IDP Scoring Conversation

Alright, folks, after our text thread blew up on Sunday, I finally found some time to dive into the gritty details of IDP scoring. I broke down six players from Weeks 1 and 2 (two DLs, two LBs, and two DBs) to see how the stats shake out. You’ll see how the numbers convert into points in the somewhat clunky table below. If you want a clearer view, here’s a link to a Google Sheet that’s much easier to follow. I’ve also included IDP season projections from Footballguys, which I used to help determine our scoring for the season. This should give us a better understanding of how the scoring currently works, show what positional value looks like based on season projections for our current scoring system, and open up the conversation on whether, and how, we might want to tweak it going forward.

Point Per Stat		6	6	4	2	2	6	5	1	0.5	2	1	2
	Pos	INT	Int TD	PD	FF	FR	FRTD	Sack	Solo Tackle	Assist	TFL	QB Hit	Safety	OVR PTS
Keion White (Patriots) Week 1	DE	-	-	-	1	-	-	2.5	3	1	2	3	-	25
Points		-	-	-	2	-	-	12.5	3	0.5	4	3	-
Quinton Jefferson (Browns) Week 2	DE	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	1	1	-	9
Points		-	-	-	-	-	-	5	1	-	2	1	-
Foyesade Oluokun (Jags) Week 1	LB	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	9	2	2	-	-	18
Points		-	-	4	-	-	-	-	9	1	4	-	-
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (49ers) Week 1	LB	1	-	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	11
Points		6	-	4	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-
Jaylon Johnson (Bears) Week 1	DB	1	-	2	-	-	-	-	3	-	2	-	-	21
Points		6	-	8	-	-	-	-	3	-	4	-	-
Brian Branch (Lions) Week 1	DB	-	-	3	-	-	-	-	5	2	1	-	-	20
Points		-	-	12	-	-	-	-	5	0.5	2	-	-

Now, the stats above come straight from Pro Football Reference, and they line up with Sleeper’s scoring. Quinton Jefferson is a textbook example of how valuable a sack is—it indeed is worth 9 points. That’s 5 for the sack itself, 1 for the tackle, and another 2 for the TFL. Meanwhile, interceptions are worth 10 points—6 for the pick and 4 for the defended pass. Hopefully, that clarifies how sacks vs interceptions are scored and defines the rest of IDP scoring.

Now, on to the IDP season projections. When I overhauled our defensive scoring, I leaned on FootballGuys’ draft client to help balance the value of each defensive stat. I fully acknowledge that projections can be as unpredictable as a kicker in the wind, but here’s the IDP season outlook based on our current system:

	POS	Projected Points after 17 Games	PPG
F. Oluokun (Jags)	LB	190	11.2
A. Winfield Jr (Bucs)	DB	187	11.1
T. Watt (Steelers)	DE	185	10.9
B. Okereke (Giants)	LB	175	10.3
R. Smith (Ravens)	LB	172	10.1
F. Warner (49ers)	LB	167	9.8
J. Bates III (Falcons)	DB	167	9.8
P. Queen (Steelers)	LB	165	9.7
D. Games Jr (Chargers)	DB	165	9.7
L. Wilson (Bengals)	LB	162	9.5
T. Edwards (Bears)	LB	162	9.5
Q. Walker (Packers)	LB	159	9.4
C. Mosley (Jets)	LB	159	9.4
N. Bolton (Swifites)	LB	158	9.3
E. Jones IV (Titans)	LB	158	9.3
L. David (Bucs)	LB	157	9.2
M. Crosby (Raiders)	DE	157	9.2
Q. Williams (Jets)	LB	157	9.2
B. Branch (Lions)	DB	156	9.2
M. Fitzpatrick (Steelers)	DB	154	9.1
K. Hamilton (Ravens)	DB	154	9.1
T. Bernard (Bills)	LB	154	9.1
J. Love (Seahawks)	DB	153	9
J. Brooks (Dolphins)	LB	153	9
B. Wagner (Commanders)	LB	152	8.9
l. Sneed (Titans)	DB	150	8.8
M. Parsons (Cowboys)	DE	150	8.8

These are your top 27 defenders projected for the season, prior to Week 1. Sixteen of these guys are NOT pass rushers or DBs. Prior to the draft, I thought maybe I hadn’t adjusted scoring enough for these positions, but I didn’t want to go overboard. I hesitated to make a more drastic change because a totally dominant defensive game by a pass rusher or a DB could sneak into 50 points in a week and I wasn’t trying to open Pandora’s box.

Aidan Hutchinson went off in Week 2, with 42 points on the back of 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. That’s a once-in-a-decade kind of stat line (literally, it’s happened just 15 times since 1982). More common are the 3-sack games, like Greg Rousseau’s 31-point bomb in Week 1. He had 3 sacks, a forced fumble, and 3 more tackles—dominant stuff. In Week 2, he scored a measly 5 points against the Dolphins, which was kind of expected with their quick passing attack.

Micah Parsons had a strong Week 1, racking up 19.5 points with 1 sack, 5 QB hits, 4 tackles, and a pass defended. That’s a game worthy of 19.5 points! But Week 2? Not so much. He only managed 2.5 points with 3 tackles. He’ll bounce back, no doubt, but that game was a snoozer for him. To me, that’s the risk you take when starting a DE or DB — the point total could dominate your week or tank you. I kind of like that, but I might be in the minority.

So, where do we go from here? If enough of us feel a change is necessary, maybe we simply lower the values across the board for defensive stats. I’m open to any ideas you all have—hit me with your thoughts, and let’s see where this takes us.

Are you in favor of making changes to IDP scoring to take effect in Week 3?

• Yes, I support making changes to the IDP scoring for Week 3.
• Not in-season. Perhaps next season.
• No, I prefer to keep the current scoring system as is.

If IDP scoring changes are made to sacks, I want the total value (sack+TFL+ tackle) to be worth no more than:

• 7
• 5
• 2

If IDP scoring changes are made to interceptions, I want the total value (interception+pass defended) to be worth no more than:

• 8
• 6
• 3

What’s the REAL reason Steve Tasker isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet?

• The HOF committee is clearly afraid of special teams.
• A conspiracy led by jealous HOFers who never covered a kick.
• The world is not ready for a true special teams GOAT.
• Who's Steve Tasker? (Get out. Now.)