Week 11 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football - Positional Rankings for Linebacker, Defensive Line, Defensive Back

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 11 of the 2023 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start em, sit em picks for individual defensive players.

There are four NFL teams on bye in Week 11. That is usually a prescription for heavy roster turnover and triage in fantasy circles. However, this bye week is uniquely tame.

While this bye is taking the NFL’s leading tackler (Zaire Franklin) away from us, the losses could be far worse. The Saints typically have just three players in our weekly IDP rankings, the Colts five, the Patriots two, and the Falcons four. That’s a loss of 3.5 defenders per team due to bye, which is negligible when you consider we lost 26 IDP-ranked starters in Week 7.

Things are further improved when you consider that of the defenders on bye, only one (Franklin) ranks in the top ten at his position most weeks. Deforest Buckner is a DT1, and Paulson Adebo is a CB1, but in leagues that don't use those designations, you won't miss them too badly. As a result, this week’s rankings will be deep, and some good players will be crowded off the list because the Week 11 bye is being unusually kind to us this year.

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IDP Scoring System for Rankings:

• 6-points per Defensive Touchdown
• 4-points per Forced Turnover (FF/INT)
• 3-points per Sack
• 2- points per PD, FR, Safety
• 1-point Solo Tackle
• 0.5-points Assisted Tackle

Note: These rankings are also based on leagues that start one player at each defensive position (DL, LB, DB) and two DFLEX.

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Micah Parsons	Cowboys	Panthers
2	T.J. Watt	Steelers	Browns
3	Maxx Crosby	Raiders	Dolphins
4	Myles Garrett	Browns	Steelers
5	Josh Allen	Jaguars	Titans
6	Aidan Hutchinson	Lions	Bears
7	Nick Bosa	49ers	Buccaneers
8	Haason Reddick	Eagles	Chiefs
9	Danielle Hunter	Vikings	Broncos
10	Trey Hendrickson (Q)	Bengals	Ravens
11	Alex Highsmith	Steelers	Browns
12	Chris Jones	Chiefs	Eagles
13	Brian Burns (Q)	Panthers	Cowboys
14	Aaron Donald	Rams	Seahawks
15	Kayvon Thibodeaux	Giants	Commanders
16	Christian Wilkins	Dolphins	Raiders
17	Jaelan Phillips	Dolphins	Raiders
18	Joey Bosa	Chargers	Packers
19	Josh Sweat	Eagles	Chiefs
20	Jonathan Allen	Commanders	Giants
21	Javon Hargrave	49ers	Buccaneers
22	Shaquil Barrett	Buccaneers	49ers
23	Rashan Gary	Packers	Chargers
24	Daron Payne	Commanders	Giants
25	Khalil Mack	Chargers	Packers
26	Dexter Lawrence	Giants	Commanders
27	Jonathan Greenard	Texans	Cardinals
28	Jeffery Simmons	Titans	Jaguars
29	Chase Young	49ers	Buccaneers
30	Jalen Carter	Eagles	Chiefs
31	Boye Mafe	Seahawks	Rams
32	Ed Oliver (Q)	Bills	Jets
33	Cameron Heyward	Steelers	Browns
34	Bradley Chubb	Dolphins	Raiders
35	Byron Young	Rams	Seahawks
36	Harold Landry III	Titans	Jaguars
37	Will Anderson Jr.	Texans	Cardinals
38	Justin Madubuike	Ravens	Bengals
39	Preston Smith	Packers	Chargers
40	Vita Vea (Q)	Buccaneers	49ers
41	Montez Sweat	Bears	Lions
42	Demarcus Lawrence	Cowboys	Panthers
43	Baron Browning	Broncos	Vikings
44	Harrison Phillips	Vikings	Broncos
45	Denico Autry	Titans	Jaguars
46	Derrick Brown	Panthers	Cowboys
47	Calijah Kancey	Buccaneers	49ers
48	George Karlaftis	Chiefs	Eagles
49	Jonathan Cooper	Broncos	Vikings
50	Nik Bonitto	Broncos	Vikings

DL Riser of the Week

Boye Mafe, Seattle Seahawks

Mafe was a pre-season sleeper for me, and I recommended you stash him early in the season. Few of us could have expected he would notch a sack in seven straight games, though. The metrics suggest he can continue to be a solid fantasy DL going forward, even if this streak doesn't keep up.

Mafe is 23^rd in Pass Rush Win Rate amongst defensive linemen with more than 200 pass rush snaps. He also grades as PFF’s 34^th best pass rushing DL. Mafe is also a reliable tackler, notching five or more tackles in half of his games this season. Those rates are all signs of progress for a raw prospect coming out of Minnesota. Plus, the Rams are allowing pressure on 34% of dropbacks since Week 4, which helps.

DL Disappointment of the Week

Chase Young, San Francisco 49ers

Let's start with the positives. In Young's first game with San Francisco, he played most of the defensive snaps. He subbed out on obvious running downs and managed just one tackle, but he also collected a half-sack and forced a fumble that didn't count. It was a promising first showing on a favorable fantasy front.

Now for the downside. Young played 79% over Jacksonville’s left side. This is consistent with his usage all season, lining him up over the left tackle on most downs. This week that means he pulls Tristan Wirfs duty. Add to that the fact Young is still learning a new defensive scheme and could keep subbing out on running downs, and there's downside that drops the former Buckeye lower than usual.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Foyesade Oluokun	Jaguars	Titans
2	T.J. Edwards	Bears	Lions
3	Roquan Smith	Ravens	Bengals
4	Jordyn Brooks	Seahawks	Rams
5	Terrel Bernard (Q)	Bills	Jets
6	Bobby Wagner	Seahawks	Rams
7	C.J. Mosley	Jets	Bills
8	Ernest Jones (Q)	Rams	Seahawks
9	Fred Warner	49ers	Buccaneers
10	Logan Wilson	Bengals	Ravens
11	Lavonte David	Buccaneers	49ers
12	Bobby Okereke	Giants	Commanders
13	Quay Walker (Q)	Packers	Chargers
14	Azeez Al-Shaair	Titans	Jaguars
15	Patrick Queen	Ravens	Bengals
16	Quincy Williams	Jets	Bills
17	Frankie Luvu	Panthers	Cowboys
18	Alex Singleton	Broncos	Vikings
19	Devin White	Buccaneers	49ers
20	Devin Lloyd	Jaguars	Titans
21	Elandon Roberts	Steelers	Browns
22	Dre Greenlaw	49ers	Buccaneers
23	Kyzir White	Cardinals	Texans
24	Eric Kendricks	Chargers	Packers
25	Jack Gibbens	Titans	Jaguars
26	De’Vondre Campbell	Packers	Chargers
27	Micah Parsons	Cowboys	Panthers
28	David Long Jr.	Dolphins	Raiders
29	Ivan Pace Jr.	Vikings	Broncos
30	Germaine Pratt	Bengals	Ravens
31	Drue Tranquill	Chiefs	Eagles
32	Tremaine Edmunds (Q)	Bears	Lions
33	Josey Jewell	Broncos	Vikings
34	Kenneth Murray Jr.	Chargers	Packers
35	T.J. Watt	Steelers	Browns
36	Blake Cashman	Texans	Cardinals
37	Robert Spillane	Raiders	Dolphins
38	Nicholas Morrow	Eagles	Chiefs
39	Damone Clark	Cowboys	Panthers
40	Leo Chenal	Chiefs	Eagles
41	Divine Deablo	Raiders	Dolphins
42	Henry To’oTo’o	Texans	Cardinals
43	Jamin Davis	Commanders	Giants
44	Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah	Browns	Steelers
45	Alex Anzalone	Lions	Bears
46	Micah McFadden	Giants	Commanders
47	Zach Cunningham	Eagles	Chiefs
48	Jerome Baker	Dolphins	Raiders
49	Jack Sanborn	Bears	Lions
50	Christian Rozeboom	Rams	Seahawks

LB Riser of the Week

Elandon Roberts, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

This marks two straight weeks that an injury to a Steelers LB has elevated the next man up, making them our riser of the week. We noted last week that Roberts was the more consistent tackler, but Kwon Alexander was designated as the defensive playcaller and leader after Cole Holcomb's injury. Well, Alexander is now headed for IR, and Roberts is up.

The former Dolphin has played 50% or more of Pittsburgh's defensive snaps three times this season. He has eight or more tackles in each of those contests. On Sunday, he saw nearly 100% of the defensive snaps, which should continue given the dearth of healthy talent that Pitt has at linebacker. That should be an attractive role for fantasy since the Steelers (17.3 ppg) never blow out opponents, and thus the run game is always an option.

LB Disappointment of the Week

Jack Sanborn, Chicago Bears

Listing Sanborn as a “disappointment” is a bit of a misnomer since he’s a good player with a good matchup against the Lions on tap. However, Tremaine Edmunds has been upgraded to Questionable, and some Bears pundits think he will play. Edmunds’ return would spell a significant drop in Sanborn’s playing time, even if Edmunds is limited.

Sanborn has only one game with five or more tackles when Edmunds and T.J. Edwards are both healthy. He’s seen over 60% of the snaps just once in those situations, as well. That means if Edmunds is practicing in full on Friday, Sanborn will be difficult to trust in most fantasy formats. However, if Edmunds sits this week out, Sanborn jumps back into the LB2 conversation.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Derwin James (Q)	Chargers	Packers
2	Camryn Bynum	Vikings	Broncos
3	Antoine Winfield Jr.	Buccaneers	49ers
4	Kamren Curl	Commanders	Giants
5	Talanoa Hufanga	49ers	Buccaneers
6	Kyle Hamilton	Ravens	Bengals
7	Minkah Fitzpatrick (Q)	Steelers	Browns
8	Jalen Pitre	Texans	Cardinals
9	Reed Blankenship	Eagles	Chiefs
10	Jevon Holland	Dolphins	Raiders
11	Jaquan Brisker	Bears	Lions
12	Jordan Poyer	Bills	Jets
13	Dax Hill	Bengals	Ravens
14	Rayshawn Jenkins	Jaguars	Titans
15	Grant Delpit	Browns	Steelers
16	Devon Witherspoon	Seahawks	Rams
17	L’Jarius Sneed	Chiefs	Eagles
18	Kevin Byard	Eagles	Chiefs
19	Budda Baker	Cardinals	Texans
20	Tre’von Moehrig	Raiders	Dolphins
21	Xavier McKinney	Giants	Commanders
22	Kerby Joseph	Lions	Bears
23	Josh Metellus	Vikings	Broncos
24	Justin Simmons	Broncos	Vikings
25	Brian Branch	Lions	Bears
26	Ryan Neal	Buccaneers	49ers
27	Darious Williams	Jaguars	Titans
28	Rasul Douglas	Bills	Jets
29	Alohi Gilman	Chargers	Packers
30	Geno Stone	Ravens	Bengals
31	Taron Johnson	Bills	Jets
32	Daron Bland	Cowboys	Panthers
33	Rudy Ford	Packers	Chargers
34	Harrison Smith	Vikings	Broncos
35	Nate Hobbs	Raiders	Dolphins
36	Jayron Kearse	Cowboys	Panthers
37	Justin Reid	Chiefs	Eagles
38	Brandon Stephens	Ravens	Bengals
39	Andre Cisco (Q)	Jaguars	Titans
40	Jamal Adams	Seahawks	Rams
41	Kyler Gordon	Bears	Lions
42	Tracy Walker III	Lions	Bears
43	Jason Pinnock	Giants	Commanders
44	Nick Scott	Bengals	Ravens
45	Jalen Ramsey	Dolphins	Raiders
46	DeShon Elliott	Dolphins	Raiders
47	Jordan Fuller	Rams	Seahawks
49	Sydney Brown	Eagles	Chiefs
50	Cam Taylor-Britt	Bengals	Ravens

DB Riser of the Week

Kerby Joseph, DB, Detroit Lions

Joseph is on a heater, notching a turnover or double-digit tackles in three straight games. He is an every-down starter on a strong Lions defense that should put pressure on a Bears team allowing 12.6 pressures per game. For perspective, consider that Chicago attempts the sixth-fewest passes per game, meaning their quarterbacks are under pressure 42% of the time.

The Lions should jump out to an early lead in this one, meaning the Bears will have to throw to catch up. That could also mean Justin Fields throwing with protection on his injured finger. Joseph has a decent chance to get a turnover in this one.

DB Disappointment of the Week

Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears

Detroit is the seventh most pass-oriented offense in the NFL. Some of that is attributable to Jahmyr Gibbs being used in the passing game and some to do with the team losing David Montgomery for a spell. Whatever the reason, the Lions have been above league-average in pass attempts all year. So, it is surprising that Jared Goff has the lowest Turnover Worthy Play percentage amongst all starting NFL quarterbacks.

In fact, Goff has committed a turnover-worthy play on just 1.7% percent of his plays, totaling six all year. That's staggeringly low. What's worse, Jaylon Johnson plays 91.5% of his snaps out wide, while Detroit's top pass catchers run most of their routes away from Johnson's side. Thus, Johnson's floor and ceiling are both low this week. His teammate, Kyler Gordon, is rostered in fewer leagues and has a much better matchup.

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