The Effect of True Position on IDP

Photo: Mark Konezny, USA Today Sports

The NFL is a constantly-evolving sport. On offense, the days of the I Formation and power run games are gone, replaced by spread formations, three and four-receiver sets, and passes galore.

As offenses have changed, defenses have followed suit. As Bryan Knowles wrote for Football Outsiders, in 2021, there was not one NFL team that spent 40 percent of their defensive snaps in a base defense. Only six teams (the Texans, Jaguars, Dolphins, Vikings, Steelers, and Seahawks) spent over 30 percent of their defensive snaps in their base. There were actually more teams (seven) that aligned in base sets less than 20 percent of the time, and two teams (the Bills and Cowboys) checked in under 5 percent.

Conversely, a whopping 29 teams were in a 4-2-5 (nickel) alignment over half the time. Six teams were in that alignment for over 70 percent of their defensive snaps — the Bills, Cowboys, Colts, Falcons, Eagles, and Jets.

The nickel has become the new base defense. And in recent years, IDP providers have made an effort to change with the times. For some, it has meant new positional designations like edge rusher and interior defender. For others, it has meant affording many players eligibility at multiple positions. And some providers have simply changed how some players are classified.

More IDP providers than not are now using some variation of the format, and the IDP rankings here at Footballguys will reflect that shifting landscape moving forward.

The changes have been labeled True Position by some in the IDP community. And as is the case with most sizable changes in fantasy, some folks don't like it one bit. But the reality is that True Position isn't as seismic a shift as some have made it out to be.

And it actually affords savvy IDP managers an opportunity to build an even more formidable roster in 2023.

What Is True Position?

Here are the changes in a nutshell.

All 4-3 defensive ends and 3-4 outside linebackers are now classified as DE or edge rushers. It makes sense—T.J. Watt of the Steelers shares a lot more in common with defensive ends like Myles Garrett of the Browns than with off-ball linebackers like Baltimore's Roquan Smith.

All 3-4 defensive linemen and 4-3 defensive tackles are now classified as DT or interior defender. Again, Cameron Heyward of the Steelers shares more in common role-wise with Aaron Donald of the Rams than with Garrett.

There are some outliers—4-3 OLBs like Micah Parsons of the Cowboys and Haason Reddick of the Eagles who are classified as DE or edge rusher because, well, that's what they are. But for the most part, that's it—4-3 ends and 3-4 rush linebackers are lumped together now. So are 4-3 tackles and 3-4 defensive linemen.

It's really not that complicated.

The change more accurately reflects how defense is played in 2023. It will also prevent changes in positional eligibility when a player switches teams in free agency or a coordinator is brought in who changes the scheme. It didn't matter this year who drafted Alabama's Will Anderson—he was going to be a DE/edge rusher regardless.

Nervousness about change aside, it's a good thing for IDP in the long term. It will make for a much more consistent fantasy landscape moving forward.

What Do the Changes Mean for Player Value?

Broadly speaking, the pool of IDP-relevant players on the defensive line just got considerably deeper. That‘s a major shift—for years, the defensive line was the shallowest position group in IDP leagues. That's no longer the case.

That new depth had to come from somewhere—and it came at the expense of the linebackers. The number of true every-down off-ball linebackers was already shrinking in recent years. With the pass-rushers now joining the defensive linemen, the pool is shallower still. It's the main source of criticism of True Position.

However, it's worth pointing out that many 3-4 rush linebackers were only marginally rosterable in many IDP leagues, anyway. No one was rushing off to draft Preston Smith of the Packers or Azeez Ojulari of the Giants. They were waiver wire fodder.

From an individual perspective, the elite 3-4 linebackers have seen a boost in value—a boost that is reflected in the most recent IDP Rankings here at Footballguys. As dominant as T.J. Watt is as a player, he was only a top-15 (ish) linebacker. Now? He's the No. 1 defensive lineman. Players like Kayvon Thibodeaux of the Giants and Harold Landry of the Titans have gone from the IDP fringes to the top 20. Players like Smith and Ojulari are now viable late-round dart throws