Introducing RotoBaller’s Standard IDP Scoring System and IDP Players to Target

Mitch Blatt introduces a standard scoring system for IDP (individual defensive player) fantasy football leagues and explains how it works.

Earlier this summer, I was given a tough mission. I was asked to come up with an IDP scoring system to use as a standard for doing analysis for RotoBaller. Now we are three weeks away from NFL kickoff. If you haven't set the scoring in your IDP league, you have to get on it.

I have been a commissioner of a casual IDP league. I am competing in four IDP leagues this season. Each has different roster sizes, different positions, and different scoring systems. The wide-open possibilities for customization are one of the things that make IDP fun.

Let's see how the RotoBaller scoring stacks up against other popular IDP scoring methods.

Introduction to IDP Scoring

Twelve different statistical categories are commonly scored, including tackles, sacks, fumbles, interceptions, safeties, and blocked kicks. Points stack up on a single play: a sack is both a tackle, a tackle for a loss, a QB hit, and a sack. (This really isn’t so different from offensive scoring, where a TD reception scores points for being both a reception, a TD reception, and for the yardage).

The main differences between leagues lie in the scoring of tackles and sacks. How valuable are sacks relative to ordinary solo tackles? The sack-to-solo ratio is often cited. Big play-centric scoring systems, like Big 3, that emphasize sacks will score more than 7 points for a sack compared to a tackle. On the other end of the spectrum, tackle-heavy leagues might value sacks just 4 times more than tackles.

RotoBaller Standard scoring strikes a balance: Sacks should be worth 6 times a solo tackle. That is right in the middle of the other scoring systems. If sacks are like the touchdowns of IDP, then they should be valued at 6 times a solo tackle, which are the receptions of IDP.

I set interceptions more valuable than other leagues, however, because interceptions are much more valuable than sacks in real life. Interceptions also occur about a third as frequently as sacks (and sacks can be credited to multiple defenders), meaning that if interceptions were valued equally to sacks, there would be no chance for most defensive backs to score anywhere close to edge rushers.

I wanted LBs, the WRs of defense (abundant and high scoring at the top end), to score roughly equivalently to WRs. Both positions take up about the same amount of space on an NFL roster. There are 3 or 4 LBs on a field for most plays. There are between 2 and 4 WRs on the field for most plays. So the waiver wire should look the same for both positions.

RotoBaller Standard Scoring

Without further ado, the RotoBaller standard scoring system we recommend you use for your league is as follows:

Balanced sack-t0-solo ratio: Exactly 6.0 ✅

IDP LBs valued equivalently to WRs ✅

INTs valued closer to true value ✅

Elite WRs score more than elite LBs, but LBs even outscore WRs deep on the waiver wire.

Comparison with Other Scoring Systems

Here is how the top 15 IDPs fared in Rotoballer Standard scoring in 2021 compared with how they fared in two other popular scoring systems.

While T.J. Watt dominated in all scoring systems, the scope of his dominance varied. In RotoBaller Standard, Watt scored 37 points more than the next leading scorer, Foyesade Oluokun. In Big 3, a scoring system that heavily awards sacks, Micah Parsons was the #2 IDP, and Watt led the league by 90 points.

Looking at the big picture, it is still possible to get a general idea of where any IDP stands no matter what the scoring system. There is a high degree of correlation between where the players fall across the entire league.

The biggest differences between rankings for RotoBaller Standard scoring and IDP123 scoring concern CBs and other players who score a large proportion of their points from interceptions. RotoBaller awards 10 points for an INT, while the other two in this comparison award 6. Big 3 does help DBs out by awarding 4 points for pass defenses, more than the 3 IDP123 awards or the 2.5 in RotoBaller Standard.

The result is players like Trevon Diggs (11 INT in 2021), Xavien Howard (5), and P.J. Williams (3) were more valuable in a league using RotoBaller Standard in 2021 than they would have been in a league using IDP123. Linebackers with good ball skills are also highly valuable.

Targets in RotoBaller Standard Scoring Leagues

Based on my 2022 projections, some players you should target in leagues using RotoBaller Standard include:

Xavier McKinney, NYG, DB/S

I am expecting McKinney to lead the league in interceptions and be the second-leading DB in fantasy scoring. McKinney made 5 picks and 93 combined tackles in his second season and his first as a full-time starter. The Giants face a slate of opponents that will throw the ball often, including the Cowboys and every team in the NFC North. Also on tap are multiple QBs who lack accuracy or experience and could be easy pickings: the Bears’ Justin Fields, the Texans’ Davis Mills, the Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, and the Niners’ Trey Lance.

Logan Wilson, CIN, LB

Wilson stepped forward in his second year in terms of both making tackles and big plays. He has always had good hands and coverage skills. He has already picked off 6 passes in his career, including 4 last season, and he had 10 in his four collegiate seasons at Wyoming. His experience playing wide receiver and defensive back in high school shows. His scouting report at Wolf Sports notes: “Exceptional hands and ball production.”

He should be expected to continue to make plays on the ball while increasing his tackling production yet again, a good combination that could make him one of the top 5 linebackers in fantasy.

On the other hand, some DBs (like Jeremy Chinn) and LBs (like Myles Jack) who accumulate a lot of tackles but few interceptions or sacks are less valuable in Rotoballer Standard than they are in tackle-heavy formats.

I will be publishing my rankings and examining more sleepers, breakouts, and busts in later articles.

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