The Guru and The Godfather: 2024 Preview

Photo: USA Today Sports

John Norton ("The Guru") and Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") are two of the most experienced and knowledgeable IDP analysts in the fantasy football industry. Every week during the 2024 season here at Footballguys, The Guru and the Godfather will come together to answer five of that week's most pressing questions.

The beginning of the 2024 IDP campaign is just around the corner. Soon enough, the attention of the Guru and the Godfather will turn to helping fantasy managers win their weekly matchups.

But not this week.

This week is about one last look at the season to come as a whole instead of a collection of parts. To look at which individual defensive players will exceed expectations. And who will disappoint. 

And one bold prediction for the 2024 IDP season.

IDP Preview: Defensive Linemen

With just one big IDP draft weekend left, which defensive lineman stands out as the best value? Who is the biggest risk?

 Guru: Getting the best value is about where we get the player in relation to his production. From that perspective, I am loving Carl Granderson of the New Orleans Saints this year. He's not an elite pass rusher, coming off an 8.5-sack season, but the guy was fifth in combined tackles among defensive linemen last year with 75.

He was exceptionally consistent on the way to a Top-15 fantasy finish. Granderson is in a position to at least repeat, if not improve, last year's production, yet he is falling outside the first 20 defensive linemen picked in most leagues. I landed him as the DL20 in the Huddle Experts IDP League that The Godfather and I play in.

The trade to Atlanta makes me nervous about Matthew Judon. He's had enough time to recover from last year's injury, so that's not so much an issue for me as the landing spot. Yes, I know it is a different coaching staff and a different scheme, but we've heard that song and seen that dance from the Falcons before.

It almost seems as if they are jinxed when it comes to finding a pass rush. This team has reached 40 sacks in a season once since 2004. I don't see Judon being a bust, but chances are, he was picked as among the first 12-15 linemen taken. I'm not really confident he can make the top 25.   

Godfather: I see that Mr. Norton is already in mid-season form when it comes to stealing players I was going to talk about—Granderson is a great call as an undervalued edge-rusher. Montez Sweat of the Chicago Bears will cost more than Granderson, but that doesn't mean he's not going later than he should—often outside the top 15 at his position.

Last year. Sweat posted 57 tackles and 12.5 sacks on the way to top-12 numbers at his position—and that was with a midseason trade thrown in. He's an excellent DL1 target for teams that go hard at linebackers early in IDP drafts.

Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans is an immensely talented young edge-rusher with a bright future—he didn't win Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 because of his smile. But he's being drafted either just inside or just outside the top 12 at the position far too often.

Playing opposite Danielle Hunter will help cut down on double teams (ever so slightly), but for Anderson to justify that asking price, he'll need a huge spike in production relative to last year. He's a middling DL2. Expecting more is hope—and hope is not a strategy.

IDP Preview: Linebackers

Linebackers are the heart of most IDP rosters. Which linebacker will make fantasy managers blush with happiness in 2024, and who will leave them teary-eyed and listening to breakup songs?

Guru: Eric Kendricks of the Dallas Cowboys is something like 80 in football years, but the guy can still play. He's never been an IDP stud but has been a quality starter for us throughout his career, including last year when he was a solid LB2 while playing with the Chargers.

Kendricks is set to be the leader of the Cowboy defense and should be the team's only every-down linebacker. He is a great value for a guy falling into the 30s in a lot of drafts.

I've not been a fan of Kenneth Murray Jr. since he let me down when I took him early in several dynasty drafts as a rookie. It was injuries, then he was not a good fit, so they tried him on the outside, yadda yadda… After three disappointing seasons, he finally had a breakout of sorts last year, which, go figure, was a contract year.

Murray ended up in Tennessee, where I warmed to his potential, mostly because the Titans don't have anyone else. Then, on the eve of the season, Tennessee traded for Ernest Jones IV. Now, I'm not even sure Murray will be a three-down player.

Godfather: Must…resist…urge…to…talk…about…Azeez…Al-Shaair.

We'll use that same industry draft the Guru mentioned as the barometer here—the scoring there favors being aggressive at linebacker. Kyzir White of the Arizona Cardinals isn't a big name, and a torn biceps ended his 2023 season early. But White was just outside the top 12 in fantasy points among linebackers before he got hurt, and he's regularly being drafted well outside the top 20.

Bonus Dude!—Jack Campbell of the Detroit Lions. If Campbell can back up his per-snap productivity from last year in a full-time role as the Lions' defensive signal-caller, he could flirt with 150 total tackles—and smash his ADP.

I almost feel bad typing this, but Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers is a better NFL player than IDP option. He's long been drafted as a fantasy LB1. Heck, I over-rank him every year because I just can't drop him past some guys. But last year's eighth-place finish among linebackers was more exception than rule. His LB23 finish the season before is not. Maybe Dre Greenlaw's absence will change that, but it's a gamble I'll let someone else take.