 53 | 6 | Damone Clark | LB | DAL |
| 54 | 6 | Patrick Queen | LB | BAL |
| 55 | 6 | Cody Barton | LB | WAS |
| 56 | 6 | Quincy Williams | LB | NYJ |
| 57 | 6 | Rashaan Evans | LB | FA |
| 58 | 6 | Malcolm Rodriguez | LB | DET |
| 59 | 6 | Jack Campbell | LB | DET |
| 60 | 6 | Mykal Walker | LB | ATL |
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Defensive Line IDP Rankings
| Rk | Tr | Player Name | POS | TM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Micah Parsons | ED | DAL |
| 2 | 1 | Maxx Crosby | DE | LV |
| 3 | 1 | T.J. Watt | ED | PIT |
| 4 | 2 | Haason Reddick | ED | PHI |
| 5 | 2 | Nick Bosa | DE | SF |
| 6 | 2 | Myles Garrett | DE | CLE |
| 7 | 2 | Brian Burns | ED | CAR |
| 8 | 2 | Joey Bosa | ED | LAC |
| 9 | 3 | Aaron Donald | DT | LAR |
| 10 | 3 | Christian Wilkins | DT | MIA |
| 11 | 3 | Danielle Hunter | ED | MIN |
| 12 | 3 | DeForest Buckner | DT | IND |
| 13 | 3 | Chris Jones | DT | KC |
| 14 | 3 | Aidan Hutchinson | ED | DET |
| 15 | 3 | Matthew Judon | ED | NE |
| 16 | 4 | Uchenna Nwosu | ED | SEA |
| 17 | 4 | Da'Ron Payne | DT | WAS |
| 18 | 4 | DeMarcus Lawrence | DE | DAL |
| 19 | 4 | Kwity Paye | DE | IND |
| 20 | 4 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | ED | NYG |
| 21 | 4 | Rashan Gary | ED | GB |
| 22 | 4 | Alex Highsmith | ED | PIT |
| 23 | 4 | Harold Landry III | ED | TEN |
| 24 | 4 | Quinnen Williams | DT | NYJ |
| 25 | 4 | Jaelan Phillips | DE | MIA |
| 26 | 4 | Jonathan Allen | DT | WAS |
| 27 | 5 | Javon Hargrave | DT | SF |
| 28 | 5 | Cameron Heyward | DE | PIT |
| 29 | 5 | Josh Sweat | DE | PHI |
| 30 | 5 | Sam Hubbard | DE | CIN |
| 31 | 5 | Josh Allen | ED | JAC |
| 32 | 5 | Greg Rousseau | DE | BUF |
| 33 | 5 | Chase Young | DE | WAS |
| 34 | 5 | Carl Granderson | ED | NO |
| 35 | 5 | Cameron Jordan | DE | NO |
| 36 | 5 | Preston Smith | ED | GB |
| 37 | 5 | Shaquil Barrett | ED | TB |
| 38 | 5 | Deatrich Wise Jr. | DE | NE |
| 39 | 6 | Jeffery Simmons | DT | TEN |
| 40 | 6 | Trey Hendrickson | DE | CIN |
| 41 | 6 | Khalil Mack | ED | LAC |
| 42 | 6 | Dexter Lawrence II | DT | NYG |
| 43 | 6 | Grover Stewart | DT | IND |
| 44 | 6 | Darrell Taylor | ED | SEA |
| 45 | 6 | Leonard Williams | DE | NYG |
| 46 | 6 | Dre'Mont Jones | DE | SEA |
| 47 | 6 | Preston Smith | ED | GB |
| 48 | 6 | Zach Allen | DE | DEN |
| 49 | 6 | Jonathan Greenard | DE | HOU |
| 50 | 6 | Bradley Chubb | ED | MIA |
| 51 | 6 | Montez Sweat | DE | WAS |
| 52 | 6 | Azeez Ojulari | ED | NYG |
| 53 | 6 | Will Anderson Jr. | DE | HOU |
| 54 | 7 | Travon Walker | ED | JAC |
| 55 | 7 | Za'Darius Smith | ED | MIN |
| 56 | 7 | Josh Uche | ED | NE |
| 57 | 7 | Denico Autry | DE | TEN |
| 58 | 7 | Dorance Armstrong | DE | DAL |
| 59 | 7 | Zach Sieler | DE | MIA |
| 60 | 7 | BJ Ojulari | ED | ARI |
Defensive Back IDP Rankings
| Rk | Tr | Player Name | POS | TM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Derwin James Jr. | S | LAC |
| 2 | 1 | Jalen Pitre | S | HOU |
| 3 | 1 | Jaquan Brisker | S | CHI |
| 4 | 1 | Budda Baker | S | ARI |
| 5 | 1 | Jamal Adams | S | SEA |
| 6 | 2 | Antoine Winfield Jr. | S | TB |
| 7 | 2 | Jeremy Chinn | S | CAR |
| 8 | 2 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | S | PIT |
| 9 | 2 | Kyle Hamilton | S | BAL |
| 10 | 2 | L'Jarius Sneed | CB | KC |
| 11 | 2 | Talanoa Hufanga | S | SF |
| 12 | 2 | C.J. Gardner-Johnson | CB | DET |
| 13 | 2 | Kamren Curl | S | WAS |
| 14 | 3 | Xavier McKinney | S | NYG |
| 15 | 3 | Nate Hobbs | S | LV |
| 16 | 3 | Eddie Jackson | S | CHI |
| 17 | 3 | Harrison Smith | S | MIN |
| 18 | 3 | Jordan Poyer | S | BUF |
| 19 | 3 | Jalen Ramsey | S | MIA |
| 20 | 3 | Donovan Wilson | S | DAL |
| 21 | 3 | Kyle Dugger | S | NE |
| 22 | 3 | Julian Love | S | SEA |
| 23 | 3 | Grant Delpit | S | CLE |
| 24 | 4 | Jalen Thompson | S | ARI |
| 25 | 4 | DeShon Elliott | S | MIA |
| 26 | 4 | Rayshawn Jenkins | S | JAC |
| 27 | 4 | Rasul Douglas | CB | GB |
| 28 | 4 | Tracy Walker III | S | DET |
| 29 | 4 | Richie Grant | S | ATL |
| 30 | 4 | Justin Simmons | S | DEN |
| 31 | 4 | Marcus Williams | S | BAL |
| 32 | 4 | Kevin Byard | S | TEN |
| 33 | 4 | Vonn Bell | S | CAR |
| 34 | 4 | Amani Hooker | S | TEN |
| 35 | 4 | Kerby Joseph | S | DET |
| 36 | 4 | Tyrann Mathieu | S | NO |
| 37 | 5 | Brandon Jones | S | MIA |
| 38 | 5 | Sauce Gardner | CB | NYJ |
| 39 | 5 | Ryan Neal | S | TB |
| 40 | 5 | Jevon Holland | S | MIA |
| 41 | 5 | Darrick Forrest | S | WAS |
| 42 | 5 | Kenny Moore | CB | IND |
| 43 | 5 | Charvarius Ward | CB | SF |
| 44 | 5 | Chuck Clark | S | NYJ |
| 45 | 5 | Jordan Whitehead | S | NYJ |
| 46 | 5 | Terrell Edmunds | S | PHI |
| 47 | 5 | Tariq Woolen | CB | SEA |
| 48 | 5 | Daxton Hill | S | CIN |
| 49 | 5 | Marcus Maye | S | NO |
| 50 | 5 | Jimmie Ward | S | HOU |
| 51 | 5 | Jayron Kearse | S | DAL |
| 52 | 6 | A.J. Terrell | CB | ATL |
| 53 | 6 | Justin Reid | S | KC |
| 54 | 6 | Jessie Bates III | S | ATL |
| 55 | 6 | Kyler Gordon | CB | CHI |
| 56 | 6 | Taron Johnson | CB | BUF |
| 57 | 6 | Brian Branch | S | DET |
| 58 | 6 | Micah Hyde | S | BUF |
| 59 | 6 | Lewis Cine | S | MIN |
| 60 | 6 | Desmond King II | CB | HOU |
Fantasy Football IDP League Setup
My recommended IDP league settings:
Defensive Lineup
1 DT, 2 DE, 3 LB, 1 CB, 2 DB, 2 IDP Flex (DL/LB/DB)
IDP Scoring
- 1.5 points per Tackle
- 1 point per Assist
- 4 points per Sack
- 3 points per Forced Fumble
- 2 points per Fumble Recovery
- 4 points per Interception
- 1.5 points per Passes Defended
- 4 points per Safety
- 6 points per Defensive Touchdown
Stay tuned during the regular season for our fantasy football tips ahead of drafts and in-season matchups.
Fantasy Football IDP Rankings 2023: Key
- Rk: Rank
- POS: Position
- Tm: Team
- POSRK: Positional Rank
Fantasy Football IDP Rankings Positions
Defensive Linemen
Hopefully, your league allows you to use most edge pass rushers as defensive linemen. If that’s the case, that’s a big boon for pass-rushing linebackers like Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt, Brian Burns, Haason Reddick, and the list goes on.
You should probably take Watt as the first IDP off the board, but it’s hard to ignore all those injuries in 2022. His replacement for much of the 2022 season, Alex Highsmith, could be a big value if the Steelers can find a way to keep him on the field.
I’ve ranked the 2022 Eagles’ pass rushers (Reddick, Josh Sweat) under the assumption they won’t be as effective this year. As a team, they had 70 sacks and that seems tough to duplicate.
The aforementioned duo, along with Brandon Graham and 49ers-bound Javon Hargrave, combined for 49 sacks.
Linebackers
There was a fair amount of turnover year-to-year in splash players at the position. Nick Bolton is a revelation and pushes all the way to the No. 2 spot, Roquan Smith is the man to beat. Foyesade Oluokun will have a tall task matching his stellar 2022 production.
The tendency in fantasy football is to lean toward youth but it’s best to play it safe when rounding out the LB2 and LB3 spots on your roster with guys like Jordan Hicks or T.J. Edwards. There’s certainly appeal in young guys like Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, but you just need to keep balance in mind and not focus solely on the upside.
Three young sleepers to watch this year are Trey Anderson, Terrel Bernard, and Brian Asamoah II.
Defensive Backs
Both Jalen Pitre and Jaquan Brisker broke out in a big way as rookies, yet the IDP DB king remains Derwin James Jr.
Kyle Hamilton is due for a special year now that he’s penciled in as the starter.
Once you get beyond the top 25 or so defensive backs, there are far more swing-and-miss opportunities - especially for players who are on a new team or in a new defensive system.
Jalen Ramsey has been a solid corner and DeShon Elliott was a top IDP last year, but the Dolphins may not use them exactly as their former teams did.
Marcus Williams is only a mid-level DB3 in my rankings after a very inconsistent, yet productive season. Fantasy managers should see Brandon Jones make the leap in 2023 that we were all expecting last season.
Every year, Harrison Smith falls in the rankings, and every year, he keeps playing great.
IDP Advice & Tips
Which IDP Scoring System Setup Should You Use?
The best IDP scoring systems give at least 1+ point per tackle and assist. They are the most consistent defensive stats.
Big-play scoring (interceptions, sacks, fumbles) lacks predictability and you want players delivering reliable tackles with a smattering of extracurricular activity in the box scores. Interceptions and sacks (excluding top-tier pass rushers) will vary wildly game-to-game and from season-to-season.
How Many IDP Starters Should My League Use?
If your league only has six or fewer IDP starters, you may want to expand the lineup. It’s best to have a near-equal amount of offensive and defensive starters.
This allows each position to carry meaningful weight and discourages managers to punt or fade a position. A balanced roster is the best roster.
How Do I Decide Who To Start In IDP Leagues?
Follow the points. Do not play the matchups in IDP unless you are supremely confident in your ability to make calls.
Don’t overthink it. Unless there is a glaring weakness - such as an offensive line dealing with injuries that are allowing the most sacks in the NFL - you’re better off sticking with the guy who’s putting points on the board.
