2018 IDP Rankings – Defensive Tackles (Redraft)

.size { font-size: large; } .black { color: #000; } .Georgia { font-family: Georgia, “Times New Roman”, Times, serif; } .style1 { font-family: Georgia, “Times New Roman”, Times, serif; } .style1 b .style6 { color: orange; } Listed below are my 2018 Defensive Tackle Rankings for IDP Redraft Leagues. I will periodically update these throughout the off-season to reflect changes in free agency, defensive schemes, playing time, draft selections, etc. However, keep in mind that the information listed here is just a small sample of a much larger set of rankings and descriptions that are accessible through purchasing my 2018 IDP Fantasy Football Draft Guide.

1. Aaron Donald DT – LAR (12), -3 vs. ECR 

Donald has established himself as perhaps the league’s most dominating defensive lineman and continues to produce at DL1- levels despite constant double teams. Having Ndamukong Suh playing next to him this year will reduce those double teams and give Donald the freedom to have his best year yet.

2. DeForest Buckner DT – SF (11), -3 vs. ECR 

Buckner has wasted no time cementing himself as one of fantasy’s top tackle-producing defensive tackles. He’ll probably never be a 8+ sack type of guy, but as long as he can finish with five or more sacks, he’s going to be a top 25 DL.

3. Ndamukong Suh DT – LAR (12), +1 vs. ECR 

Despite the headaches he’s caused both on and off the field, Suh remains one of the league’s most feared defensive tackles and has been a reliable and consistent fantasy producer throughout his career. He did see a decline in numbers last year and, at age 31, he’s on the downturn of his career. However, he’s playing next to arguably the league’s best pass rusher in Aaron Donald this year and will have more isolated matchups than ever before. So I believe we will see a return to his 2016 production which makes him a solid DL3+.

4. Linval Joseph DT – MIN (10), +8 vs. ECR 

Joseph has been a dominating and consistent force for most of his career. He plays along one of the NFL’s best defensive lines which will go a long way in ensuring his production doesn’t drop. You can really only count on 3-5 sacks but the strong tackle production makes him a safe DL3.

5. Kawann Short DT – CAR (4), +1 vs. ECR 

Short broke out in 2015 with a 11 sack campaign. He’s been unable to replicate that production since but is still a solid bet for 6-7 sacks and 50-55 total tackles. Consider him a high floor, DL3/DT1-.

6. Geno Atkins DT – CIN (9), +19 vs. ECR 

Avoid

Atkins is one of the best sack-producing defensive tackles in fantasy. However, he’s getting up there in age and has seen his sack production decrease in each of the last two seasons. Plus, he’s never been much of a tackle producer which ultimately limits his upside. He’s still a top 5 fantasy DT in leagues that break out the position.

7. Malik Jackson DT – JAC (9), +15 vs. ECR 

Jackson came over to Jacksonville as a big off-season signing in 2016. He’s flourished since arriving and set a career high in sacks last year as the Jaguars’ defense became one of the most feared in the league. He should be able to replicate those numbers again this year.

8. Gerald McCoy DT – TB (5), +7 vs. ECR 

Much like Geno Atkins, McCoy is one of the league’s most feared pass-rushing defensive tackles but has seen his production in that category drop in recent seasons. With Jason Pierre-Paul and Vinny Curry now in town, McCoy could have a bounce back season in the box scores. But he still doesn’t generate enough tackles to warrant a higher draft selection, unless you are in a big play scoring system.

9. Damon Harrison DT – NYG (9), +5 vs. ECR 

Avoid

Harrison continues to fly under the radar as one of the league’s best interior linemen and is perhaps the NFL’s best tackle-producing defensive tackle. He’s averaged a whopping 80+ tackles a year since coming over to the Giants in 2016. New York’s new defensive coordinator James Bettcher employs an aggressive 3-4 scheme that tends to devalue the box score production of the 1-technique nose tackle. Although he’s one of my favorite players, I do expect to see a decline in his tackle production this year.

10. Fletcher Cox DT – PHI (9), -10 vs. ECR 

After a monster 2015 season that led to a big payday, Cox’s production has fallen off a cliff. He’s still been an extremely valuable on-the-field asset for the Eagles, but fantasy owners need to see more production out of the former 2012 first round pick. He registered just 15 solo tackles last year in 14 games which severely dampened his value. He’s a player that’s likely to get over drafted based on his name and big contract.