When do you draft IDP in a mixed league? (1 Viewer)

[creed]

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on when to draft IDP in a redraft mixed league with both offense & defensive players. We start 2DL/2LB/2DB along with your standard ofeensive players (QB/2RB/2WR/1FLX/TE/K.

The scoring for defensive players is 2-T, 1-AT, 4-SK, 4-INT, 3 FF/FR, 1-PD, 6-TD, so you can see the defensive players can put up some decent numbers from week to week. My rankings have Tuck and Allen in the top ten along with Cole & Willis in the top 20 overall.

My thoughts are to draft the first 5 rounds looking for decent offensive players and then take (2) DL Cole/Tuck/Allen nad then look for one of the top LB, after that going QB in the 8-9th round and filling out as needed after that. I have been told some people are looking at Willis in the 3rd and it would not surprise me to see defensive players going off the board in the 4th. Does anyone else have play in a league similar? Looking for thoughts and sugestions.

 

[KellysHeroes]

Honestly, with those requirements I would draft my 6 IDPs in my last 8 or 9 picks... and theres no pt in only starting 2 LBs; everybody will have the same type of production.

In most of my leagues its 2 DL / 3 LBs / 2 CBs / 2 Ss / 1 any IDSP which is usually LB meaning you need 4 productive LBs.

even in this format I wait a while, I always let the 1st crop of tier 1 players go off the board I build my offensive starting line up and maybe add a depth player or 2. Drafting an top IDP in the early rounds is like buying a brand new car... yeah its shining and you point at the production you should get but you will not get the same value for that IDPer as if you drafted a Offensive player in the same round, especially a WR / RB. If it ever came to you having to trade that top IDP forget it, you will get very little in return.

 

[Gators]

Use the free Projections dominator and input your league settings. I think you'll find your 2 LB will have a good amount of value.

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

As a general rule, I take IDP when they offer the best value (we start a 14 man squad (qb, 2 rb, 3 wr/te, 1 k, 2 dl, 2 db, 2 lb, 1 idp flex). So while I might draft one of the top 5 LBs in round 3 or 4; I won't sniff another IDP until I have set myself up decently at qb, rb (at least 3) and wr (3 or 4).

That said I have taken Willis in the 3rd round before and wouldn't hesitate to do it again this year - but people are on to me so that is not likely...and I am in the 12 hole.

 

[Sleeperz]

We have been running our IDP league for about 15 years now. There have been some minor changes along the way, to provide balance between offense and defense. What we end up with is a good amount of defensive players mixed into our top 20 overall. Willis has actually cracked the top ten overall more than once in our scoring system.

With that said, I can offer up a few personal experiences from over the years, with a little advice.

We have never had a draft where a defensive player wasn't taken by the 5th round. Once a player like Willis for example, is taken (in the 4th) it sets the ball rolling on some of the higher tiered defensive players. For people that aren't used to drafting IDP in a balanced scoring system like this , it can cause panic and quite a few odd picks. Some people stay picking up offense, others follow suit and start grabbing top IDP names. There is no "right way" to go here as doing either can still net you a solid team. While someone is grabbing Willis, Ruud or Beason, others are taking that top tier TE or second tier QB.

What I have done through the years is to try and be the first one on the board (or close) to get a top LB. So lets say for example I go RB/WR/WR through 3 rounds. I can take another RB, My QB or a great TE. OR I can take an elite LB that is going to score more points than any of them just mentioned. What am I going to do? "Best Available". Think about this for a minute. Jon Beason (LB),last year outscored every wide receiver on the board except AJ and Moss, scored higher than all but the top 4 running backs and finished in the top ten of QB's with points in this scoring system. So in reality you are basically picking up a guy posting top 15 numbers in the 4th to the 6th rounds? Ill take that any day. (Last year I grabbed Ruud and DJ with my 4th and 5th round picks)

There is the argument that you are hurting your offense by grabbing top defensive players. This can be true. Especially if some teams opt to not follow suit and take defensive players right away. And, it is much easier to "fix" your defense during the season than offense through free agency. If you get nailed with the injury bug on offense, this can make things get ugly fast also. This is why I will only grab a couple of top defensive players and go back to building my offense, grabbing a defensive player when I feel they represent good value. To me, a LM never represents good value, ever. I have never done well stretching for a big named lineman. Sure they can give you some huge games here and there, but the consistency is never there and the total points by seasons end is a massive drop off even from second tier LBs. Ill grab my offensive players while others are grabbing the top LM out there.

I can tell you that your defensive squad can, and will win you games when your offense falters (in this type of scoring system). I have completely dominated my league with a strong defensive unit and a balanced offense. Others here may disagree with my methods but they have served me well through the years. Unfortunately the smart people in my league are starting to catch on to me, I may have to change things up a bit....