2024 Fantasy Football: IDP Sleepers

Welcome back, IDPers. We’ve arrived at the crown jewel of every IDP article series: the IDP Sleepers. Back in the day, a sleeper was a player who came out of the blue and surprised everyone except those of us in the know by significantly outperforming the average draft position. So first, I want to make it clear that this IDP Sleeper list is not about one player.

Oh, how rude of me. I’m Matt De Lima; excuse my manners. Seven people know me as the #3 IDP of the 2023 season ranked by FantasyPros criteria. That’s no big deal; I just wanted to let you know that I know about 18% more than a random guy on the street. In addition to these IDP sleepers, you should also check out my IDP busts and IDP position rankings for defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs updated Monday, August 26. I also recommend my article on IDP draft strategy.

Enough about me! I’ve gotten off topic. An IDP sleeper is a player who simply outperformed his average draft position. The optional element is the “unknown” element. I can’t pretend to know who you know who I know. It doesn’t matter. Since fantasy football managers get smarter every year, we target undervalued players instead of trying to predict their usage. Are you still with me? Let’s get on with the show then.

IDP Sleepers 2024 Fantasy Football

One final introduction before I explain my IDP sleepers: I want to encourage the IDP league commissioners and fantasy football managers out there to advocate for larger IDP starting lineups. I’ve been in the consulting business for a long time and there’s nothing more puzzling to me than an IDP league with only one or two IDP starters. I mean, seriously?

With 12 teams and two IDP starters per team, that’s only 24 players across all three position groups. Of course, your league should be fun and interesting for you, but I would simply argue that what’s challenging is fun and interesting. My point is that if you’re in such a small league, this article isn’t for you. These dark horse picks are probably best left on the waiver list. Use my position rankings above and choose from the top 10 LB, top 5 DL, and top 5 DB. That should cover everything.

For my IDP brothers from the lower league, things continue. The sleepers are listed in the order of my ranking.

IDP Sleepers: Defensive Linemen

• Zach Sieler, DT, Miami Dolphins
• Christian Barmore, DT, New England Patriots
• Harrison Phillips, DT, Minnesota Vikings
• Jarran Reed, DT, Seattle Seahawks
• Bryan Bresee, DT, New Orleans Saints
• Larry Ogunjobi, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers

When I’m looking for IDP sleepers, I want consistency in tackles from defensive linemen. Even with edge rushers, you have to have tackles every week. Big point jumps are sexy, and if a guy has a huge three-sack performance, that’s great. But what’s going to kill you are the lows.

The common denominator among all of these defensive tackles is that they are known to old IDP heads as good players. They have been reliable for most of their careers when used in pinch situations or as a low-end DT1.

• George Karlaftis III, EDGE, Kansas City Chiefs
• Dorance Armstrong Jr., EDGE, Washington Commanders
• Andrew Van Ginkel, EDGE, Minnesota Vikings
• Boye Mafe, EDGE, Seattle Seahawks
• Jonathon Cooper, EDGE, Denver Broncos
• Byron Young, EDGE, Los Angeles Rams
• Odafe Oweh, EDGE, Baltimore Ravens
• Azeez Ojulari, EDGE, New York Giants

Sacks make all the difference. Tackles keep you afloat, but sacks win championships.

AVG should be a more well-known player. His versatility is unmatched and Brian Flores had him in Miami, so they brought him in for a reason.

Karlaftis, Armstrong, and Mafe are all players who are bubbling, bubbling, and getting a little better every year to varying degrees. Armstrong is one of my favorite dark horse prospects, as he’s been toiling behind Micah Parsons for a few years now and putting up good sack numbers despite not getting a ton of playing time.

Cooper is vastly underrated, perhaps because he plays for the Broncos, who have not been particularly good.

IDP Sleepers: Linebackers

• EJ Speed, Indianapolis Colts
• Jordyn Brooks, Miami Dolphins
• Blake Cashman, Minnesota Vikings
• Christian Harris, Houston Texans
• Trenton Simpson, Baltimore Ravens
• Divine Deablo, Las Vegas Raiders
• Isaiah McDuffie, Green Bay Packers
• Daiyan Henley, Los Angeles Chargers
• Zach Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
• Drue Tranquill, Kansas City Chiefs
• Elandon Roberts, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Mack Wilson Sr., Arizona Cardinals
• DeMarvion seen too much, Dallas Cowboys

What you want with IDP sleepers at linebacker is volume. First and foremost, they need close to 100% snaps on a weekly basis.

In fantasy football, people often talk about how targets become available when wide receivers leave. You’ve probably read about all the targets that are available for guys like Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer because Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler are gone. The same rule can apply to IDP and tackles.

With Patrick Queen gone, the tackles have to go somewhere. How about his replacement, Trenton Simpson?

One IDP sleeper that a commenter brought to my attention a few months ago is Mack Wilson Sr. I’m still not sure what to make of Arizona defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. Among Arizona’s linebackers, Kyzir White has caught the most tackles, but Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson have limited the effectiveness of their LBs. I expect a slight change that could make Wilson better.

I’m against Quay Walker finally coming into his own this year, but when general managers make moves, I listen. The Packers drafted two linebackers in the first three rounds. Isaiah McDuffie is first in line, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Edgerrin Cooper is heavily involved as well.

Blake Cashman is wearing the green dot in Minnesota, which is a surprise since most of us assumed it would be Ivan Pace. For some reason, drafters still underestimate Deablo. And finally, I’ve been promoting Overshown. I love his speed and downhill style of play. I think Mike Zimmer would agree.

Nick Bolton is the Kansas City Chiefs’ best linebacker, but Tranquill is a solid, tough player who should beat his ADP.

I’ve been waiting for Junior Colson to get a starting spot with the Chargers, but that may take a while. Right now, Daiyan Henley is the man on this defense!

IDP Sleepers: Defensive Backs

• Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots
• Kyler Gordon, CB, Chicago Bears
• DJ Reed, CB, New York Jets
• Keisean Nixon, CB, Green Bay Packers
• Brandon Stephens, CB, Baltimore Ravens

The secret to IDP sleepers among defensive backs is a hard truth: They have to be good, but not that good. Elite cornerbacks don’t just get targeted. Many of the top cornerbacks are nickel cornerbacks, covering the short areas of the field and taking on the tasks that would have fallen to linebackers in previous years.

This Ravens defense is going to be nasty. Stephens is far from a weak link, but there’s no other option against Baltimore. A similar mindset is DJ Reed playing across from Sauce Gardner and Kyler Gordon across from Jaylen Johnson. The defense will have to adjust to them, leading to plenty of opportunities for fantasy points.

Nixon is one of the players who was teased a lot last year, so he has great tackling potential, but it is not reflected in his ADP.

Christian Gonzalez is already well on his way to becoming an elite player, but his ADP does not reflect this.

• Rayshawn Jenkins, S, Seattle Seahawks
• Taylor Rapp, S, Buffalo Bills
• Tyler Nubin, S, New York Giants
• Chuck Clark, S, New York Jets
• Ifeatu Melifonwu, S, Detroit Lions
• Quan Martin, S, Washington Commanders
• Xavier Woods, S, Carolina Panthers

I love strong safeties on mediocre defenses. That’s not to say every team listed here has a mediocre defense. But it’s still an issue.

There are also several strong safeties that are rated poorly by drafters. I suppose it’s not the most glamorous position.

Rapp has great potential with Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde gone. Woods, Jenkins and Melifonwu are all firecrackers. With the Giants playing on the ground every week, I expect a lot of garbage time runs with Nubin snapping tackles.

Chuck Clark is a veteran who is expected to play a hybrid role as safety/linebacker.

Quan Martin is a young, promising player who emerged in the second half of last season. He is a true leader and Commanders fans will love this young man.

Have a problem with Matt’s 2024 IDP Sleepers? Let us know your knowledge in the comments below and then be sure to check out our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit for more great rankings and analysis.