Week 5 Fantasy Football IDP Rankings: Jacob Rodriguez Soars Up The Linebacker Rankings

Our fantasy football IDP rankings for Week 5.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) is introduced before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's been a crazy four weeks of fantasy football, but we now have to turn our focus to Week 5. Most fantasy football players only have to focus on the offensive players; however, that's not the case for us IDP players.

IDP stands for individual defensive players, and it is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of simply drafting a team defense, we draft individual players at each defensive position. While this is a lot more work, it's also a lot more exciting and a lot more fun.

Nevertheless, it is much harder to get information on defensive players than it is on the offensive fantasy stars. That's why we are here with our fantasy football IDP rankings for Week 5.

Linebackers

The linebackers are your highest scorers in IDP leagues. They bring both the highest tackle numbers to secure their floor and big-play upside as both pass-rushers and in coverage. However, while they will get you the most points, there are also a lot of high-end options at the position. It's a fine line between prioritizing them and overvaluing the position.

This position is also highly based on snap counts and opportunities, so it's important to monitor this position closely and weekly. More work goes into the linebackers than any other position throughout the season.

Defensive Linemen

Linemen are the most boom-or-bust of the defensive positions. Because they rarely have consistent tackle numbers, they are very reliant on sacks and big plays. While this is for the most part the lowest-scoring position, an elite defensive end can be the most valuable IDP player in the league.

You can make the case that a star like Will Anderson Jr. is more valuable than a linebacker because there are so few stud DLs. It's similar to what we see on offense with tight ends so often. A stud can give you a massive positional advantage.

Defensive Backs

When starting defensive backs, you have to balance players who get a lot of tackles with big-play options. The safeties are generally more valuable than cornerbacks, but cornerbacks continue to have more value, especially slot corners.

We tend to lean towards tacklers because interceptions are tough to predict, but they can give you a lot of points if you hit on them. Because of that, defensive backs are the toughest position to predict from week to week.

IDP Rankings: Week 5

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