What is IDP Fantasy Football and Why You Should Play in 2023

What is IDP Fantasy Football and Why You Should Play in 2023

What is IDP?
Oh baby, don’t hurt me
Don’t hurt me
No more
–Haddaway (probably)

You down with IDP? Yeah, you know me! As one of your resident IDP analysts you know I am always down to talk about anything IDP. Most fantasy footballers have some idea of what IDP fantasy football is, but if you do not, you have come to the right place! I will take you on a written journey of wonderment and amazement to let you know the basics (and some more advanced things) about playing IDP fantasy football.

What is IDP Fantasy Football?

IDP, when used in fantasy football, refers to Individual Defensive Players. Instead of having a team defensive, where what a defense (and sometimes special teams) does cumulatively is scored, you draft singular defensive players who score points based on the statistical criteria your league set up.

Some examples of defensive scoring plays are solo tackles, assisted tackles, sacks, QB hits, QB pressures, tackles for a loss (TFL), safeties, interceptions, touchdowns, pass deflections, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries.

Having individual players to watch and pay attention to during games adds an extra level of fun during NFL games, and added complexity to your fantasy league.

Now I get that IDP leagues are not for everyone. There is no uniform scoring system for defense and even the default scoring systems on various sites differ. Some leagues try to balance out tackles with big plays, some prefer rewarding big plays more, and some lean towards rewarding tackles more.

Leagues vary what positions count too. Basic leagues have DL (defensive line), LB (linebacker), and DB (defensive back). Others break it down by cornerback, defensive tackle, defensive end, safety, etc.

The variety scares some people off as it can be a lot to take in and understand. In the end it ends up being the next step for many managers that want a new challenge, or to expand their overall knowledge base.

Why You Should Play IDP Fantasy Football

Being able to find a league that it set up how you want, with the people you want, is one of the most important things about fantasy football. Again, I realize I can’t convince you all to play IDP, but darn it, I am going to try!

Reason 1: More Excitement in NFL Games
You know that happy, tingly feeling you get when the QB you are playing against that week throws a pick six? Now imagine how fun it is when the player he throws the pick-six to is a player you are starting on offense! More exciting plays, and yes more heartbreak, but more chances for matchup-altering plays makes each game matter more and gives you more to look for during games.

Reason 2: More Customization
Just like the offensive side of the ball, there are nearly endless things you can customize for IDP leagues. You can have one DL, LB, and DB, only defensive flex players, or specific positions. Scoring customization is at your fingertips as well. You are essentially doubling how much customization you have in your leagues and can make them unique just for you! Now yes, what site you are on will limit some of this, but with so many different sites out there to play on you can find one that fits you perfectly too. You can find our RotoHeat scoring for IDP here.

Reason 3: Increased Strategy
The level of this will depend on how much customization you get into, but having more players per team, and limited viability of some of the positions leads to more in-depth strategic moves being needed. If you go for balanced scoring between offense and defense, where do you start? A top-end defensive tackle where there are fewer of those and you only start one, or the stud wide receiver when you need three?

Reason 4: The Value of Expanded Horizons
So yeah, probably sounds a bit corny, but there is value in trying new things in life. With all the customization available, it is easy to start out slow and easy when beginning your journey. If you like it, build from there. If you don’t, hey, you tried something new, probably learned something about yourself, life, love, and happiness along the way, and can use that in the future.

For me though, and many others, adding IDP adds more fun and excitement, and helps me understand the game of football better. Whether it is just playing big-name players, or digging for deep sleepers at defensive end that will pop in two years, you can make it what you want to be. Defense wins championships as they say in the NFL, and that is true in IDP leagues too.

If you are looking for some IDP articles and information to get started, head on over to the website and check out all of our past IDP articles!

Thank you for reading What is IDP Fantasy Football and Why You Should Play in 2023

You can catch our video content on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell to ensure that you don’t miss any of our other great content. We have free IDP Rankings over on RotoHeat.com, and you can catch our IDP-Specific podcast on most podcatchers! You can also find me on Twitter.