Below are the fourth set of our weekly updated IDP rankings. The three categories (DL, LB, DB) include the 50 top IDP players based on current projections. Within each category, the defensive players are designated at their primary position, although depending on the platform hosting your league, some of the players will qualify at two positions (e.g., Olivier Vernon qualifies at both LB and DE on Yahoo), so study your league settings well to get a leg up on your competition.

This week’s rankings have a number of changes in both the linebacker and defensive back charts, and some alterations toward the lower end of the defensive linemen, so if you are coming up on your draft, study the permutations. Injuries are a constant source of frustration in fantasy football, and it behooves you to keep up to date on the depth charts before populating your rosters heading into Week One.

The rising players are the following:

Linebackers

Jayon Brown TEN

Jerome Baker MIA

Rashaan Evans TEN

Fred Warner SF

Kyzir White LAC

Kwon Alexander SF

Defensive Linesmen

Romeo Okwara DE DET

Da'Ron Payne DT WAS

Defensive Backs

Quandre Diggs S DET

D.J. Swearinger Sr. S ARI

Kenny Vaccaro S TEN

Terrance Mitchell CB CLE

Morgan Burnett S CLE

Jaquiski Tartt S SF

Those falling in the rankings:

Defensive Linesmen

Ezekiel Ansah DE SEA

Defensive Backs

Budda Baker S ARI

Bashaud Breeland CB KC

The rankings are based on the following scoring system:

Solo Tackle (or Total Tackles) 1 point

     Assisted tackle 1/2 point

     Sack 4 points

     Interception 6 points

     Pass defended 1 point

     Fumble forced 4 point

     Fumble recovered 2 points

     Safety 2 points

     Blocked FG/PAT/Punt 6 points

     All defensive TDs 6 points

As promised in the Draft Guide, there is the potential for revised rankings to be prepared, based on your specific league scoring system, if you send me the particulars in an e-mail. You need to track down this writer’s contact information somewhere else on the site, as there should be an effort expended to receive the reward.

Below are the top 50 DL/LB/DBs per current projections, and these will be updated weekly until the regular season kicks off:

Rank

Name

POS

Team/Bye

1

J.J. Watt  

DE

HOU/10

2

Aaron Donald  

DE

LAR/9

3

Joey Bosa  

DE

LAC/12

4

Danielle Hunter  

DE

MIN/12

5

Calais Campbell  

DE

JAX/10

6

Myles Garrett  

DE

CLE/7

7

Cameron Jordan  

DE

NO/9

8

Demarcus Lawrence  

DE

DAL/8

9

Frank Clark  

DE

KC/12

10

Chris Jones  

DT

KC/12

11

DeForest Buckner  

DT

SF/4

12

Justin Houston  

DE

IND/6

13

Everson Griffen  

DE

MIN/12

14

Dee Ford  

DE

SF/4

15

Olivier Vernon  

DE

CLE/7

16

Akiem Hicks  

DE

CHI/6

17

Carlos Dunlap  

DE

CIN/9

18

Denico Autry  

DT

IND/6

19

Trey Flowers  

DE

DET/5

20

Sam Hubbard  

DE

CIN/9

21

Fletcher Cox  

DT

PHI/10

22

Melvin Ingram III 

DE

LAC/12

23

Cameron Heyward  

DE

PIT/7

24

Robert Quinn  

DE

DAL/8

25

Michael Bennett  

DE

NE/10

26

Derek Barnett  

DE

PHI/10

27

Trent Murphy  

DE

BUF/6

28

Za'Darius Smith  

DE

GB/11

29

Marcus Davenport  

DE

NO/9

30

Nick Bosa  

DE

SF/4

31

Geno Atkins  

DT

CIN/9

32

Brandon Graham  

DE

PHI/10

34

Jonathan Allen  

DE

WAS/10

33

Kenny Clark  

DT

GB/11

35

Sheldon Rankins  

DT

NO/9

36

Jurrell Casey  

DT

TEN/11

37

Jerry Hughes  

DE

BUF/6

38

Yannick Ngakoue  

DE

JAX/10

39

Damon Harrison  

DT

DET/5

40

Clelin Ferrell 

DE

OAK/6

41

Larry Ogunjobi  

DT

CLE/7

42

Grady Jarrett  

DT

ATL/9

43

Ezekiel Ansah  

DE

SEA/11

44

Romeo Okwara  

DE

DET/5

45

Da'Ron Payne  

DT

WAS/10

46

B.J. Hill  

DT

NYG/11

47

Ed Oliver  

DT

BUF/6

48

Matt Ioannidis  

DT

WAS/10

49

Josh Allen  

DE

JAX/10

50

Quinnen Williams 

DT

NYJ/4

 

Rank

Name

POS

Team/Bye

1

Darius Leonard  

OLB

IND/6

2

Cory Littleton  

ILB

LAR/9

3

Deion Jones  

ILB

ATL/9

4

Blake Martinez  

ILB

GB/11

5

Roquan Smith  

ILB

CHI/6

6

Luke Kuechly  

ILB

CAR/7

7

Bobby Wagner  

ILB

SEA/11

8

Leighton Vander Esch  

OLB

DAL/8

9

Tremaine Edmunds  

ILB

BUF/6

10

Jaylon Smith  

ILB

DAL/8

11

Jayon Brown  

ILB

TEN/11

12

C.J. Mosley  

ILB

NYJ/4

13

Jerome Baker  

OLB

MIA/5

14

Myles Jack  

ILB

JAX/10

15

Lavonte David  

OLB

TB/7

16

Khalil Mack  

OLB

CHI/6

17

Joe Schobert  

ILB

CLE/7

18

Alec Ogletree  

ILB

NYG/11

19

Jordan Hicks  

ILB

ARI/12

20

T.J. Watt  

OLB

PIT/7

21

Christian Kirk sey

OLB

CLE/7

22

Devin White 

ILB

TB/7

23

Rashaan Evans  

ILB

TEN/11

24

Zach Cunningham  

ILB

HOU/10

25

Devin Bush 

ILB

PIT/7

26

Danny Trevathan  

ILB

CHI/6

27

Bradley Chubb  

OLB

DEN/10

28

Von Miller  

OLB

DEN/10

29

Haason Reddick  

ILB

ARI/12

30

Kyle Van Noy  

OLB

NE/10

31

Fred Warner  

ILB

SF/4

32

Kyzir White  

OLB

LAC/12

33

Demario Davis  

OLB

NO/9

34

Kwon Alexander  

ILB

SF/4

35

Jarrad Davis  

ILB

DET/5

36

Patrick Onwuasor  

ILB

BAL/8

37

Nick Vigil  

OLB

CIN/9

38

Eric Kendricks  

ILB

MIN/12

39

Zach Brown  

ILB

PHI/10

40

Quincy Williams 

OLB

JAX/10

41

Vontaze Burfict  

OLB

OAK/6

42

Shaq Thompson  

ILB

CAR/7

43

Tae Davis  

ILB

NYG/11

44

Tahir Whitehead  

OLB

OAK/6

45

Preston Brown  

ILB

CIN/9

46

Anthony Hitchens  

ILB

KC/12

47

Benardrick McKinney  

ILB

HOU/10

48

Matt Milano  

OLB

BUF/6

49

Chris Board 

ILB

BAL/8

50

Josey Jewell  

ILB

DEN/10

 

Rank

Name

POS

Team/Bye

1

Jamal Adams  

S

NYJ/4

2

John Johnson III 

S

LAR/9

3

Keanu Neal  

S

ATL/9

4

Shawn Williams  

S

CIN/9

5

Kyle Fuller  

CB

CHI/6

6

Tyrann Mathieu  

S

KC/12

7

Kareem Jackson  

S

DEN/10

8

Landon Collins  

S

WAS/10

9

Jordan Poyer  

S

BUF/6

10

Bradley McDougald  

S

SEA/11

11

Malcolm Jenkins  

S

PHI/10

12

Justin Reid  

S

HOU/10

13

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix  

S

CHI/6

14

Eddie Jackson  

S

CHI/6

15

Damarious Randall  

S

CLE/7

16

Ronnie Harrison  

S

JAX/10

17

Harrison Smith  

S

MIN/12

18

Kevin Byard  

S

TEN/11

19

Terrell Edmunds  

S

PIT/7

20

Budda Baker  

S

ARI/12

21

Antoine Bethea  

S

NYG/11

22

Jessie Bates III 

S

CIN/9

23

Donte Jackson  

CB

CAR/7

24

Reshad Jones  

S

MIA/5

25

Johnathan Abram 

S

OAK/6

26

Quandre Diggs  

S

DET/5

27

D.J. Swearinger Sr 

S

ARI/12

28

Adrian Amos  

S

GB/11

29

Clayton Geathers  

S

IND/6

30

Kenny Vaccaro  

S

TEN/11

31

Justin Simmons  

S

DEN/10

32

Vonn Bell  

S

NO/9

33

Minkah Fitzpatrick  

S

MIA/5

34

Marcus Maye  

S

NYJ/4

35

Terrance Mitchell  

CB

CLE/7

36

Marshon Lattimore  

CB

NO/9

37

Morgan Burnett  

S

CLE/7

38

Adrian Phillips  

S

LAC/12

39

Kendall Fuller  

CB

KC/12

40

Jaquiski Tartt  

S

SF/4

41

Eric Reid  

S

CAR/7

42

Denzel Ward  

CB

CLE/7

43

Earl Thomas  

S

BAL/8

44

Anthony Harris  

S

MIN/12

45

Jabrill Peppers  

S

NYG/11

46

Sean Davis  

S

PIT/7

47

Adoree' Jackson  

CB

TEN/11

48

Tony Jefferson  

S

BAL/8

49

Kenny Moore II 

CB

IND/6

50

Bashaud Breeland  

CB

KC/12

Good luck and godspeed in all your fantasy efforts.