Welcome to the NFL, Week 16 kickoff, and the playoff semifinals of most fantasy football leagues! Pay attention to the injury reports, and keep your lineup flexible when setting to cover your risk and maximize results.
Every league is different — especially in the individual defensive player (IDP) world. These rankings are based on our fantasy scoring to help you adjust to your league while acknowledging that there will be some variations across different platforms. It doesn’t account for position requirements and is best thought of as IDP Flex rankings for Week 16!
Which IDP Players Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
1) Roquan Smith, LB | BAL (vs. PIT)
2) Zaire Franklin, LB | IND (vs. TEN)
3) Brian Branch, S | DET (at CHI)
4) Zack Baun, LB | PHI (at WAS)
5) Kaden Elliss, LB | ATL (vs. NYG)
6) Nick Cross, S | IND (vs. TEN)
7) Foyesade Oluokun, LB | JAX (at LV)
8) Robert Spillane, LB | LV (vs. JAX)
9) Budda Baker, S | ARI (at CAR)
10) Ernest Jones, LB | SEA (vs. MIN)
11) Terrel Bernard, LB | BUF (vs. NE)
12) Jordyn Brooks, LB | MIA (vs. SF)
13) Daiyan Henley, LB | LAC (vs. DEN)
14) Derwin James Jr., S | LAC (vs. DEN)
15) Nakobe Dean, LB | PHI (at WAS)
16) Germaine Pratt, LB | CIN (vs. CLE)
17) Dane Belton, S | NYG (at ATL)
18) Bobby Wagner, LB | WAS (vs. PHI)
19) Frankie Luvu, LB | WAS (vs. PHI)
20) Joshua Metellus, S | MIN (at SEA)
21) T.J. Edwards, LB | CHI (vs. DET)
22) Jack Campbell, LB | DET (at CHI)
23) Dre Greenlaw, LB | SF (at MIA)
24) Josey Jewell, LB | CAR (vs. ARI)
25) Grant Delpit, S | CLE (at CIN)
26) Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB | CIN (vs. CLE)
27) Quentin Lake, S | LAR (at NYJ)
28) Kevin Byard III, S | CHI (vs. DET)
29) Julian Love, S | SEA (vs. MIN)
30) Lavonte David, LB | TB (at DAL)
31) Jamien Sherwood, LB | NYJ (vs. LAR)
32) Fred Warner, LB | SF (at MIA)
33) Brandon Jones, S | DEN (at LAC)
34) Kyle Hamilton, S | BAL (vs. PIT)
35) Micah Parsons, LB | DAL (vs. TB)
36) Myles Garrett, DE | CLE (at CIN)
37) Jaylon Carlies, LB | IND (vs. TEN)
38) Trey Hendrickson, DE | CIN (vs. CLE)
39) Nick Bolton, LB | KC (vs. HOU)
40) Minkah Fitzpatrick, S | PIT (at BAL)
41) Kyle Dugger, S | NE (at BUF)
42) Blake Cashman, LB | MIN (at SEA)
43) Xavier McKinney, S | GB (vs. NO)
44) Jabrill Peppers, S | NE (at BUF)
45) Quincy Williams, LB | NYJ (vs. LAR)
46) Jordan Battle, S | CIN (vs. CLE)
47) Tre’von Moehrig, S | LV (vs. JAX)
48) Kenneth Murray Jr., LB | TEN (at IND)
49) Jessie Bates III, S | ATL (vs. NYG)
50) Henry To’oTo’o, LB | HOU (at KC)
51) Jeremy Chinn, S | WAS (vs. PHI)
52) Will Anderson Jr., DE | HOU (at KC)
53) Danielle Hunter, DE | HOU (at KC)
54) Christian Rozeboom, LB | LAR (at NYJ)
55) Eric Kendricks, LB | DAL (vs. TB)
56) Reed Blankenship, S | PHI (at WAS)
57) Patrick Queen, LB | PIT (at BAL)
58) Ugo Amadi, S | NO (at GB)
59) Justin Reid, S | KC (vs. HOU)
60) Jalen Thompson, S | ARI (at CAR)
61) Devon Witherspoon, CB | SEA (vs. MIN)
62) Xavier Woods, S | CAR (vs. ARI)
63) Christian Harris, LB | HOU (at KC)
64) T.J. Watt, LB | PIT (at BAL)
65) Chris Jones, DT | KC (vs. HOU)
66) Cody Barton, LB | DEN (at LAC)
67) Andrew Van Ginkel, LB | MIN (at SEA)
68) Evan Williams, S | GB (vs. NO)
69) Taron Johnson, CB | BUF (vs. NE)
70) Kenny Moore II, CB | IND (vs. TEN)
71) Tyrice Knight, LB | SEA (vs. MIN)
72) Kyzir White, LB | ARI (at CAR)
73) P.J. Locke, S | DEN (at LAC)
74) Micah McFadden, LB | NYG (at ATL)
75) Jonathan Owens, S | CHI (vs. DET)
76) Damar Hamlin, S | BUF (vs. NE)
77) Taylor Rapp, S | BUF (vs. NE)
78) Malik Harrison, LB | BAL (vs. PIT)
79) Josh Hines-Allen, DE | JAX (at LV)
80) Jordan Poyer, S | MIA (vs. SF)
81) C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S | PHI (at WAS)
82) Camryn Bynum, S | MIN (at SEA)
83) Jordan Fuller, S | CAR (vs. ARI)
84) Kerby Joseph, S | DET (at CHI)
85) Marist Liufau, LB | DAL (vs. TB)
86) Edgerrin Cooper, LB | GB (vs. NO)
87) Tyrann Mathieu, S | NO (at GB)
88) Devin Lloyd, LB | JAX (at LV)
89) Tremaine Edmunds, LB | CHI (vs. DET)
90) Jonathan Greenard, DE | MIN (at SEA)
91) Kam Curl, S | LAR (at NYJ)
92) Jordan Hicks, LB | CLE (at CIN)
93) Demario Davis, LB | NO (at GB)
94) Jahlani Tavai, LB | NE (at BUF)
95) Greg Rousseau, DE | BUF (vs. NE)
96) Harrison Smith, S | MIN (at SEA)
97) Brian Burns, DE | NYG (at ATL)
98) Jared Verse, DE | LAR (at NYJ)
99) Christian Elliss, DE | NE (at BUF)
100) Troy Dye, LB | LAC (vs. DEN)
Best IDP Players To Start in Week 16
Josh Metellus, S, Minnesota Vikings
Josh Metellus might be the key piece to the Brian Flores-led Minnesota Vikings defense. If you’re really into IDP, you’ve probably seen the stats about the positions he’s played on defense. He’s a safety by title but also plays the slot, LB, all over the DL, and even outside CB. He rarely plays deep, though, with just eight snaps at deep safety in his last three games total.
watch #44 pic.twitter.com/iGyJLfn1XQ
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) December 11, 2024
That’s just incredible usage for IDP stats, as evidenced by his 27 total tackles over that same three-game span. Against the Seahawks, expect more of the same and hopefully another nine or more tackles. He also can get underneath passes in his zone in coverage and could get a pass defended or even a pick in your semifinal matchup.
Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Cincinnati Bengals
Akeem Davis-Gaither has steadily been climbing the weekly IDP ranks for me. The initial concern was tied to whether he would play enough snaps to truly make a high-level IDP impact. He’s missed just nine snaps over his three starts, and the tackle totals have been absolutely incredible.
Since Davis-Gaither took over for the injured Logan Wilson, he’s started three games and posted a whopping 34 combined tackles. Now the Bengals get a Browns team turning to a young QB who tends to be conservative with the ball, meaning more balls should go to the RBs and TEs, along with more runs, leading to what should be another strong tackle game.
