If you’re in an individual defensive players (IDP) league, your league definitely isn’t a casual one. That guy from accounting who watches three football games per season isn’t in this league. In other words, you need to be ready for your draft.
Fantasy football rankings, IDP: Top 20 rankings for linebackers
Fantasy football owners in IDP leagues should make sure their linebackers are above average. Who should you be targeting?
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By now you’ve probably figured out who you’re targeting on the offensive side, but what about the defensive side? In most leagues, IDPs aren’t as valuable for a few reasons. For example, they usually don’t score as much in most leagues and the positional depth is much deeper.
Generally, IDP owners really need to grab their linebackers early. Sure, there are some clear studs at other positions to give you an advantage, but you need the most depth at linebacker and you need linebackers in your defensive-flexes to maximize your roster.
With that, here are the rankings for the top 20 linebackers in IDP:
Here’s what is considered standard scoring for these rankings: solo tackle 1.0 points, assisted tackle 0.5 points, sack 3.0 points, forced fumble 2.0 points, recovered fumble 2.0 points, interception 4.0 points, deflection 1.0 points, touchdown 6.0 points:
1. Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He's the man. He needed just 14 games to get to 146 tackles, four forced fumbles and a sack. He might have some help at the second level with rookie Kwon Alexander, but David is still the favorite to be the top-scoring player in IDP.
2. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
If someone is going to earn more points than David, it might be Luke. He’s just 24 years old, he led the NFL in tackles last season and the Panthers likely won’t be as good on offense with their depleted receiver corps. He hit 153 tackles last season to lead the league. He might be able to repeat.
3. NaVorro Bowman, San Francisco 49ers
If not for an ACL tear two seasons ago, we might be talking about Bowman as the top LB. The 49ers are gutted on defense with linebacker Patrick Willis retiring, so Bowman is actually a decent bet to lead the NFL in tackles. If you want a true stud LB and you miss on the big two, you should be very happy with this 27-year-old tackling machine.
4. C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens
If you get to 133 tackles in your rookie season, you're officially a beast. The Ravens may have lost Haloti Ngata and aren't as strong up front, but Mosley should be able to flirt with 150 tackles in his second season. He racked up 19 tackles in two postseason games to serve as some foreshadowing.
5. Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
Perhaps no defensive player born in the 1990s is as consistent as Wagner. He’s hit 100 tackles in all three of his seasons and even did it in just 11 games in 2014. Wagner has dealt with some injuries, but he’s still as solid as it gets.
6. Jamie Collins, New England Patriots
He was an absolute stud to close out the final five games, averaging almost nine tackles per game and tallying 4.0 sacks. Collins has carried that momentum into the 2015 preseason and the Patriots are all set to give him a full complement of snaps. If you play in a big-play league, Collins is a top-five option with No. 1 upside.
7. DeAndre Levy, Detroit Lions
Nobody had Levy as a 151-tackle guy last season. Plus, his 117 solo tackles were 16 more than anyone else. Of course, Levy thrived with Stephen Tulloch out with an ACL tear, so Tulloch's return figures to cut down Levy's output. Plus, there are some better tacklers on the Lions this season. He's still a near lock for 120 tackles.
8. Paul Posluszny, Jacksonville Jaguars
Injuries kept Poz down to just 69 tackles in seven games. If you extrapolate that and assume he stayed healthy, he would have led the league with 158 tackles. However, the Jaguars figure to be a little better on offense and are better overall, which means their defense won’t be on the field all the time. Poz is still a very strong target as an LB1 at 30 years old.
9. Sean Lee, Dallas Cowboys
To be clear, you don’t have to draft Lee as the ninth LB. A lot of people will be a bit gun-shy on Lee after he tore his ACL last offseason. However, he is poised for a tremendous season with Dallas not having a strong group of tacklers. If you can somehow make him your LB2, you will probably have the strongest group of LBs in your league. If he gets hurt, there’s always the waiver wire.
10. Jelani Jenkins, Miami Dolphins
He's another upside pick here. He wasn't quite a three-down linebacker in his sophomore year last season, but he still had three games with at least 14 tackles. Now that he has Ndamukong Suh in front of him, the tackles should come in bunches. To be clear, Jenkins isn't a pure talent, so be a little careful in Dynasty leagues.
11. Mychal Kendricks, Philadelphia Eagles
After the team didn’t give him the all-clear for snaps throughout his career, the Eagles just ponied up and gave Kendricks a four-year, $29 million deal. He’s not going to be highly coveted after putting up just 62 solo tackles in 12 games last year, but he’s potentially a top-eight linebacker thanks to the Eagles offense playing so fast.
12. Paul Worrilow, Atlanta Falcons
He ranked fifth in the NFL for total tackles, which is saying something for an undrafted linebacker out of Delaware. While Worrilow probably isn’t the long-term answer at the Mike, the Falcons didn’t add anyone to challenge him this season. He’ll likely be in the top 10 for tackles yet again.
13. Keenan Robinson, Washington
The football team in Washington is in some turmoil these days. Their offense looks like it’s in shambles, which means there will be plenty of chances for Robinson to tally some tackles. You can probably get him at LB15 or later, too.
14. Alec Ogletree, St. Louis Rams
He really showed some promise last year, finishing with 111 tackles while turning it up down the stretch. He's still going to have to compete with James Laurinaitis for tackles this year, but the Rams front four should create some open alleys for Ogletree to dominate.
15. D'Qwell Jackson, Indianapolis Colts
He was sixth in the NFL in tackles last season and will enter this season in a similar role. After struggling to stay healthy earlier in his career, Jackson has played 16 games in each of his last four seasons. He could be a bargain with his high floor.
16. Karlos Dansby, Cleveland Browns
He’s kind of boring at age 33, but Dansby just missed hitting 100 tackles last year with 93 in 12 games. Before last season, he played in 16 games for five of his previous six seasons. Take him as your LB2 and don’t look back.
17. Demario Davis, New York Jets
Another sleeper here. You won’t have to take Davis inside of the top 20 picks at LB, but the amount of buzz behind him the past couple weeks is worth your attention. Coach Todd Bowles figures to give him all the snaps he can handle and we might see Davis bust loose as a top-five tackler this season.
18. Kiko Alonso, Philadelphia Eagles
If not for the injury concern, Alonso would be a top-10 target. He’s also been battling tendinitis already in September, so maybe the Eagles don’t let him loose.
19. Derrick Johnson, Kansas City
It seems like just yesterday DJ was a top-three option. However, an Achilles tear really took the wind out of his sails as his career starts to wind down. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him as your LB2, though.
20. Telvin Smith, Jacksonville Jaguars
If you’re wondering why Poz was so low, here’s your reason. Smith could usurp the role as the leading tackler on the Jaguars. His upside is big.
