T.J. Watt Named 2023 IDP MVP in Close Race

With the 2023 fantasy football season wrapped up, it’s time to dole out the awards to the standout defensive players in the NFL who delivered, and those that didn’t, throughout the year to help fantasy gamers secure the most important award of all — a fantasy football championship.

Starting with the big one, this award will go to the player who was the most consistent throughout the year, delivering high-end fantasy performances and solidifying themselves as the most valuable IDP in 2023.

This was the most difficult award to settle on, but after going back and forth for a long time, the committee (me) has decided that Watt’s elite pass-rush ability, leading the league in sacks while delivering a high number of game-winning weeks without missing a game, makes him the most valuable IDP in 2023. Last year’s IDP MVP, , was the closest to winning this award again, but Watt’s edge in sacks became the deciding factor.

Watt went all but four games this season without delivering a sack, and in one of those games, he came up with an interception to make up for it, so there weren’t many lows for the former Defensive Player of the Year. One of the previous knocks on Watt is that he’s missed time due to injury, as he played just 10 games in 2022, but that wasn’t the case this year (in the regular season), which allowed IDP managers who spent up to draft him the ability to start him every single week without concern. He often delivered week-winning performances. Watt’s 17 sacks through 17 weeks led the NFL while his 61 total tackles were a top-12 mark. He also added 16 tackles for loss over that 17-week span, which was a top-five mark in the league while his 34 QB hits ranked second.