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2015-12-01T11:25:00.564-06:00

Hello and welcome to The IDP Guru, your one stop shop for everything IDP related. We have IDP rankings, starts/sits, sleepers, busts, and so much more. We are always available through e-mail, post comments, or the IDP Forum to answer any and all of your questions.

Please note that all articles from the end of the 2012 regular season and before have been archived. They can be found through clicking on the archives link at the bottom of your screen.

Below is a listing of our most recent articles:

2013 IDP Rookies - Created 6/17/2013 (NEW!)
2013 Fantasy Football Draft Guide - Updated 6/17/2013 (More Player Descriptions Added)
2013 IDP Sleepers - Updated 5/13/2013 (Major Updates)
2013 IDP Draft Rankings: Defensive Backs - Updated 5/13/2013 (Major Updates)
2013 IDP Redraft Rankings: Linebackers - Updated 5/13/2013 (Major Updates)
2013 IDP Redraft Rankings: Defensive Linemen - Updated 5/13/2013 (Major Updates)
2013 Every Down Linebackers - Updated 5/13/2013
2013 Notable IDP Free Agents - Defensive Linemen - Updated 5/13/2013
2013 Notable IDP Free Agents - Linebackers - Updated 5/13/2013
2013 Notable IDP Free Agents - Defensive Backs - Updated 5/13/2013
5 IDP Free Agent Moves That Are More Important Than You Think - Created 3/21/2013 (Guest Article)
2013 Defensive Coordinators and Schemes - Updated 2/15/2013
2012 IDP Return Men - Updated 1/5/2013
2012 Tackles Issued by Home Scorekeepers (Through Week 17) - Updated 1/5/2013
2012 IDP Points Allowed by Position (Through Week 17) - Updated 1/5/2013
2012 IDP Position Designations by Site - Created 8/13/2012
Guide to NFL Defenses - Created 7/11/2010

Our goal is to make this website the most comprehensive and exhaustive fantasy football IDP website on the Internet. We have been up and running since November of 2009 and have received very positive responses so far and continue to work hard each and every day to keep the positive reviews coming.

We are continually working on improving the design and layout of the website as well as updating and expanding the article selection. We also scour the Internet for as many IDP related articles, resources, tools, etc. as we can find and post them in the sidebar of the site. So essentially, when researching IDPs, you can come to our website and get absolutely everything you need. Make sure and check out the IDP Forum as well. This is a great place to get involved in the IDP community and gain valuable knowledge to dominate your opponents.

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2013 IDP Rookies

2013-06-17T01:31:00.001-05:00

Outside of Dion Jordan and Ezekiel Ansah, there aren't many prospects who stand out as potential long-term DL2+ fantasy options. This is in large part due to the value of several linemen falling post-draft due to role/scheme changes (e.g. Carradine, Mingo, Werner).

Those in DT-required leagues should see an increase in viable starters at this position as this year's draft class was fairly rich with defensive tackle talent.

Although there isn't a sure-fire elite LB1 prospect this year as there was in 2012 with Luke Kuechly, there are a slew of linebackers who could significantly contribute to teams this season. Arthur Brown has the best chance at top 25 numbers, followed by Alec Ogletree in St. Louis. After that, there are several players who fall into the LB2/LB3 tiers: Kiko Alonso, Manti Te'o, Kevin Minter, Jon Bostic, and Sio Moore.

There are two potential studs in the outside linebacker rookie group in Barkevious Mingo and Jarvis Jones (and possibly Bjoern Werner), but outside of that small group, most will go undrafted outside of deep, big-play leagues.

A perfect storm hit this year to create the strongest IDP safety rookie class in recent memory. Nearly every top-notch prospect went to a team with a strong immediate safety need. Kenny Vaccarro, Jonathan Cyprien, and Matt Elam all have elite DB1 potential. And a handful of other safeties have at least DB2- future value.

The cornerback position is quite deep as well this season. However, it's more difficult to flesh out their fantasy value at this time as so much is dependent on hard to predict variables. Your best bets as of right now are Dee Milliner and Xavier Rhodes.

Hopefully, these rankings will serve as a decent guideline as you attempt to navigate through the treacherous waters of this year's rookie drafts. Good luck to all!

Scoring System:
Solo Tackle = 1.5 points
Assist = 0.75 point
Sack = 5 points
Interception = 5 points
Forced Fumble = 4 points
Fumble Recovery = 4 points

Like what you've read so far? Looking to dominate your 2013 Fantasy Football draft(s)? For $5 you can get complete access to The IDP Guru's comprehensive and exhaustive 2013 Fantasy Football Draft Guide.

Features:
- Updated in real-time
- 2012 stats for offensive and defensive players
- 350+ players ranked (with detailed player descriptions)
- Rankings for all offensive fantasy positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, Team Defense)
- Rankings for all defensive fantasy positions (DL, LB, and DB)
- Top 150 Rankings List for Offense
- Top 100 Rankings List for IDP
- Sleeper List for Offense and IDP
- Full email support and email advice

***CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE OR FOR MORE DETAILS***

Last Updated: June 17, 2013

2013 Every Down Linebackers

2013-04-29T20:29:00.001-05:00

Reading this type of article thoroughly and fully understanding it's importance is going to separate you from other IDP owners and ultimately help you win your championship. This article will be updated every Tuesday during the regular season.

In today's pass-heavy NFL, it's more important than ever to realize which fantasy linebackers play in the nickel package. What is a nickel package and why is relevant to our discussion of fantasy football?

The nickel defense is a defensive alignment that uses five defensive backs. The fifth defensive back is referred to as the "nickelback." The defense has five defensive backs, and usually has four down linemen and only two linebackers meaning that one starting linebacker has to sit on the sidelines when this package is being used.

(A lineup of three down linemen and three linebackers is sometimes used, but this is often called a 3-3-5 defense instead of a Nickel defense. The four-linemen/two linebacker version of the Nickel is generally more popular because it affords the defense greater ability to stop an opponent's running game.)

The key part to that above paragraph is that "one starting linebacker has to sit on the sidelines when this package is being used." Nickel packages are used on a majority of third downs due to the proclivity of NFL teams to throw on third down. So just how often do teams throw on third down? Let's take a quick look at some statistics provided by Advanced NFL Stats.

3rd Down and...	Pass %
13, 12, 11	92%
10	93%
9, 8, 7	92%
6, 5, 4	88%
3, 2	72%
1	21%

As you can witness by looking at this chart, teams throw on third down an overwhelming majority of the time (even on 3rd and 2!). To counteract this, NFL defenses have been using their nickel packages basically on every third down. This means that linebackers who don't play in nickel packages only usually play about 65-80% of the defensive snaps. Thus severely reducing their amount of tackle opportunities and overall fantasy production.

Below is a list of the current three-down (every-down) linebackers in the league taken from Footballguys - IDP Forums. This list will change as training camp and preseason games progress. I will do my best to keep it as updated as possible.

A special thanks to Jene Bramel as he is the true originator and maintainer of this list and I am just reproducing and updating it here for easier access to my readers. For anyone interested in IDP, head on over the IDP Forum over at Footballguys where there is constantly good IDP chat going on.

Without further ado, here is the list:

***Additions from the previous update are in BOLD.***

AFC

Baltimore: Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Arthur Brown, Jameel McClain?

Buffalo: Kiko Alonso, Nigel Bradham
Cincinnati: Vontaze Burfict, Rey Maualuga?
Cleveland: D'Qwell Jackson, Paul Kruger, Jabaal Sheard
Denver: Von Miller, Wesley Woodyard
Houston: Brian Cushing, Brooks Reed, Whitney Mercilus
Indianapolis: Jerrell Freeman, Robert Mathis
Jacksonville: Paul Posluszny, Russell Allen
Kansas City: Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Justin Houston
Miami: Dannell Ellerbe, Phillip Wheeler
New England: Jerod Mayo, Dont'a Hightower
New York Jets: David Harris, Demario Davis, Calvin Pace
Oakland: Nick Roach, Kevin Burnett
Pittsburgh: Lawrence Timmons, Larry Foote, Lamarr Woodley
San Diego: Donald Butler, Jarrett Johnson, Melvin Ingram, Manti Te'o?
Tennessee: Colin McCarthy, Zach Brown

NFC

Arizona: Karlos Dansby (while Daryl Washington is suspended), Sam Acho, O'Brien Schofield
Atlanta: Sean Weatherspoon, Stephen Nicholas, Akeem Dent?
Carolina: Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis, Jon Beason?
Chicago: D.J. Williams, Lance Briggs
Dallas: Sean Lee, Bruce Carter
Detroit: Stephen Tulloch, DeAndre Levy
Green Bay: Desmond Bishop, Clay Matthews
Minnesota: Chad Greenway, Erin Henderson
New Orleans: Curtis Lofton, Will Smith?
New York Giants: Mark Herzlich?, Keith Rivers?, Jacquian Williams?
Philadelphia: DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, Trent Cole?, Brandon Graham?
St. Louis: James Laurinaitis, Jo-Lonn Dunbar?, Alec Ogletree?
San Francisco: Patrick Willis, Navorro Bowman, Aldon Smith
Seattle: Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright
Tampa Bay: Lavonte David, Mason Foster?
Washington: London Fletcher, Perry Riley, Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan

*May rotate out in a small number of nickel and dime packages

Last Updated: May 13, 2013