Slim Pickings: 2020 Interior Defensive Linemen Ranks

Seasonal (redraft) ranks will appear in article form this year at Dynasty Football Factory. The IDP ranks in spreadsheet form are and will remain for a dynasty format. I’ll update the dynasty ranks year-round, thus making available a rare resource for IDP gamers. I, myself, was always on the hunt for current dynasty ranks for start-up and dispersal drafts for IDP leagues before I started writing.

Context for These Ranks

The scarcity of defensive ends that challenge fantasy gamers assembling rosters in conventional-position IDP leagues shifts to the interior in true-position IDP. I’ve ranked 62 interior defensive linemen for 2020 because every IDL with a pulse will eventually appear on fantasy rosters.  

I calibrated my ranks for 2020 seasonal leagues for 14-team, true-position full-IDP leagues with the scoring settings of FantasyPros.com and 55 roster spots. To that end, I list here 40 interior defensive linemen in the order of value they offer teams starting 11 IDPs including two IDLs. The remaining 22 require additional explanation.  

Elite IDLs

An elite interior lineman is a dedicated penetrator and disruptor who succeeds in reaching the quarterback while retaining the size and strength to withstand frontal assaults from the run game. There aren’t enough to supply each team in a fantasy league of typical size with one, let alone two! 

Fantasy gamers who play in DT-required and true-position IDP leagues are knowledgeable. Expecting to grab a prospective stud that slides in a seasonal draft at this position is a bad bet versus edge defenders and linebackers. The presence in this tier of two second-year players with a lot to prove highlights just how thin this position is. 

Fletcher Cox and Stephon Tuitt represent fantasy gamers’ best shots at a draft-day value in this tier of 10. Tuitt missed much of 2019 with injury after a huge start to the season. Cox has posted low QB sack totals in two of the past three seasons, but his play has not fallen off. Performance grades and QB pressure counts remain high, and he remains the standard to which many prospects are compared.

Solid IDLs

The second tier of interior defensive linemen includes players with high floors in fantasy line-ups. Their roles are more varied than the elite players in that they’re not turned loose after the quarterback with the same reckless abandon. Their responsibilities include occupying blockers to free up their teammates in some situations. As a result, they have lower ceilings as fantasy assets.

New Raven Calais Campbell is the most challenging evaluation in this tier. He’s been an elite defensive end in Jacksonville both in real life and fantasy football. His role in Baltimore should look more like that of his experience in Arizona than in Jacksonville. Across eight seasons starting for the Cardinals, he averaged 59 tackles and about 8 sacks per year. At these numbers, Campbell would be a top-6 IDL.

Can the 34-year-old Campbell kick inside, play enough snaps to pile up tackles, and stay fresh enough to effectively rush the passer? The Ravens haven’t had a lineman even approach Campbell’s levels of production since Haloti Ngata and Trevor Pryce a decade ago. Neither the scheme nor the players in it since then have made similar numbers possible.

Boom/Bust IDLs

Players ranked between 20 and 31 constitute a curious collection of players with appreciable upside but serious question marks. Several long-time veterans in this list once appeared in the elite IDL tier. Can they acclimate to their new defensive coordinators’ schemes? How much do they have left in the tank?

Jordan Phillips, Javon Hargrave, and Leonard Williams will play for new teams and must learn significantly different defenses than those in which they flashed previously. Matt Ioannidis and Da’Ron Payne are likely competing for pass-rush snaps, thus crippling fantasy values of capable players. 

Jarran Reed has had one monster ceiling in four, defying expectations for a nose tackle. He collected 10.5 QB sacks on 31 pressures in 2018 and fell back to earth in 2019. In comparison, Fletcher Cox also collected 10.5 sacks in 2018 but on 45 pressures per Pro Football Reference.

Christian Wilkins is the biggest puzzle in this group. He should be right on the heels of fellow sophomores in the top tier. He profiled as the perfect three-technique for fantasy production – a one-gapping disruptor who blew up offensive backfields for years in Clemson. The Dolphins have tasked him with more, and he looked a beat slow at times. His role looked like it should have gone to his former college teammate Clelin Ferrell at times. Ferrell, meanwhile, struggled as a speed rusher off the edge in Oakland in 2019.

IDL Cheat Codes

These four players are run-stuffing defensive ends who will see more opportunities for tackles than most defensive tackles. They slide inside in sub-packages where they have shown pop in the pass rush. They might have been at risk of re-designation to EDGE if the NFL preseason had taken place. They’re interesting because they’re free in all but the deepest of fantasy football leagues. Fantasy gamers can deploy them during bye weeks and as injury substitutes to ensure some production at a challenging position.

Upside Dart Throws

If Christian Wilkins is a puzzle, Quinnen Williams is an enigma inside a riddle. Last year’s third overall pick of the NFL draft never profiled as the interior disruptor that would justify such a high pick to this writer. I readily acknowledge that every NFL team’s front office would know far better than I. Williams thus appears atop a list of young players who have a chance to emerge as quality fantasy options this year with steady roles in their respective defenses. 

Run Stuffing IDLs

Those playing in tackle-heavy leagues should keep an eye on players ranked 41st through 49th. Leagues in which a QB sack is worth less than three times a solo tackle enable fantasy gamers to platoon or stream nose tackles and two-gappers on underdog teams. These players will rotate out in passing situations, but if their teams fall significantly behind, they’ll pile up tackles against teams trying to run out the clock.

Long Shots

In balanced-scoring and big-play leagues, the players ranked 50 through 62 are more interesting than the run-stuffers above. Each player will play enough snaps to show what they can do and make a case for featured roles. They have the physical tools to succeed in the NFL and may simply need time to develop. 

An example is Nathan Shepherd from tiny Fort Hays State. The Jets’ 2018 third-round pick is a developmental prospect with good size and athleticism. He looked lost as a rookie but held his own in the second half of 2019 after returning from a suspension. It seems unlikely he’d overtake Quinnen Williams simply due to the Jets’ investment in Williams. That substitution, however, might emerge as the right decision for a staff that could be coaching for their jobs in 2020.

Strategy

Several nose tackles have already opted out of playing the 2020 season because the added weight they carry increases their risks associated with COVID-19. While the opt-out “deadline” will pass in August, players can still opt out without the same benefits later.

To insulate a roster against attrition due to health concerns, fantasy gamers should ensure they roster at least five interior defensive linemen. Streaming options will appear much more readily at linebacker and defensive back. Reserve IDLs rarely grow into featured roles of quality fantasy assets in-season.  

The quality of fantasy assets drops drastically over these first four tiers. Fantasy gamers really need to draft three of the top 31 players, at least one per tier, to field a competitive duo of IDLs weekly. Scoring settings and risk aversion will guide draft choices from players in the second half of this list. 

As with the EDGE position, talent matters plenty for the fantasy fruits of interior defensive linemen. Pay up in your draft for producers in ripe situations!

Clemson and Michigan alum…Panthers and Cowboys fan…I try to see both sides of every debate and each trade. Find me on Twitter @DynastyTripp.