Defensive lineman can get a little tricky when you get past the top five. Check out these top-40 men in the trenches for fantasy football.
When it comes to drafting a defensive line, it is highly based on your league. Not only is it important to take into account the league scoring, but the depth and competitiveness of your league is imperative, too. Defensive ends are some of the most matchup-based players in IDP and owners in shallower leagues can take advantage of the waiver wire. Teams like the Rams and the Cardinals give away sacks like Mr. Nice Guy, so in leagues that aren't deep, it might not be a bad idea to stack the rest of your team and play waiver wire bingo most of the year. However, competitive leagues won't have that luxury.
Most of the time in leagues that aren't overly competitive, I won't be investing any bench players on defensive line unless it's on a bye week or if that league rewards heavily for sacks. There are a lot of defensive ends, even ones in a 4-3, that don't even appear in these rankings. In other words, there is still quite a bit of competition and there might be some bargain basement deals once the season is in full swing.
IDP leagues are unique to say the least, so ask me anything about your league format on Twitter @MikeSGallagher. For more info on individual defensive players, check out my IDP post on defensive backs earlier today. For more fantasy news, rankings and analysis, check out SB Nation Fantasy.
| Defensive Lineman | |
| 1 | Jason Pierre-Paul |
| 2 | Jared Allen |
| 3 | Trent Cole |
| 4 | Mario Williams |
| 5 | Cameron Wake |
| 6 | Chris Long |
| 7 | Julius Peppers |
| 8 | Justin Tuck |
| 9 | Kameron Wimbley |
| 10 | Jason Babin |
| 11 | Charles Johnson |
| 12 | Calais Campbell |
| 13 | Chris Clemons |
| 14 | Jabaal Sheard |
| 15 | Cliff Avril |
| 16 | Elvis Dumervil |
| 17 | Justin Smith |
| 18 | Jeremy Mincey |
| 19 | Matt Shaughnessy |
| 20 | Mark Anderson |
| 21 | Adrian Clayborn |
| 22 | Osi Umenyiora |
| 23 | Chandler Jones |
| 24 | J.J. Watt |
| 25 | Ndamukong Suh |
| 26 | John Abraham |
| 27 | Haloti Ngata |
| 28 | Ahtyba Rubin |
| 29 | Robert Quinn |
| 30 | Greg Hardy |
| 31 | Brian Robison |
| 32 | Marcell Dareus |
| 33 | Kyle Vanden Bosch |
| 34 | Cameron Jordan |
| 35 | Geno Atkins |
| 36 | Ray Edwards |
| 37 | Andre Branch |
| 38 | Carlos Dunlap |
| 39 | Ray McDonald |
| 40 | Darnell Dockett |
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