Week 8 IDP Fantasy Football Rankings

Get ready for Week 8 with our updated IDP fantasy football rankings, breaking down the top defensive linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs you need in your lineup.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) runs off the field before the game between the Browns and the Miami Dolphins at Huntington Bank Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Most fantasy owners only focus on offense and team defenses. However, there are also many of us who start individual defensive players. IDP leagues take fantasy football to the next level. There are a ton of players and a handful of positions that IDP owners need to focus on. These are our IDP rankings for Week 8. 

Defensive Line: The Usual Suspects Top the List

We see a lot of familiar faces at the top of the list for the defensive linemen rankings this week. Our top five players are Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Will Anderson Jr., Nik Bonitto, and Brian Burns. A handful of players you'll notice are missing. That's because of all the bye weeks. With six teams on a bye this week, quite a few players have been pushed up the board. Of course, that will apply to all the positions across the board and not just the defensive linemen. You may also notice Andrew Van Ginkle back in the rankings. He immediately returns to the top 10. Other than that, it's much of the same. 

Linebackers: Zach Baun Leads the Way

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell (30) celebrates an interception with linebacker Zack Baun (53) during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

You will once again notice a lot of heavy-tacklers at the top of the linebacker rankings. Zack Baun is once again at the top of the rankings, and he's followed by Bobby Okereke, Jamien Sherwood, and a returning Roquan Smith. Jordyn Brooks also continues to climb up the rankings as he racks up tackles, mostly because running backs are constantly getting to the second level on the Miami Dolphins defense. There are a handful of questionable players, along with Smith, who we are banking on returning. The highest-ranked being Terrel Bernard of the Buffalo Bills. As usual, the defensive end/linebackers are all buried down the rankings because of their inconsistent play and unpredictability. 

Defensive Backs: Derwin James on Top

The defensive backs didn't take quite as huge a hit this week with the byes, although we are missing some big stars. The most noticeable being safety Budda Baker of the Arizona Cardinals. Derwin James, Nick Cross, and Kyle Hamilton are the top three defensive backs this week. Of course, the safeties dominate the top of the rankings, with the only cornerback eligible players making the top 10 being Tykee Smith and Josh Metellus, with Smith coming in at No. 7 and Metellus at No. 9. However, both of those stars are also safety eligible. Our highest-ranked pure cornerback is Paulson Adebo.

Week 8 IDP Fantasy Football Rankings