How is IDP different from a team defense?
With a team defense, you draft the whole unit and score based on what the team does together. In IDP, you draft individual players and score based only on their own stats, like tackles and sacks.
IDP (Individual Defensive Player)
IDP is a fantasy football format where you draft and start individual defensive players instead of relying only on team defenses.
In a standard fantasy league, defenses are drafted as an entire unit, and you get credit for whatever the team does as a whole, like sacks, turnovers, and points allowed. In an IDP league, you draft specific players such as linebackers, defensive linemen, and defensive backs, and they score points based on their own tackles, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, and other individual stats.
The most valuable IDP players are usually linebackers who rack up tackles every week, since tackles are the most consistent source of points in most scoring systems. Pass rushers who get a lot of sacks and defensive backs who make plays on the ball can also be strong picks, but their production tends to swing more from week to week.
IDP leagues add another layer of strategy because you have to research defensive players, not just quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. Some leagues start just one or two defensive players, while deeper formats can require a full lineup of them, similar to an offense.
Common questions
What positions do you draft in an IDP league?
IDP leagues use defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs. Linebackers are usually the most valuable because they record the most tackles.
Related terms
Fanademy ranks every player by value over replacement under your league's scoring. The free top five at each position is public; the full board is $5 a month or $40 a year.
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