Fantasy Football: 2023 combined offense and IDP draft rankings and strategy

• A full offense and IDP draft strategy walkthrough: Find out where to take the first IDPs and which ones to target first.
• Ideal roster breakdowns: Helping IDP managers curate how the ideal roster should look like at various points in the draft.
• Helping get you started: Going through the preferred scoring and lineup requirements for a balanced offense and IDP league.

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

A common barrier that prevents fantasy football gamers from playing in IDP leagues is being unsure of where to value defensive players among the offensive players that they already know so well. Consider this a strategy guide for the optimal draft approach for IDP leagues, with summarized reasoning and walkthroughs throughout a typical 30-round draft.

Also included are preferred scoring and lineup requirements to provide a balanced starting point for fantasy gamers to dive in.

Offensive scoring (standard PPR)

IDP scoring (PFF-preferred)

Starting lineup requirements (30 rounds)

Be sure to check out the full tiers, rankings, and player-specific thoughts for each positional group:

Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Defensive linemen | Linebackers | Defensive backs

Rounds 1-4: Getting started and where the first IDPs fall

Having three or four offensive skill position players at this point would be ideal through the first four rounds. Fantasy managers could very well continue to attack those positions or add either a top quarterback or elite edge defender, depending on preference. The edge and quarterback pools are still fairly deep at this point, so for fantasy managers that want more stability at running back, wide receiver or tight end, waiting a few more rounds for quarterback or edge is perfectly fine at this point in the draft.

Ideal starting lineup through the first four rounds:

• QB: 0-1
• RB: 1-3
• WR: 1-3
• TE: 0-1
• ED: 0-1

Rounds 5-9: Where the first IDPs will commonly start coming off the board

For those fantasy managers that didn’t address tight end, quarterback or edge defender in the first four rounds, now would be a good time to do so, as the reliable starters pool begins to dry up fairly quickly. Doubling up on top-12 edge options is also a viable strategy to protect against a potential injury, as that player’s replacement will rarely produce similar production numbers, making the waiver-wire and/or depth options less than ideal once the season begins.

It’s more than likely that the first crop of linebackers will start to come off the board within these rounds, but for those willing to be patient, there will be plenty of opportunities to address that position in the next few rounds.

Ideal starting lineup through eight rounds:

• QB: 1
• RB: 1-4
• WR: 2-4
• TE: 1
• ED: 1-2
• LB: 0-1

Rounds 9-12: Getting a reliable interior defender, as well as skill position and ED depth

These four rounds should be used to build talented depth at skill positions while making sure the IDP positions that rely on talent are starting to get filled out. Trying to grab two top-20 edge defenders along with a Tier 1 defensive tackle will ensure you don’t have to worry about those positions in-season, barring injury. Defensive line production can be very sporadic, making talent and pass-rush ability all the more important to get locked up to create a strong weekly floor at a thin position.

The linebacker position is easily replaceable once the season and injuries start, as that production is usually a result of playing time/opportunity versus talent, so it becomes easier to find on the waiver wire than a defensive lineman or wide receiver, for example.

Ideal starting lineup through 12 rounds:

• QB: 1-2
• RB: 2-5
• WR: 3-6
• TE: 1-2
• ED: 2-3
• DI: 0-1
• LB: 0-1

Rounds 13-18: Addressing the linebackers and wrapping up QB and TE

This is a great range to start grabbing safe linebackers who should play a full-time role and accrue plenty of tackles. Grabbing one or two coming out of these four rounds should give fantasy managers a solid start at the position if they didn’t already grab one earlier.

This is also a good range to finish drafting the quarterback and tight end positions. Outside of this range, things get much thinner in terms of reliable options.

Ideal starting lineup through 18 rounds:

• QB: 2
• RB: 2-5
• WR: 4-6
• TE: 2-3
• ED: 2-3
• DI: 1-2
• LB: 1-3

Rounds 19-24: Locking up our linebackers and starting the safety run

Fantasy managers that waited to attack the linebacker position can target the position heavily here with plenty of names still left on the board who can be solid producers. As we get later into the draft, the players with full-time roles start to diminish so for those that don’t want to rely on the waiver-wire in-season, this could be the last range to get those final pieces at the position.

Don’t be the fantasy manager to grab safety earlier than this and instead, focus on rounding out other key positions first before someone else starts the run. There are plenty of safeties in this range, so it’s best not to grab more than one in the first 24 rounds.

This is also about the last shot to grab a starting interior defensive lineman for DT-required leagues before this volatile position gets dicey.

Ideal starting lineup through 24 rounds:

• QB: 2
• RB: 4-6
• WR: 5-6
• TE: 2-3
• ED: 2-3
• DI: 1-2
• LB: 3-5
• S: 0-1

Rounds 25-30: The final rounds, aka the best place to target the defensive back position

The final rounds are where fantasy managers should be addressing the cornerback position for the first time while rounding out starting lineup requirements for their safeties. Defensive back is by far the deepest position in this format, and there are plenty of names not listed here that can score similarly on any given week.

The last rounds are also a good spot to take your favorite dart throws at more valuable positions like wide receiver, tight end or running back while quarterback, edge defender and defensive tackle should all have been addressed by this point with a set starter and reliable backup locked in for DT-required leagues.

Ideal starting lineup through 30 rounds:

• QB: 2
• RB: 4-6
• WR: 5-7
• TE: 2-3
• ED: 3-4
• DI: 2-3
• LB: 3-5
• S: 2-3
• CB: 1-2