Sneak Peek: The IDP Draft Kit
Sneak Peek: The IDP Draft Kit
Want to see what we've been cooking up inside The IDP Draft Kit? Here's a free preview before early-bird pricing ends this Saturday.
Since February, we’ve been hard at work putting together The IDP Draft Kit, a resource we know will help IDP managers level up their game in 2022. Together with IDP Guys and DFF Tripp, we’ve created a comprehensive set of tools and resources to help you dominate your IDP drafts this offseason. We wanted to offer you a sneak peek, but keep in mind: there is SO MUCH more inside the full draft kit.
This is just a taste:
Redraft Rankings
Dynasty Rankings
Under-the-radar IDP sleepers like…
Carl Lawson, DE, New York Jets
Carl Lawson was a free agent many IDP managers and NFL analysts were excited to watch hit the market last year. Lawson had shown plenty of promise during his time in Cincinnati, but was never quite a full-time player with the likes of Sam Hubbard and Carlos Dunlap also there. Robert Saleh and the new Jets regime knew they needed pass rush help and set their sights on signing Lawson, giving him a lucrative three-year, $45 million deal.
That’s when the hype train really started rolling. Lawson was easily New York’s best pass rusher and was coming off a 2020 season where he had a 14.6% pressure rate and a career-best 84.9 pass rush grade, per PFF. Everything coming out of Jets camp said Lawson was crushing the process every step of the way. Then, disaster struck. Lawson tore his Achilles during a joint practice with Green Bay in August and his season was over before it even started.
While Lawson was a player who was hyped plenty last year, the fact he didn’t play a single snap last season may still keep him a sleeper. Recent reports say Lawson’s recovery is on schedule and he will be ready for training camp. I expect Lawson to be hungry and ready to show the Jets why he was worth the big payday. If Lawson is slipping or forgotten in drafts after missing all of last season, he could come at a nice value. Lawson’s talent and opportunity make him one of my favorite upside DL 3/4 types for the 2022 season.
IDPs we’re afraid will bust, such as…
Zach Cunningham, LB, Tennessee Titans
Have casual fans even noticed that Zach Cunningham changed teams in the middle of the 2021 season inside of what seems like the league’s least-watched division? Cunningham was cut by one of the league’s worst teams after two linebackers, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Christian Kirksey, displaced him from the starting lineup.
Cunningham landed on his feet in Tennessee last year, playing for a Titans defense severely depleted by injury. He even reminded fans team observers alike what the excitement over him was all about in Houston. Cunningham is a dynamic athlete who can run down opposing ball carriers out of the backfield with ease.
Cunningham has consistently shown erratic coverage skills. Titans brass certainly knew this when they encouraged him to restructure his contract, likely only delaying a salary-cap casualty by one year. Cunningham should slide into a complementary role next to David Long, who overtook Jayon Brown as the Titans’ three-down linebacker early in 2021. The 2021 Titans’ second linebacker, Rashaan Evans, saw his role diminish in each of the past two seasons after peaking at 86% of snaps in 2019.
The Titans, like most teams, are moving toward more dime personnel packages. Cunningham, meanwhile, will be taken in fantasy drafts like one of the NFL’s premier tacklers when in fact, he’ll almost certainly be a part-time player on the fringe of fantasy relevance in 2022.
Outlook for IDPs on new teams, including…
Bobby Wagner, LB, Los Angeles Rams
At this point in his career, we know what Bobby Wagner is: a Hall of Fame player who’s been a rock for IDP lineups for almost a decade. According to Pro Football Reference, he’s had over 100 combined tackles every season since he entered the league in 2012. On about a quarter of their defensive snaps in 2021, the Rams ran dime personnel (1 LB). Even after an impressive showing in the Super Bowl by Ernest Jones, the Rams brass decided they needed to add a star player at LB—enter Wagner at 5 years, $50 million with $20 million in guarantees.
We’ve been looking for the next Rams LB ever since Cory Littleton left town. Now we’ve got one of the best linebackers of the past 20 years filling that role. Barring injury, we’re penciling in Wagner as a top 12 LB again for IDP in 2022. Draft him with supreme confidence.
Vacated snaps by team, such as in…
A breakdown of defensive schemes, like for the…
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have been renowned for their propensity and daringness to blitz for years. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale left for New York and is succeeded by Mike Macdonald. The protégé is likely to show new wrinkles but retain the aggressiveness and the familiar 3-4 architecture of the defense.
In this defense, a linemen’s job has consistently been to eat space. Might a new wrinkle include more opportunities for emerging interior rusher Justin Madubuike to get upfield?
The Ravens’ struggles to identify NFL talent in the draft for their linebacking corps means the team will continue to rely heavily on dime personnel. Their only significant free-agent import is a free safety with good range but poor tackling ability in Marcus Williams. These circumstances should encourage Macdonald to bring strong safety Chuck Clark into the box (an area between the offensive tackles within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage), where he should be a more frequent blitzer and more productive fantasy asset than in 2021.
So, there you go: just a small snippet of what’s in store for you when you purchase The IDP Draft Kit. We’re pumped with how this project is coming together and can’t wait to share it with you when the draft kit goes live on June 1. You’ll have full access to it through Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season and we’ll update its contents monthly during the offseason. Pre-order today for just $10, which is 50% off the original price.
Don’t delay, though: early-bird pricing ends on April 30.
Enjoy the NFL Draft this week, and if you want to dominate your IDP drafts this offseason, make sure to pick up your copy of The IDP Draft Kit today.
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