by Jim O'Dell
September 18, 2003
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Fantasy football has been a passion of mine for many years now. I was turned on to fantasy football by my next door neighbor while just a sophomore in high school. It’s been tweaked over the years, but the scoring system his league used is still the basis of the league I commission today.
One thing I thought my league needed was individual defensive players.
Being a huge New York Giants fan during the heyday of Lawrence Taylor, I
thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be great to have LT on my
squad?” So, I devised my own defensive scoring system (which
looking at it today, heavily favors the defensive players). I always
loved defense, and a favorite quote of mine is “Defense wins
championships.” Just look at the Steel Curtain defenses of the
Pittsburgh championship teams of the 70’s, the 85 Bears, the 86 and 90
Giants, the Ravens in 2000, and most recently, the current Super Bowl
champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If you are wanting to incorporate individual defensive players (IDP’s) into your league, there are a few things you need to consider.
First, you need to create scoring categories and points for each one.
In my league, we keep track of tackles (which you can break down
into solo and assisted if you’d like), sacks, interceptions, forced
fumbles, fumble recoveries, safeties, and of course, touchdowns.
Second,
create how many players you’d like to start in your lineup. You can
choose any combination that you want to. Most leagues use two
defensive linemen, three linebackers, and three defensive backs, which
include the safety positions. In my dynasty league, we start six
players: two linemen, two linebackers, and two defensive backs.
IDP’s
create more realism for the guys in my dynasty league. Not only am I
watching for Jamal Lewis to bust a big run, or Brad Johnson to throw a
pair of touchdowns, or Eric Moulds’s catching that long bomb from Drew
Bledsoe, but I am also watching for Ray Lewis to crush the opposing
quarterback for that sack, or Lawyer Milloy to pick off that errant pass
and run it back for a score. It simply makes watching a football
game more complete, and more fun!
If you are as hardcore about fantasy football as I am, then consider adding IDP’s to your league. You won’t regret it!