Welcome to the NFL and fantasy football Week 8 kickoff.
With growing data available, we will try to make the best start/sit decisions based on the early-season results. 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 8!
Which IDP Players Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
1) Roquan Smith, LB | BAL (at CLE)
2) Fred Warner, LB | SF (vs. DAL)
3) Lavonte David, LB | TB (vs. ATL)
4) Bobby Wagner, LB | WAS (vs. CHI)
5) Ivan Pace Jr., LB | MIN (at LAR)
6) Logan Wilson, LB | CIN (vs. PHI)
7) Robert Spillane, LB | LV (vs. KC)
8) T.J. Edwards, LB | CHI (at WAS)
9) Nick Bolton, LB | KC (at LV)
10) Kyzir White, LB | ARI (at MIA)
11) Brian Branch, S | DET (vs. TEN)
12) Zack Baun, LB | PHI (at CIN)
13) Germaine Pratt, LB | CIN (vs. PHI)
14) Derwin James Jr., S | LAC (vs. NO)
15) Nick Cross, S | IND (at HOU)
16) Grant Delpit, S | CLE (vs. BAL)
17) Frankie Luvu, LB | WAS (vs. CHI)
18) Kyle Dugger, S | NE (vs. NYJ)
19) E.J. Speed, LB | IND (at HOU)
20) Nick Bosa, DE | SF (vs. DAL)
21) Joshua Metellus, S | MIN (at LAR)
22) Eric Kendricks, LB | DAL (at SF)
23) Tyrel Dodson, LB | SEA (vs. BUF)
24) Jamien Sherwood, LB | NYJ (at NE)
25) Tremaine Edmunds, LB | CHI (at WAS)
26) Jalen Thompson, S | ARI (at MIA)
27) Zaire Franklin, LB | IND (at HOU)
28) Devin Lloyd, LB | JAX (vs. GB)
29) Dorian Williams, LB | BUF (at SEA)
30) Quincy Williams, LB | NYJ (at NE)
31) Henry To’oTo’o, LB | HOU (vs. IND)
32) Maxx Crosby, DE | LV (vs. KC)
33) Trevin Wallace, LB | CAR (at DEN)
34) Tyler Nubin, S | NYG (at PIT)
35) Kyle Hamilton, S | BAL (at CLE)
36) Budda Baker, S | ARI (at MIA)
37) Alex Anzalone, LB | DET (vs. TEN)
38) Antoine Winfield Jr., S | TB (vs. ATL)
39) Jordyn Brooks, LB | MIA (vs. ARI)
40) Tre’von Moehrig, S | LV (vs. KC)
41) Julian Love, S | SEA (vs. BUF)
42) Kaden Elliss, LB | ATL (at TB)
43) Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB | CLE (vs. BAL)
44) Cody Barton, LB | DEN (vs. CAR)
45) T.J. Watt, LB | PIT (vs. NYG)
46) Baylon Spector, LB | BUF (at SEA)
47) Quentin Lake, S | LAR (vs. MIN)
48) Jalen Pitre, S | HOU (vs. IND)
49) C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S | PHI (at CIN)
50) Myles Garrett, DE | CLE (vs. BAL)
51) Justin Reid, S | KC (at LV)
52) Divine Deablo, LB | LV (vs. KC)
53) Jordan Whitehead, S | TB (vs. ATL)
54) Brandon Jones, S | DEN (vs. CAR)
55) Daiyan Henley, LB | LAC (vs. NO)
56) Nakobe Dean, LB | PHI (at CIN)
57) Xavier McKinney, S | GB (at JAX)
58) Jessie Bates III, S | ATL (at TB)
59) Kam Curl, S | LAR (vs. MIN)
60) Evan Williams, S | GB (at JAX)
61) Jeremy Chinn, S | WAS (vs. CHI)
62) Camryn Bynum, S | MIN (at LAR)
63) Drue Tranquill, LB | KC (at LV)
64) DeShon Elliott, S | PIT (vs. NYG)
65) Ventrell Miller, LB | JAX (vs. GB)
66) Minkah Fitzpatrick, S | PIT (vs. NYG)
67) Demario Davis, LB | NO (at LAC)
68) Reed Blankenship, S | PHI (at CIN)
69) Josey Jewell, LB | CAR (at DEN)
70) Jevon Holland, S | MIA (vs. ARI)
71) Damar Hamlin, S | BUF (at SEA)
72) Nate Landman, LB | ATL (at TB)
73) Will Anderson Jr., DE | HOU (vs. IND)
74) Kevin Byard III, S | CHI (at WAS)
75) Will McDonald IV, DE | NYJ (at NE)
76) Neville Hewitt, LB | HOU (vs. IND)
77) Kenneth Murray Jr., LB | TEN (at DET)
78) Quandre Diggs, S | TEN (at DET)
79) Xavier Woods, S | CAR (at DEN)
80) Julian Blackmon, S | IND (at HOU)
81) Dexter Lawrence II, DT | NYG (at PIT)
82) Patrick Queen, LB | PIT (vs. NYG)
83) Trenton Simpson, LB | BAL (at CLE)
84) Taylor Rapp, S | BUF (at SEA)
85) Isaiah McDuffie, LB | GB (at JAX)
86) Ernest Jones, LB | SEA (vs. BUF)
87) Mack Wilson Sr., LB | ARI (at MIA)
88) Quay Walker, LB | GB (at JAX)
89) Christian Izien, S | TB (vs. ATL)
90) Bobby Okereke, LB | NYG (at PIT)
91) Justin Strnad, LB | DEN (vs. CAR)
92) Danielle Hunter, DE | HOU (vs. IND)
93) Josh Hines-Allen, DE | JAX (vs. GB)
94) DeMarvion Overshown, LB | DAL (at SF)
95) Boye Mafe, DE | SEA (vs. BUF)
96) Kerby Joseph, S | DET (vs. TEN)
97) Christian Elliss, DE | NE (vs. NYJ)
98) Chris Jones, DT | KC (at LV)
99) Montez Sweat, DE | CHI (at WAS)
100) Mohamoud Diabate, LB | CLE (vs. BAL)
Best IDP Players To Start in Week 8
Kyzir White, LB, Arizona Cardinals
The LB landscape has shifted a fair bit from Week 1 of the season, and hopefully, you’ve been able to keep up. One continually underrated player is Kyzir White, the Cardinals’ top LB. Despite leaving games early battling injury, White has hit or exceeded nine tackles in four of seven games on the year.
CARDINALS BEAT 49ers! Kyzir White INT seals it! pic.twitter.com/YouIht10ub
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) October 6, 2024
White belongs among the elite IDP options and has been a stud when on the field in Arizona. Even dating back to 2023, White has been a stud and continued that into 2024 so far.
Now the Dolphins, with their returning QB, are the next matchup. It should mean lots of tackle opportunities for White to post double-digit stops in Week 8.
Kyle Dugger, S, New England Patriots
Kyle Dugger is finally getting the usage needed to become the truly elite IDP DB option he’d flashed for years. Dugger has always been a stud, but the limited snaps and sometimes deep utilization held him back.
That’s all changed in 2024. Dugger has played 100% of the snaps in the games he’s been healthy. It’s likely gone a bit under the radar with just a single double-digit tackle game, but that was last week. Dugger has played just one-third of his snaps aligned at FS on the season, and with the LB issues, expect that tackle-friendly role to continue in Week 8.