2022 IDP Redraft Rankings – Defensive Backs

Tier 1

1. Derwin James Jr. S – LAC (8), +0 vs. ECR 
After missing most of the previous two seasons due to injury, James was able to string together a near full-season of play and return to his pre-injury/rookie form. He’s one of the most versatile secondary players in the league and Head Coach Brandon Staley did a nice job of utilizing him across the defense last year which resulted in strong production within several key stat categories. He is in the process of “holding in” but reports seem to indicate he and the team are collectively working towards a deal. As long as he’s on the field, James should a weekly contender for the top fantasy DB spot.

Tier 2

2. Jordan Poyer S – BUF (7), +2 vs. ECR 
After a career year in 2020, Poyer’s tackle numbers came back down closer to his historical average. However, he made up for that reduction with an increase of big plays ( five interceptions). He’s just one of those players that has a myriad of ways to produce at a DB1 level and continues to be slightly undervalued by the IDP community at large, likely due to him playing in a small market.

3. Jamal Adams S – SEA (11), -1 vs. ECR (TARGET)
Although Adams saw his sack production go from a whopping 9.5 in 2020 down to zero in 2021 due to significantly less time blitzing, he was on pace for a 90/40 tackle campaign prior to going down with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 12. With Bobby Wagner gone, I expect Adams to become the new centerpiece of this defense which will likely struggle to get off the field. He’s an IDP who has an attractive tackle floor and still brings massive upside in the sack department despite his struggles there last year. It’s worth noting that Adams broke his finger in practice and will wear a special cast during the season. However, this isn’t expected to hinder him at all.

4. Harrison Smith S – MIN (7), +3 vs. ECR 
Similar to teammate Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith set a career high in total tackles last year. And although his interception totals were the lowest since 2016, he managed to chip in three sacks to help keep his big play production at a satisfactory level. My main concern this year is new Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell has historically preferred to run more traditional two-high safety looks which could result in Smith losing snaps close to the line of scrimmage. He will likely see a decent decrease in tackle production and managers will need to bank on him racking up several big plays to maintain his DB1 value.

5. Budda Baker S – ARI (13), +0 vs. ECR 
After averaging ~125 total tackles a season from 2018-2020, Baker saw a sharp decline in that category in 2021 as he posted just 97 total tackles (a near 25% reduction). The good news is his role as an in-the-box “enforcer” type safety remained unchanged. This said, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and chalk up last year as just an off-year.

6. Jeremy Chinn S – CAR (13), -3 vs. ECR 
Chinn has racked up back-to-back 100+ total tackle seasons to begin his career. This is largely a result of the above average amount of time he spends playing up “in the box” as a linebacker (similar to Derwin James and Jamal Adams). The main thing holding Chinn back from elite DB1 status is his lack of consistent big production.

7. Minkah Fitzpatrick S – PIT (9), +1 vs. ECR 
Fitzpatrick had been known as a big play-reliant fantasy DB since entering the league in 2018, never eclipsing 80 total tackles in a season. However, that changed dramatically in 2021 when he notched 124 total tackles and led all defensive backs in the category. There is good reason to believe that production was somewhat of a fluke given he was still playing in a deep safety role most of the time. But if Devin Bush continues to struggle, we could see a lot of tackle opportunities bleed into the secondary much like they did last year. Managers should temper expectations for Fitzpatrick in 2021, but he’s still worth a selection as a low-end DB1 given his knack for always being around the ball.