IDP Defensive Line Rankings for 2020 Fantasy Football

With news coming out of camps, injury updates, and position battles becoming clearer, I’ve updated my top 50 defensive line rankings. Here are some highlights of the changes. With opening day just a few weeks away, I don’t expect these to change unless there is some major injury news before that.

The biggest mover up is Chase Young. I’m always hesitant on ranking rookies so highly, but after watching some film it looks like he can have an instant impact.

Everson Griffen makes an appearance at number 52 after his signing with the Cowboys although I think he is a bench player for your squad with week to week upside.

Jadaveon Clowney is still unsigned and drops down the board. I think he is still draftable, but not as one of your top 2 linemen. He has the chance to make an impact, but it looks like it won’t be for 16 games.

Yannick Ngakoue is supposedly on the verge of being traded from the Jaguars. His stock may change once we find out where’s he’s going. Vegas has it to the Jets who are in desperate need of a pass rusher.

Ifeadi Odenigbo moves up a few spots as there were some rumors that Griffen could resign a few weeks ago. Now that he’s firmly entrenched opposite Danielle Hunter, a potential double-digit sack season could be had.

Those are some highlights. Remember to adjust the rankings based on your scoring system for those new to IDP leagues. High sack/low tackle guys are better in big play leagues where sacks are worth more than 3x a solo tackle. In leagues that are tackle heavy take a look at guys like Grady Jarrett and Kenny Clark.

Here are my top 50 plus one for good luck.

Rank	Name	Team	Position
1	Danielle Hunter	MIN	DE
2	Aaron Donald	LAR	DT
3	Joey Bosa	LAC	DE
4	Myles Garrett	CLE	DE
5	Nick Bosa	SF	DE
6	Cameron Jordan	NO	DE
7	J.J. Watt	HOU	DE
8	Sam Hubbard	CIN	DE
9	Cameron Heyward	PIT	DE
10	DeForest Buckner	IND	DT
11	Chase Young	WAS	DE
12	Carlos Dunlap	CIN	DE
13	DeMarcus Lawrence	DAL	DE
14	Melvin Ingram III	LAC	DE
15	Justin Houston	IND	DE
16	Grady Jarrett	ATL	DT
17	Frank Clark	KC	DE
18	Trey Flowers	DET	DE
19	Calais Campbell	BAL	DE
20	Maxx Crosby	LV	DE
21	Yannick Ngakoue	JAC	DE
22	Arik Armstead	SF	DE
23	Chris Jones	KC	DT
24	Kenny Clark	GB	DT
25	Jason Pierre-Paul	TB	DE
26	Akiem Hicks	CHI	DE
27	Olivier Vernon	CLE	DE
28	Dee Ford	SF	DE
29	Brandon Graham	PHI	DE
30	Brian Burns	CAR	DE
31	Josh Allen	JAC	DE
32	Ifeadi Odenigbo	MIN	DE
33	Dante Fowler Jr.	ATL	DE
34	Jonathan Allen	WAS	DE
35	Stephon Tuitt	PIT	DE
36	Geno Atkins	CIN	DT
37	Clelin Ferrell	LV	DE
38	Jarran Reed	SEA	DT
39	Marcus Davenport	NO	DE
40	Fletcher Cox	PHI	DT
41	Jurrell Casey	DEN	DE
42	Ndamukong Suh	TB	DE
43	Jadeveon Clowney	FA	DE
44	Ed Oliver	BUF	DT
45	Robert Quinn	CHI	LB
46	Matt Ioannidis	WAS	DE
47	Emmanuel Ogbah	MIA	DE
48	Derek Barnett	PHI	DE
49	Kemoko Turay	IND	LB
50	Derek Wolfe	BAL	DE
51	Everson Griffen	DAL	DE

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For An Armenianless Vacation Come to Akron

2 years ago

20 team dynasty with full IDP starters (3 LB, 2 DE, 2 DT, 2 S, 2 CB). clearly i’m keeping:

LB: l.david, r.evans, kwon A
DE: houston, campbell, ford
DT: AAron, j.allen
S: baker, simmons, r.harrison
CB:
this league used to have us need min 10 players from real life team of our name (I was WAS)
question is (esp on the CB’s) do i keep any of these:
LB: burgess, vigil, compton. it appears burgess is str up backup at NYJ now though. probably do better drafting new guys here.
CB: bunting (TB), j.joseph, d.johnson (WAS, but he’s a backup now too)

from the league change i always had a lot of crap players i can now just drop and draft at least 7 times (reed, richardson, d.johnson, sprinkle, guice (if he’s really out of football), good news is CB are (like you mentioned) the easiest spot to fill, and you WANT the rookies getting thrown at even if they suck (they’ll get PD, tackles at least from that, picks too)

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GasDoc

Reply to For An Armenianless Vacation Come to Akron

I agree that I wouldn’t keep any of those guys and see what you can get in the draft. I like your safeties. Calais Campbell is on the downside of his career so see what’s there at DE early. As you said, corners are a dime a dozen and just play matchups each week. Check on Jalen Mills. If he is CB eligible in your league grab him as he’ll play safety and give you those numbers from the CB spot

Reply to GasDoc

i dropped ford too and all the CB’s. i’m doing rankings for who’s left and i can improve on him easily. using who i wanted for years to be the guy doing what you are doing here (not that you aren’t doing a good job at all, i had this thought for years before now) the idp guru (who ranks very deeply, as per what i need here). i’m sure you’ve heard of him

so far 5 DE guys in his top DL’s are available, including j.allen (not kept for some stupid reason), down to odenigbo (37th, but that includes DT’s). just TONS of top 70 or more LB’s out there for me to nab 2 with my 9 picks. probably be going
2 LB
1 DE
maybe 1 DT (but that is worst scoring position outside of top end guys, and i have 2 of those already so just no here)
– 2 CB

that would leave me with 1 kicker, and 3 offensive guys (mostly rookies, but j.cook was dropped for improving in the short term on my irv smith at starter, albeit my guess is somebody else drafts j.cook while i’m drafting long term upside guys. also hines was dropped). it’s a shame i already am good at S since some quite good ones out there not kept. on j.mills he’s only a S here but not owned (IDP guru has him 36 for DB’s but if he gets CB that would be nice, albeit if he’s actually playing S he won’t here and i’m already quite good at S already (i dropped a.phillips LAC last year too))

that’s josh allen JAX not kept, i already have j.allen WAS for my DT 2, which is insanely good to have a DT that highly ranked at your DT 2 for a 20 teamer (IDP guru’s 27th overall DL guy). j.allen he has 8th

ended up with this: went by DT’s dynasty PPR rankings for the offensive players, IDP guru for the defensive ones. if no round number that’s who i already had. at 1.18 (i have 18th in all rounds), figured k.vaughn might be around at 2.18 and another guy ranked close at 3.18 so when akers was gone i went queen (no worse than a top 3 LB rookie in best situation out of all 3, simmons/murray the others). did get lucky that i got the 2 RB i wanted anyway at 2.18 and 3.18

QB: (1) goff, haskins (max QB rule as many as you want from ONE real life team and UP TO 1 from a 2nd active. IR’s don’t count against this)
RB: (1): DJ (HOU), ekeler, b.love, vaughn (2), aj dillon (3)
WR (2): aj brown, t-will (LV), m-will (LAC), patterson (return yardage scores huge here), mims (4th, didn’t miss out on anybody i had higher ranked by going him here rather than 3.18)
TE: (1) irv smith, everett (7, did miss out on herndon/cook/jarwin/oj howard earlier back in the 3rd)
K: mclaughlin (rudy’s kicker 8, 10th round)
LB (3): l.david, kwon A, r.evans, queen (1), pratt (5, IDP guru VERY high on this guy),
DE: (2): campbell, houston, burns (6th, he’s only LB in yahoo, i read at IDP guru that he might get DE, but kerrigan was next ranked guy anyway, i’ll drop burns for CB 2 later), kerrigan (LB/DE, 9th). missed young (1.19) and j.allen JAX (4.13). funny how j.allen JAX went lower than he did in his rookie year and wasn’t kept.
DT: (2): AAron, j.allen (WAS)
S: (2): baker, simmons (DEN), r.harrison
CB (2): b.murphy (8th)

1 flex on offense here.

It looks good. Not sure I’d be so quck to drop Burns. A lot of people on him this year and being a dynasty, he may be someone to keep over Campbell next year.
Queen over Young? I prob would have gone Young just because of how much harder it is to get the DE, but Queen is a great pick.
With so many teams it’s hard to be good at all positions but it’s obvious you need help at WR. TE may be ok if Smith emerges and I think Everett is someone people are sleeping on. Good luck!

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