Millions of people now enjoy playing Fantasy Football, and the number is growing everyday. The vast amount of information on television and the ease of implementation provided by the Internet has been a significant contributor to the rapid growth of fantasy sports, with football as the fantasy leader.

Thanks to the overwhelming interest of so many, new avenues have opened up to the Fantasy Football enthusiast. From television programming that is solely dedicated to it, to large money leagues and contests that are becoming the new rage, Fantasy Football is in the midst of a phenomenal growth spurt.

With this much growth, it was only a matter of time before people would start to look for new and exciting variations on the game. One innovation that is starting to gain acceptance is the use of Individual Defensive Players (IDP). Since its inception, Fantasy Football has been all about the offensive players, with only the use of team defenses representing everyone who plays on the other side of the ball. While these offense-based leagues are still the majority, IDP leagues are gaining acceptance every year.

In this article we will provide 10 simple tips that will make the transition to an IDP league much simpler and help you dominate your less informed competition. >>Read More>>

1. The most important thing: Know the scoring system that will be used.

Sure, the scoring system is important to every Fantasy Football league, but it is especially important in IDP leagues as you need to determine which stat will have the most impact. There are leagues that will give very high points to sacks, interceptions or defensive touchdowns. Others focus almost exclusively on solo tackles. You will need to determine which stat will produce the highest point totals for your team. Later in the article we will point out which positions will provide you with the best chance to win according to your scoring system. To give an example, if your new league values sacks at 10 points per sack, but only .5 pts per tackle, the positions and players you draft will be very different from a league that values tackles higher. Commissioners of new leagues are experimenting with unique types of scoring systems, so make sure that you understand the important statistics and you will take your first step to success.

2. Tackles are the most consistent stat.

Tackles are the easiest stat to predict, and players that put together good tackle numbers from year to year are considered the studs of defense. Some of these players include; Donnie Edwards, Zach Thomas, Keith Bulluck, and London Fletcher. All of these players have a few things in common:

• First, they are all linebackers;
• Second, they are all leaders on their teams; and,
• Third, but definitely not least important, is they all stay on the field for every play whether it is a passing or a rushing down.

In fact if you look at the top ten tacklers of 2006 all of them are linebackers. Linebackers and strong safeties usually lead their teams in tackles, but we will give you a little more insight into that further into the article. Study the players that put up big tackle totals and you will give your team a very good chance to be competitive on defense.

3. Sacks are usually the second most important stat in IDP scoring.

Sack leaders are players that are seen a lot in highlight reels, and thus draw a lot of attention come draft day. These players are usually referred to as “sack artists.” While it is good to have a sack artist on your team, sacks are not the only factor you should look for in a sack artist.

Out of the top 10 sack leaders in 2006, there is only a difference of 5.5 sacks from top to bottom. As you will note in the chart below, Shawne Merriman led the league with 17 sacks, and the number 10 player was DeMarcus Ware with 11.5. While this shows that there was not a huge difference in sack totals, these same ten players have a big difference in tackle totals. Out of these ten players, Aaron Kampman has the highest tackle count with 89, and Aaron Schobel, who is 3^rd in sacks right behind Kampman, only has 53. If you were only looking at sack totals, you would most likely not realize that, while Kampman might only have 1.5 more sacks than Schobel, he does have 36 more tackles. Pay attention to the other stats of the sack artists before you decide on a player, and you will add one more advantage over your competition.

4. Interceptions do not usually provide enough fantasy points to merit attention on their own.

Interceptions, like sacks, tend to draw a lot of attention from the highlight shows. While that is fun to watch and cheer for, there are just not enough interceptions during the course of a season to pick a player based on that number alone. In the chart below you can see that the highest interception total was 10 shared by Asante Samuel and Champ Bailey.

In most IDP leagues interceptions are awarded 2 or 3 points each. Even at 3 points per interception, that will only account for 30 points for Samuel and Bailey. Tackles truly define their value. If you study the numbers of Samuel and Bailey closer than just the interceptions, you will see that Bailey has 21 more tackles which would cause his value to be greater come draft day. Comparing the tackle totals, Lito Sheppard has a sharp drop-off from the rest of the field. This should cause you to consider moving him down your draft board even though he had 6 interceptions.

Another point that must be noted is that the top interception leaders change almost every year. Out of the top ten in 2006, only one, Champ Bailey, was on the list in 2005. When a player shows the big play ability to get a lot of interceptions one year, it will often lead to teams not testing him as often the next, thus leading to fewer chances. The best cornerbacks rarely carry top fantasy value because teams tend to stay away from them. Bailey is one player who does not fit this mold.

There are leagues designed to take advantage of each of these scoring types; tackles, sacks and interceptions, but taking into account the overall stats of a player will always benefit your draft.

5. Do not be seduced by the players that have scored defensive touchdowns.

Do not draft your team based on guys who have scored defensive touchdowns. This is the most erratic statistic in fantasy football. There is no way to forecast with any consistency when a defensive touchdown will be scored, or who will score them. While it is good to have players that have scored touchdowns, it is not something on which you should base your defensive draft.

6. Know which positions benefit your scoring system the most.

Every Fantasy Football fan knows that on offense there is a definite hierarchy to the positions and where they are drafted. On defense the same holds true.  In general, linebackers can compare to the running backs, defensive backs to the wide receivers/quarterbacks and the defensive linemen to the tight ends and kickers.

If you look at the three charts above, one thing stands out; there are no players on any two lists. Each list is dominated by a certain position. Knowing which position will provide the stats you need to win is a key component to winning.

In some leagues you only have to distinguish a linebacker from a defensive back from a defensive lineman, while in others you will need to break the positions down even further. We will provide you with a breakdown of the different positions and where they will help you the most.

Linebackers - Linebackers are perennially the top tacklers in the league as shown in the top ten list above, but the position can be broken down further. There are middle linebackers, inside linebackers, weakside linebackers and strongside linebackers. Middle linebackers and inside linebackers will usually lead a team in tackles. Six out of the top ten in 2005 were either middle linebackers or inside linebackers. The difference between a middle linebacker and an inside linebacker will be discussed a little later when we talk about defensive schemes.

When you speak of weakside or strongside linebackers you are talking about the outside linebackers as a whole. The difference is that the strongside linebacker plays opposite the tight end and will have to cover him or will be blocked by him. This usually leads to fewer opportunities for tackles and sacks. The weakside linebacker typically has more room to move and is allowed to play from sideline to sideline, which results in higher tackle totals.

Another thing to look for in linebackers are players that play on teams with struggling offenses. These players will usually be on the field more often and will put up higher tackle totals.

Defensive Backs - Defensive backs are normally broken down into cornerbacks and safeties, but safeties can be further broken down into free safeties and strong safeties. Strong safeties will usually score higher in tackles, as they are used more often in run support. Strong safeties that play on teams with a weak defensive line or linebacker group will always be near the top in tackles on their team and a good choice for your fantasy team.

Free safeties are used more often to provide pass coverage and will rely on interceptions to provide a good portion of their scoring. Earlier in the article it was pointed out that this was not a good stat on which to build your draft.

Cornerbacks go through a metamorphosis in Fantasy Football. Rookie cornerbacks start their career as good fantasy choices. The reasoning behind this is that they will be tested early and often. Two things can happen as they are tested. The league will find out that they lack certain skills, and will continue to throw at them, allowing the player to put up higher tackle numbers and possible interceptions than their more skilled counterpart.

The other thing that could happen is that the young corner will turn into an exceptional playmaker and put up great fantasy stats in his first year. The following season, his stats will decrease as teams tend to stay away from his side of the field. These players used to be called “shutdown corners,” but there is a lot of discussion today that shutdown corners no longer exist. Players like Champ Bailey and Charles Woodson, who were once considered shutdown corners will now see more passes thrown their way as offensive coordinators try to change up offenses and receivers get quicker. These players may not be shutdown corners anymore, but they are still top cover corners and will still see a big decrease in chances relative to the opposite corner. Whatever people want to call these players, they should drop a little on your draft board.

Defensive Linemen - Defensive linemen can be broken down into defensive ends and defensive tackles. Defensive ends are usually the predominant pass rushers. Seven of the top sack artists were defensive ends in 2006, but as we discussed earlier, they are not always good for tackle numbers. Defensive tackles will not get as many sack chances, but will usually see more tackle opportunities, as they are used predominantly to stuff the run. If you do not have to differentiate between the two positions, then defensive ends are usually a much better fantasy option because their sack totals will more than offset the lower tackle totals they may get.

A defensive player’s value will vary greatly depending on the defensive scheme that is used by the team on which he plays. The two main schemes used today are called the 3-4 and the 4-3. These numbers describe how many defensive linemen and linebackers are used in the scheme. In a 3-4 defense, there are 3 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers, while in a 4-3, it is the opposite.

The 3-4 defensive scheme is a linebacker-oriented defense. The three defensive linemen are used predominantly to occupy the offense’s blockers.

When a defensive end is playing in a 3-4 scheme, his value will decrease because he will not be used as much for pass rushing, but instead to plug gaps and engage offensive blockers to free up the linebackers. Essentially, the defensive end is playing a defensive tackle position. The defensive tackle, since there is only one in this scheme, becomes known as the nose tackle, and his role is to occupy 2 offensive linemen to allow the inside linebackers quick access to the running back.

The players that benefit the most from this scheme are the linebackers. The outside linebackers will become much more involved in the pass rush and get more chances for sacks. The inside linebackers will become tackling machines, as the defensive linemen are used to funnel the rushers directly at them.

In 2006 only 6 teams played in the 3-4 defense: The Chargers, Patriots, 49’ers, Browns, Steelers, and Cowboys. On those 6, the sack leaders were all OLB, so if your league heavily favors the sack, look at the OLB on a 3-4 defense first.

The players that will benefit the most from playing in a 4-3 defense are the defensive ends and the middle linebackers. The defensive ends are the main pass rushers and will put up good sack numbers. The middle linebackers will see increased tackle chances as they roam the entire middle of the field.

Generally this does slightly diminish the outside linebackers chances of getting multiple sacks, but will allow them to get increased tackles.

Follow defensive coaches as they move during the off-season, most often they will take the defensive scheme they use with them to their new team. This is just one more piece to help you elevate your game to the next level.

8. Rookie defensive players usually make a quicker impact on your fantasy team than rookie offensive players.

While the jump from college to the NFL requires a lot of learning for any rookie, the defensive players seem to make a quicker impact on a fantasy team than the offensive players. In 2006 there were only a few offensive rookies that made impacts on their teams; Reggie Bush, Joseph Addai, Maurice Jones-Drew  and Marques Colston to name some of them.

On defense, the list is much longer. Below is a list of players that made an immediate impact in their rookie seasons and some of their stats.