Week 10 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2024) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

One persistent issue that constantly influences our IDP rankings and streamer advice is, “Are you in a deep or shallow league?” The idea of deep vs. shallow is a concept that routinely impacts our IDP advice. A majority of IDP leagues are not so deep that you’d ever start Stephon Gilmore… but how do we help the people who are? Better yet, how do we define a deep or shallow league?

For our purposes, “shallow leagues” are the most common IDP setups. These are serious leagues that like defenders but want offensive stars to remain the focus. In these setups, you typically see four or five starting defenders, with defenders sitting on only the longest benches. You also see scoring set out as we have it below, so defenders rarely outscore QBs, RBs, or WRs.

As for “deep leagues,” this term could refer to a variety of setups. For the truly hardcore, you might see 32-man leagues that start full 11-man defenses. More commonly, you may see leagues that start eight tacklers each week with scoring that keeps defenders on par with RBs and WRs. While 32-man leagues are uncommon, we try to help those in typical deep leagues each week.

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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	T.J. Watt	Steelers	Commanders
2	Micah Parsons (Q)	Cowboys	Eagles
3	Andrew Van Ginkel	Vikings	Jaguars
4	Nick Bosa	49ers	Buccaneers
5	Brian Burns (Q)	Giants	Panthers
6	Dexter Lawrence	Giants	Panthers
7	Josh Hines-Allen	Jaguars	Vikings
8	Keion White	Patriots	Bears
9	Trey Hendrickson	Bengals	Ravens
10	Will Anderson Jr. (Q)	Texans	Lions
11	Jonathon Cooper	Broncos	Chiefs
12	Jared Verse	Rams	Dolphins
13	Khalil Mack	Chargers	Titans
14	Montez Sweat (Q)	Bears	Patriots
15	Alex Highsmith	Steelers	Commanders
16	Harold Landry III	Titans	Chargers
17	Greg Rousseau	Bills	Colts
18	Danielle Hunter	Texans	Lions
19	Will McDonald IV	Jets	Cardinals
20	Travon Walker	Jaguars	Vikings
21	DeForest Buckner	Colts	Bills
22	Josh Sweat	Eagles	Cowboys
23	Jonathon Greenard	Vikings	Jaguars
24	Joey Bosa	Chargers	Titans
25	Byron Young	Rams	Dolphins
26	Zach Allen	Broncos	Chiefs
27	Ed Oliver	Bills	Colts
28	Sam Hubbard	Bengals	Ravens
29	A’Shawn Robinson	Panthers	Giants
30	Cameron Heyward	Steelers	Commanders
31	Chris Jones	Chiefs	Broncos
32	Nik Bonitto	Broncos	Chiefs
33	Vita Vea	Buccaneers	49ers
34	Azeez Ojulari	Giants	Panthers
35	Jalen Carter	Eagles	Cowboys
36	Jeffery Simmons	Titans	Chargers
37	Carl Granderson	Saints	Falcons
38	Harrison Phillips	Vikings	Jaguars
39	Tuli Tuipulotu	Chargers	Titans
40	Quinnen Williams	Jets	Cardinals
41	Kwity Paye	Colts	Bills
42	Dante Fowler Jr.	Commanders	Steelers
43	Kyle Van Noy	Ravens	Bills
44	Emmanuel Ogbah	Dolphins	Rams
45	Calais Campbell	Dolphins	Rams
46	Matthew Judon	Falcons	Saints
47	Odafe Oweh	Ravens	Bengals
48	Za’Darius Smith	Lions	Texans
49	Leonard Floyd	49ers	Buccaneers
50	Preston Smith	Steelers	Commanders

DL Riser of the Week:

Dante Fowler Jr., Washington Commanders

It's foolhardy to expect an edge rusher to have a career year in his age-30 season, but that's nearly the pace Fowler is on. The former top-5 NFL Draft pick has just one double-digit sack season in his career, but he is on pace for a career-high 12 sacks this year. Better yet, he's secured six quarterback takedowns in his past five games.

The potential for a breakout has always been there since Fowler came out of Florida, but injuries and inconsistent play have limited his snaps and production throughout a tumultuous career. So, are we predicting he will finally become what the Jaguars drafted him third overall to be in 2015?

Dante Fowler has been huge the last few weeks. Game Changer! #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/WEnbEknRoQ

— 𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓡𝓸𝓫 🇺🇸 (@WFTRob) November 3, 2024

The short answer is, no, we are not predicting that. However, his potential to outperform his current fantasy standing is high. The former Gator is currently the 83^rd most rostered DL in fantasy, but he’s actually DL17 in fantasy ppg. Better yet, he’s playing in a familiar and effective scheme and has a plus matchup against the Steelers on tap.

DL Disappointment of the Week:

Matthew Judon, Atlanta Falcons

We warned you to fade Judon this offseason, but he remained a high-end DL2 pick in most IDP drafts this year. He had us sweating our fade of him with a solid start to the year, but the former Patriot hasn’t registered a sack since Week 2.

Perhaps more concerning is that Judon has hovered around the 50% defensive snap rate in two of his past three games. When asked about Judon playing a season-low snap count this weekend, Atlanta Head Coach Raheem Morris said it was about "finding ways to be more productive."

While Judon has a good matchup against the Saints this week, his playing time and metrics are both bad. It’s also concerning that his coach thought the defense might be more productive if Judon played less. Judon remains the 30^th most rostered DL in IDP, which means he’s over-rostered and over-started.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Fred Warner	49ers	Buccaneers
2	Zaire Franklin	Colts	Bills
3	Zack Baun	Eagles	Cowboys
4	Foyesade Oluokun	Jaguars	Vikings
5	E.J. Speed	Colts	Bills
6	Roquan Smith	Ravens	Bengals
7	Eric Kendricks	Cowboys	Eagles
8	Dorian Williams	Bills	Colts
9	Bobby Wagner	Commanders	Steelers
10	Logan Wilson	Bengals	Ravens
11	Jamien Sherwood	Jets	Cardinals
12	Lavonte David	Buccaneers	49ers
13	Ivan Pace Jr.	Vikings	Jaguars
14	Bobby Okereke	Giants	Panthers
15	Germaine Pratt	Bengals	Ravens
16	Terrel Bernard (Q)	Bills	Colts
17	Daiyan Henley	Chargers	Titans
18	DeMarvion Overshown	Cowboys	Eagles
19	Nick Bolton	Chiefs	Broncos
20	Nakobe Dean	Eagles	Cowboys
21	Jack Campbell	Lions	Texans
22	Jordyn Brooks	Dolphins	Rams
23	Blake Cashman (Q)	Vikings	Jaguars
24	Troy Andersen (Q)	Falcons	Saints
25	T.J. Edwards	Bears	Patriots
26	Azeez Al-Shaair (Q)	Texans	Lions
27	Jack Gibbens	Titans	Chargers
28	Cody Barton	Broncos	Chiefs
29	Quincy Williams	Jets	Cardinals
30	Trevin Wallace	Panthers	Giants
31	Demario Davis (Q)	Saints	Falcons
32	Christian Rozeboom	Rams	Dolphins
33	Kaden Elliss	Falcons	Saints
34	Josey Jewell	Panthers	Giants
35	Alex Anzalone	Lions	Texans
36	T.J. Watt	Steelers	Commanders
37	Nathan Landman	Falcons	Saints
38	Kyzir White (Q)	Cardinals	Jets
39	Tremaine Edmunds	Bears	Patriots
40	Patrick Queen	Steelers	Commanders
41	Henry To’o To’o (Q)	Texans	Lions
42	Frankie Luvu	Commanders	Steelers
43	Kenneth Murray Jr. (Q)	Titans	Chargers
44	Devin Lloyd	Jaguars	Vikings
45	Andrew Van Ginkel	Vikings	Jaguars
46	Drue Tranquill	Chiefs	Broncos
47	David Long Jr.	Dolphins	Rams
48	Micah McFadden	Giants	Panthers
49	Ventrell Miller	Jaguars	Vikings
50	Payton Wilson	Steelers	Commanders

LB Riser of the Week:

Devin Bush, Cleveland Browns

A former top-10 draft pick who has flashed but never been consistent in terms of fantasy or NFL production, Bush is a “riser” only in the short term. He is difficult to trust on a week-to-week basis, but his playing time and role should be solid until Jordan Hicks and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah return.

With Owusu-Koramoah on IR and Hicks persistently missing time, Bush has seen his playing time and production spike. As long as both of Cleveland’s starters remain out, he should continue to see consistent playing time on a talented defense that faces offenses who are usually trying to run out the clock with a lead.

Since Cleveland is on bye, the demand for Bush will be low on waivers. Because of the bye, he won’t even show up at the top of your queue. Thus, IDP managers in deep leagues can easily stash him this week if you need a streamer with a quality matchup in Week 11 since Bush and the Browns face the Saints and their short-game-oriented offense.

LB Disappointment of the Week:

Jerome Baker, Tennessee Titans

As we saw with Ernest Jones IV and his short foray in Tennessee, this Titans coaching staff is not quick to stick newly added linebackers into the starting lineup. Jones only saw 46% of the defensive snaps in his first game with the Titans, but Jerome Baker’s situation is worse.

Jerome Baker with the sack on Cam Newton! 💪🌰 pic.twitter.com/Ue0wVyztpR

— Barstool Ohio State (@BarstoolOSU) September 13, 2020

In two games with Tennessee, Baker has seen exactly zero snaps. Jack Gibbens and Kenneth Murray Jr. seem entrenched ahead of him on the depth chart. Gibbens and Murray haven’t given the Titans reason to rush Baker into a key role, either. In fact, it’s unclear whether Baker was anything more than a depth throw-in to the Jones trade.

While it may seem obvious to bench Baker, many IDP managers haven’t yet. He is currently the 38^th most rostered LB in fantasy. He was also the 39^th most started last weekend when he started in more leagues than Christian Rozeboom, Edgerrin Cooper, and Daiyan Henley. Baker shouldn’t start over those guys, even if he plays more.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent
1	Brian Branch	Lions	Texans
2	Antoine Winfield Jr.	Buccaneers	49ers
3	Kyle Hamilton	Ravens	Bengals
4	Nick Cross	Colts	Bills
5	Budda Baker	Cardinals	Jets
6	Jaquan Brisker (Q)	Bears	Patriots
7	Jessie Bates III	Falcons	Saints
8	Derwin James Jr.	Chargers	Titans
9	Kerby Joseph	Lions	Texans
10	Quentin Lake	Rams	Dolphins
11	Jalen Pitre	Texans	Lions
12	Julian Blackmon	Colts	Bills
13	Tyrique Stevenson	Bears	Patriots
14	DeShon Elliott	Steelers	Commanders
15	Alontae Taylor	Saints	Falcons
16	Marlon Humphrey	Ravens	Bengals
17	Kyle Dugger	Patriots	Bears
18	Josh Metellus	Vikings	Jaguars
19	Brandon Jones	Broncos	Chiefs
20	Jaylon Jones	Colts	Bills
21	Camryn Bynum	Vikings	Jaguars
22	Deommodore Lenoir	49ers	Buccaneers
23	Zyon McCollum	Buccaneers	49ers
24	Kenny Moore II	Colts	Bills
25	Damar Hamlin	Bills	Colts
26	Tony Adams (Q)	Jets	Cardinals
27	Reed Blankenship	Eagles	Cowboys
28	Jordan Whitehead	Buccaneers	49ers
29	Ji’Ayir Brown	49ers	Buccaneers
30	Minkah Fitzpatrick	Steelers	Commanders
31	Taron Johnson	Bills	Colts
32	Tyson Campbell	Jaguars	Vikings
33	Marte Mapu	Patriots	Bears
34	Byron Murphy Jr.	Vikings	Jaguars
35	Riley Moss	Broncos	Chiefs
36	Amani Hooker	Titans	Chargers
37	Michael Jackson	Panthers	Giants
38	Malik Mustapha	49ers	Buccaneers
39	Demani Richardson	Panthers	Giants
40	Charvarius Ward	49ers	Buccaneers
41	Jevon Holland (Q)	Dolphins	Rams
42	Kamren Curl (Q)	Rams	Dolphins
43	Jalen Thompson	Cardinals	Jets
44	Cam Taylor-Britt	Bengals	Ravens
45	DaRon Bland (Q)	Cowboys	Eagles
46	Bryan Cook	Chiefs	Broncos
47	Kevin Byard	Bears	Patriots
48	Christian Gonzalez	Patriots	Bears
49	Tykee Smith	Buccaneers	49ers
50	Mike Sainristil	Commanders	Steelers

DB Riser of the Week:

Demani Richardson, Carolina Panthers

A largely unknown undrafted free agent, Richardson started the season without much playing time. That has changed in the last two weeks, as the Texas A&M product has put together back-to-back double-digit tackle performances.

It’s hard to completely trust an undrafted rookie after just two games, especially given it took two injuries for him to see the field. However, it’s also hard to see him coming off the field when he’s producing like this. Richardson is rostered in just 2% of IDP leagues and has a positive matchup coming up against the Giants, so he’s a riser for us.

DB Disappointment of the Week:

Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys

Diggs has historically been reliant on interceptions and tipped passes for fantasy production, though his tackle numbers have improved slightly this season. However, Diggs remains inconsistent in run support and struggles to take down runners one-on-one, which could be a problem against the Eagles.

Throw it where they ain't, @KirkCousins8 💰

FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/5GoEGj1N5Q

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 3, 2024

Philly’s offense is bottom of the NFL in pass attempts per game this season. Worse, they have averaged just 19.7 pass attempts over their past three games. The former NFC Champs’ recent winning formula revolves around establishing the run and playing solid defense to protect a lead. They should be able to continue that formula this week.

With Dak Prescott “likely” headed to IR and CeeDee Lamb also questionable to play, it seems unlikely a hampered Dallas offense will pose a big threat for Philly. This should be another game where the Eagles establish a lead early and nurse it with the run game. That should spell low volume for Diggs.

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