We're getting down to the nitty gritty of the fantasy football season and the IDP landscape is well laid out for us. Meaning, we know who's getting the snaps so all there's left to decipher are injuries and trying to play the matchups when necessary. Notice I said "when necessary.” Nine times out of 10, you shouldn't be playing the matchups. You play your best players? Who are your best players? The guys scoring the points. That's it. Don't get cute. IDP is far more volatile than the offensive side of the ball. You could have the LB1 going up against the most run-heavy team so you think that offense will control the ball and run a ton of plays, which creates lots tackle-scoring opportunities. But it doesn't always go that way even if a matchup seems obvious. Stick with the guys averaging the most points. You are not a soothsayer and neither am I. There are no bonus points for starting a lesser player. Sure, there are some caveats, like maybe he's averaging many fewer points over the last month than another player who's averaging more as of late. But generally, stick with the studs!
I've said this before, I'm legit repeating myself from last week, but it bears repeating given the volume of questions I get asked. The wide variety of IDP leagues makes it difficult to pinpoint roster percentages, so not every recommendation may be a good fit for your league. Generally, if you play in a shallow format with a total of 24 or fewer IDP starters across the league (two per team), these recommendations are at least a layer too deep for you. I'm not going to say it doesn't matter what's in this article, but if you're playing in that more shallow IDP format, you can just head over to FantasyPros consensus IDP rankings and that should be plenty. That's all you need. Their rankings are more geared toward a tackle-heavy scoring system. For specifics, it's always best to consume a lot of IDP content to get a feel for the landscape from multiple points of view.
Finally, I'd like to recommend avoiding DT and CB players unless your league specifically requires them as starters. Generally, defensive ends are more productive than defensive tackles. Generally, safeties are more productive than cornerbacks. There are exceptions but they are very limited in number. There's maybe a half dozen DTs I would consider to be among the top 50 defensive linemen. There's maybe 10 CBs I would consider to be among the top 50 defensive backs.
If you have any IDP waiver or lineup questions, I'm happy to help and you can contact me on Twitter @mattkdelima. Before I offer the latest IDP information, please go back and check the names on the Week 11 IDP waiver wire list.
Note: For each player, I provide a rest of season (ROS) ranking and their percentage of defensive snaps played in their most recent game. For example, Derwin James would be a DB1+, meaning a defensive back ranked 1-12 (DB1) and the plus sign meaning on the high-end (1-4). DL3- would be a defensive lineman ranked 25-36 (DL3) and the minus means on the low-end, specifically 33-36. Recommendation thresholds based on MFL data: DL (less than or equal to 8% rostered), LB (less than or equal to 11% rostered), DB (less than or equal to 8% rostered).
