DLF’s 2019 IDP Predictions: IDP Sleeper

Ryan Finley Posted On September 3, 2019

More and more, standard fantasy leagues have made moves to eliminate positions like kickers and team defense. The simplification makes sense, if you’d prefer to focus on a few offensive positions to make the game more enjoyable. But some folks want to go the other route with defense, and would prefer to roster individual defensive players rather than sweep defense under the rug.

Are IDP leagues more difficult? I don’t think there’s a great answer for that, but I can tell you that managing a 40+ man roster and trying to figure out which cornerbacks to carry can be quite difficult. But that’s why here at DLF we give you the IDP content you crave, including DLF’s 2019 IDP Predictions. As we do every year, we have several different prediction articles for you in the following categories:

IDP Comeback Player of the Year
Best IDP Sell
Best IDP Buy
IDP Sleeper
IDP Rookie of the Year
IDP MVP

Next up in the series we’ll give our predictions for IDP Sleeper:

Kyle Van Noy, LB NEP

He never seems to be talked about in IDP circles, but he’s a solid investment. He might not win you a league, but you are going to sleep very well at night with him on your roster. – Doug Green

Ronnie Harrison, S JAX

Harrison is playing strong safety for the Jaguars now and is going to put up DB1 numbers, I love his talent and the way he plays – he’s a prototypical strong safety that likes to enforce and ‘lay the lumber’ when someone needs to get hit. I think he is being criminally overlooked and under drafted this year. – Dwight Peebles

Ronnie Harrison, S JAX

Harrison is in a prime position to clean up tackles in Jacksonville and could potentially be a top safety for this year. He recently went as safety fifteen in a startup draft and is sitting in the mid twenties in safety ranks here on DLF. With Telvin Smith sitting out the year, other injuries at linebacker, and the departure of both Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson, the former Alabama Elephant is primed for a big year. – Adam Tzikas

Morgan Burnett, S CLE

People are acting like he’s dead. Burnett played less than 400 snaps in Pittsburgh last year but he’s the best SS option on the roster for the Browns. Look for a return to form. – Tommy Kislingbury

Sam Hubbard, DE CIN

It’s nice to find a diamond in the rough at linebacker, but the real finds are the defensive ends who erupt for double digit sack totals. Being able to get out in front of a player hovering on the fringe of relevancy can fortify your IDP roster for years. Sam Hubbard of the Bengals is the guy who I think best fits that bill, especially with so many teams switching to 3-4 defenses. Hubbard finished his rookie season in 2018 with six sacks, seven tackles for loss and 39 total tackles. With another year under his belt I expect him to finish with 10-12 sacks in 2019 and catapult himself into the top 15 dynasty defensive ends. – Eric Olinger

Shaun Dion Hamilton, LB WAS

When the offseason began, a key question for the Washington defense was how they were going to get the young promising Hamilton more snaps with Reuben Foster and Mason Foster entrenched as the clear starting linebackers. Reuben is on Injured Reserve for the year, and Mason was outright cut. So now the question is which linebacker is going to be getting in Hamilton’s way as the former ‘Bama backer tries to hoover up every possible tackle. A lot of IDPers are thinking Hamilton is an overhyped sleeper now. He isn’t. He could end this season as a LB1 in most scoring formats. – Ryan Early

Olivier Vernon, DE CLE

The last time Vernon had double-digit sacks was back in 2013 with the Dolphins. Now that he’s back in a 4-3 scheme with the DE tag for IDP, he’s one of the best value DEs you can get in drafts or trades this off-season. He is going to have himself a year rushing the passer opposite Myles Garrett. Vernon had 11.5 sacks in 2013, I will say he hits that this season and maybe a couple more added to it. – Bee Salamat

Lorenzo Carter, LB NYG

With Olivier Vernon now with the Browns, Carter will step into the starting WLB role and will be a significant playmaker. The great part about it? He isn’t on the radar of a large number of IDP players and could be found on waivers in several leagues. – The FF Ghost

Jabrill Peppers, S NYG

Hey, remember the Odell Beckham, Jr. trade? Yeah, Peppers was shipped to New York in that deal. This might be just the chance Peppers has been looking for – an opportunity to spend more time as an in-the-box safety. I think he’s a talented guy that maybe needed a different scene to show what he can do. – Ryan Finley

There you have it. Who is your target this season for IDP Sleeper? Comment below!