10 IDP Options You're Overlooking

Photo: Armond Feffer, USA Today Sports

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IDP fantasy football is like a music festival. You have your headliners, usually front and center on the poster in big bold print. You know they’re the main grabs for these events and draw the biggest crowds. However, the underappreciated part of a music festival is discovering the bands just happy to be there. The ones who are still fighting for stage time, hoping to make this their moment that ultimately catapults them to headliner status at the same event years from now. We all know the Bobby Wagners and Aaron Donalds of the world, but who are the players that are going to use this year to be the next stars of IDP fantasy football. I have compiled a list of ten players all of who were outside of the top 40 in their respective positions. Some are old names in new places, others may be coming off an injury and some you may have never heard of. These will be listed as Can’t-Miss, Shouldn’t Miss, Sleepers, and one player your Hidden Gem. So whether you go for the main act, or you’re looking to explore your tastes take it from a guy who has been to a few. I’ll show you what to look for!

Can’t-Miss

Don’t overthink this. Some guys are simply more effective than others.

LB Zach Cunningham, Tennessee

It feels odd writing about someone who has almost assuredly been one of the most dominant players in IDP for many years, but Cunningham had the first bad year of his career last year. He missed two games due to injury and had a weird end-of-the-year split with the Houston Texans that included a pregame benching minutes before kickoff against the Jaguars. He finished as LB61 with 93 total tackles. To give context to how truly dominant he can be, the previous three-year tackle totals were 116 in 2018, 152 in 2019, and a whopping 165 in 2020. He now finds himself coming off the worst year of his career, a public breakup at the end of the season with his old team, and in unfamiliar territory. He also has my favorite trait for players that are under the radar, opportunity. He now plays in the same division as his old team with a defensive-minded head coach in an unproven linebacker corps. He is a slam dunk and may fall to later rounds in redraft and could be picked up at a discount in dynasty formats. He is a potential league winner that some people may give up on. He is Football Guys consensus LB28 but my LB6 this year.

DT Sebastian Joseph-Day, LA Chargers

It is hard enough to make a name for yourself on a team with a stud who garners all attention and notoriety. It’s even more difficult to do so when he plays the same position as you. Joseph-Day played on the interior defensive line next to arguably the NFL’s best player Aaron Donald. He has since signed to play in the same city, but with a different team. He now finds himself the lead interior defensive lineman on the Chargers and will have Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack on either side of him. This positioning in itself will help ease him into more 1-on-1 battles, ones he has proven he can win. He did miss most of last year due to a pectoral injury, but before this injury registered 38 tackles and three sacks in just seven games playing the same position as Donald. Had he continued this pace he would have finished as DT3. He is currently Footballguys consensus DL80 but I have him ranked preliminarily 41st among all qualified defensive linemen in the NFL but he may have the highest ceiling and lowest asking price of an every-week starter. He was allowed to be a part of a team spending money on defense and will not be high cost. He has proven he can play alongside studs and produce. He will no doubt be at the top of IDP defensive linemen in scoring, so go get him now while you can.

S Jamal Adams, Seattle

In IDP fantasy football, safeties can blur together and at times there isn’t much difference between the top guy and a middle-tier guy. You may reserve this position for a late pick in a redraft league or not value these pieces in a dynasty league due to the lack of breakaway stars. Adams is different. Adams is a playmaking safety who has the opportunity to explode on the field on any given play. He missed five games due to a labrum injury, but was averaging double-digit points and had six 8+ tackle games before the injury. His average would have put him amongst the top eight at his position without injury. On a team who will likely play from behind and load the box against the run, he is an in-the-box safety with a playmaking repertoire. Whether it’s getting at the quarterback (he has 21.5 sacks in just five years) or playing back in coverage (35 defended passes in the same span) he will make the play. In a position that may not get the love it deserves, you have to have guys that can win you weeks. Don’t be surprised if he surpasses the 100 tackle mark this year and pairs it with a few game-winning weeks for your squad.

Shouldn’t Miss

Opportunity is one thing, but you have to go get it. These guys have the talent and the spot but need to prove it.