Welcome to the fantasy football’s Top 26 dynasty IDP targets under 26 in 2020. This series of articles is intended to help those fantasy football owners looking to revamp or start a dynasty roster. So why 26 under 26? Because our focus is on a group of fantasy football defensive players that are no older than 25. And have shown to be long term potential IDP assets at the highest level. The kind players we want to have on our rosters as they hit their prime years. And hopefully helping us earn a few titles as the seasons roll by.

Dynasty IDP Targets Ranking Ground Rules

Ranking fantasy football players can vary in opinions. So we will lay out the ground rules on how those IDP hairs were split between these players. Starting with the following things taken under consideration. And making this statement now.

No matter how, when. or why it’s an opinion.  And the same can be said on who the players are that are chosen to be in the rankings. 

So with that being said, my credentials in IDP knowledge runs around fifteen years now. And much of that time is not just spent on fantasy football data. It also includes researching and keeping up on the latest reports and news. And although “numbers” have to be used to rank. I find that those IDP hairs are so thin to split that normally I’d soon have any player within a difference of ten from any given rank.

The point here is we’ll list the considerations taken into these rankings. And my personal opinions are just that. Because all of the 26 and likely a few that didn’t make my list, boils down to my personal preferences.

Now on to our Top 26 Dynasty IDP Targets under 26 years old for 2020.

Considered

Player statistics

Team situation

Surrounding Talent

Player potential

Consistency Margin Of Error

Preferences

2020’s Fantasy Football Top Dynasty IDP Targets: #10

San Fransico 49er Defensive End Nick Bosa

Position: DE/Edge Rusher  –  Height/Weight: 6-4, 266lb  –  Age As Of Jan. 1 2020: 22

Salary / Contract

2019 Gridiron Ratings

Overall

DL 79

ER 82

RK DL-9th/ER-7th*

Performance

DL 78

ER 82

RK DL-11th*/ER-7th

Opportunity

 DL 87

ER 90

RK DL-3rd*/ER-4th*

Availability

 DL 99

ER 99

Healthy

Solo

DL 46

ER 56

RK DE-12th*/ER-13th*

DL = Defensive Lineman  –  ER = Edge Rusher – Ranks(*) = Tied

Note* Among all of the league’s Defensive Lineman in the Gridiron Ratings, Nick Bosa was ranked 9th overall at the designated Defensive End (DE) position.

And among his fellow 49er defensive lineman, he was 3rd overall and 1st among the team’s designated defensive ends. Something we will hit on later in this article.

Combine

40 Yard Dash 4.79 SECONDS

Bench Press

29 REP

Vertical Jump

33.5 INCHESBroad Jump 116.0 INCHES3 Cone Drill 7.10 SECONDS

20 Yd Shuttle

4.14 SECONDS

College Credentials

Joey Bosa attended high school at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And as a four-year starter there, he earned multiple years of first-team all-state player honors. In turn, Bosa was a five-star recruit entering the college ranks and was among the top players in the nation of his class. He then committed to Ohio State whereas a true freshman played all 13 contests recording 29 combined tackles, seven for a loss, and added five sacks.

In 2017, his sophomore season, Bosa became a fixture at the defensive end position for the Buckeyes. Starting seven of fourteen games and earning a First Team All-Big Ten Team designation as well as being honored with the Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year Award. He recorded 32 combined tackles, 15 for a loss, and had a team-leading seven sacks that season. His following senior season, in September 2018, it was reported that Bosa underwent core-muscle surgery and was out indefinitely for the year. Nick Bosa went on to announce that he was withdrawing from Ohio State, skipping his senior year to enter the 2019 NFL Draft as a top prospect.

NFL Recap

Nick Bosa was projected to be the first overall pick in the draft by a majority of analysts and scouts in the NFL. He met and interviewed with eight NFL teams at the combine, including the Cardinals, 49ers, Jets, Giants, and Buccaneers. Who at the time felt they needed an edge rusher to anchor the end of their defensive line. And it was the 49ers in the end that selected Bosa 2nd overall in the 2018 draft. Adding yet another first-round talent to their front seven at the defensive line.

As a rookie, Bosa fit right in and applied the pressure from the edge for the unit. He recorded 25 hits on the quarterback, had nine sacks, and sixteen of his 47 combined tackles were for a loss. He did indeed do the trick, adding a dimension to the unit that made it one of the most feared in the NFL, and arguably the best overall for 2018. His high motor efforts earned Bosa a trip to the Pro-Bowl, PFWA All-Rookie Team, and Rookie Of The Year honors.

Fantasy Football Dynasty IDP Targets Summary

Nick Bosa did overcome his “soft tissue” and injury tag for fantasy football owners coming out of college for those that acquired him. And notable for with this Ohio Stae Fan and IDP writer. A concern that many of us IDP writers had about him. And there is just one concern remaining for this writer about his designated defensive line ceiling in the future. And we will stop and note here that I don’t have the same concerns as a designated edge rusher in lineups.

Bosa has competition from within his own team’s defensive line unit. And those players playing alongside him were also able to step up with Bosa’s addition to the unit. And we’ll reflect on the teams Gridiron Ratings as defensive linemen to address those possible concerns. Again noting, Bosa still convinced me to rank him here in the top ten, so these are minor concerns overall. He’ll likely prove me wrong soon enough.

S.F. Dynasty IDP Targets Defensive Lineman Gridiron Ratings

Dynasty IDP Targets, By The Numbers

The above ratings can be seen HERE, sorted by team.

Buckner, who also made these rankings as a defensive tackle at #19, was a first-round selection in 2016 at pick seven. He arguably had his best overall fantasy football statistically in 2019.

Armstead was the seventeenth overall selection in 2015 by the Niners. And indeed had his best fantasy football season statistically in 2019, recording one more sack than Bosa with ten.

Thomas was the third overall pick in 2017, and although it wasn’t his best fantasy football season for owners statistically in 2019, he was a big part of the rotation help making the defensive line work.

And then there are the respected veterans on the squad that the team brought in. Ford is a former first-rounder and Day, Blair, and Jones are notable talents as well as they have built their craft at the pro level over the years. And I would like to add an opinion, any given player here needs the other, and that reflects in the solo ratings among the entire field. And is why that number isn’t top of the line among the league as individuals, comparably.

It is this Writer’s Opinion

It is this writer’s opinion that as an edge rusher, Bosa holds his best dynasty IDP targets value, for now. And as a defensive end/lineman, he’ll hold slightly less than IDP value for a while. General manager John Lynch built this defense focusing on the lineman as cornerstones overall. And it would be very unlikely that he’d let these players walk in the next few years when the results in 2019 were so positive.

Hence, there are a lot of teams out there that only have one notable talent among the DL’s, yet we are looking at least four here. And that same competition they inflict on the opposing team will also be present among their own.

There are only going to be so many stats recorded in any given game, and expecting Bosa to grow, he’ll improve on those as he grows. But we certainly have to account for those other players who will also keep growing and producing within the squad. And the core first-round talent is hitting their prime as well and going to make it tougher on paper for Bosa to peak IDP wise.

This writer’s final thoughts are that Bosa is definitely an upper tier-one edge rusher and as a designated defensive end. But, as a designated defense lineman, we may want to play it safer, and expect him to produce more like an upper tier-two, with upside. At least in standard-sized leagues of 12 to 14 teams, which is reflected in our Gridiron Ratings Solo number as well. And don’t forget, the team is getting better on offense, possibly resulting in fewer snaps for the defense and the opportunities to make plays.

Top 26 Dynasty IDP Targets To “Click On” And…

1. …
2. …
3. …
4. …
5. …
6. …
7. …
8. …
9. …TBD
10. Nick Bosa
11. Jamal Adams
12. Devin Bush
13. Devin White
14. Leighton Vander Esch
15. Jayon Brown
16. John Johnson
17. Myles Garrett
18. Derwin James
19. Deforest Buckner
20. Tremaine Edmunds
21. Fred Warner
22. Bradley Chubb
23. Deion Jones
24. Tracy Walker
25. Shaq Thompson
26. Kenny Clark

Thank you for joining me as we rank the top 26 under 26 fantasy football dynasty IDP targets for 2020.

Gary VanDyke

“The IDP Tipster”

Would you like directly have access to Gary VanDyke and his fantasy Football IDP “takes” or interact? You can find him here @TheIDPTipster via Twitter. His most active account. Or chat with us using our member’s chat on site. We look forward to hearing from you.