Week 1 IDP Start or Sit

0:00We made it week one is finally here and now it's time to set those line up so we can march up the path toward a 2026 fantasy football championship. I'm John McRae and for this episode of the IDP show, I'll be going game by game breaking down all of the relevant IDP information and match up data heading into our first week of fantasy football season. So let's get it. All right, here we go week one time, which means that we should have all full rosters healthy and ready to go shout out said your grave for already throwing a wrench into that, but we should have plenty of options really to start this first week of the season. We obviously drafted these guys in a specific order for a reason and you know, for the most part, we're going to stick with that order. This week before kind of making adjustments once we see actual game data that will need to react to so this really is like a start your steps week and really no reason to get cute with our lineups like if there's a player that we're unsure about for any reason whatsoever what their role might be like despite some potential upside.

1:11We don't have to take that risk in week one since every team is on even ground in our leagues right we're all zero and zero heading into this week let's roll with the ones we trust and again will adjust from there beyond week one and then going forward speaking of adjusting as well. We will be presenting graphics for this episode, but I don't use the matchup data from last year, not a lot of it correlates so I really have these kind of jankas graphics that i'll be using I just basically pulled the the lineup data from pff which uses their depth charts. i'm not happy about it there's a lot of errors in those depth charts so they're not perfect, but hey, I don't work there anymore so you know can't expect much am I right. But no we'll push through we'll use those as our placeholders for now we're also recording this one day earlier than usual since the NFL decided to kick off the season on a Wednesday but going forward this show will typically come out on Wednesday or like very early Thursday morning probably always Wednesday but yeah my week one rankings are up on the adp show calm always feel free to ask start sit questions in the comments i'll try to get to as many of those as I can throughout the week but yeah that's enough let's roll first game of the new season.

2:19Is a rematch of the last game of last season that is of course the new England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks so let's start with the Patriots defensive line no Harold Landry he's on short term IR so i'm really not starting any of the edges or really just the edges for the Patriots in this game I think defensive tackle for dt required leagues you're fine. Christian Barmore I have lower than Milton Williams but these are not like dt one type options here for week one Sam Darnell as well was decent at not letting pressures turn into sacks last year and you know the Patriots don't exactly have a scary pass rush so not a lot of exciting options here in week one at linebacker Robert Spalane is probably the lone IDP for the Patriots that are actually feel good about in this matchup I think Seattle will be the best player in the world. In this matchup I think Seattle will run the ball enough that he should be involved obviously is going to be playing in every down roll and we should at least get some decent production from him I have him as LB 18 or 19 somewhere around there so i'm expecting a solid game from him Christian Ellis will be more for deeper leagues since i'm not expecting a full time role there or really all that close to a full time role to be honest so deep leagues only and then on sleeper where he has defensive line status I treat him more as like a dl3.

3:35The safeties the defensive backs for the Patriots as well Craig Woodson Kevin Bired are fine here Marcus Jones is probably the only one actually worth spending time on to talk about for like non kick return leads leagues I don't think he'll be a starter for me in CB required formats this week Marcus Jones the Seahawks played the lowest rate of 11 personnel last season which wasn't ideal for nickel corners we saw that in the Super Bowl as well Marcus Jones played just 54% of snaps. In that game you'll have better matchups but I wouldn't bank on him at least this week alright for Seattle their TVs are always more interesting specifically Nick M&Wari if he's going to play in this game I think by the time this episode comes out you'll probably have more information or by the time you listen to this one if he does play if he's active I'd play him obviously that's why you drafted him as high as you did so if he's active he should get a full workload if not and he isn't able to go then obviously I think Julian love gets a little bit.

4:35I think he played a little bit closer to the line of scrimmage get a little bit more optimal usage there. Tio Cotta also apparently banged up a little bit so there's a chance that he might miss this game which might see Julian Neil get more work but for the most part I'm looking at Julian love and I'm looking at Devon witherspoon as well as both the real playable options outside of M&Wari witherspoon remains a CB one option he's fine. Julian love I'm right now I'm treating as more of a fringe safety two safety three but if he's if M&Wari isn't playing and we expect love to work down toward the line of scrimmage a little bit more he definitely move up in the rankings for me at linebacker Ernest Jones remains kind of the main play here that'll be an every down role for him both of these teams were among the top 10 in run rate last year which is typically a nice boost to our linebackers for their tackle potential Drake Thomas is the interesting one to watch in here and see kind of how his snapback is going to be a little bit more fun. I know how his snap share shakes out in this one but I'm not expecting anything over 80% at best he'd be kind of a deep league option for me only this week and then a defensive line for Seattle right now I'm treating this as an expected like mid range matchup for defensive line pass rushers I think Byron Murphy the second and Leonard Williams are both strong options in DT required leagues we saw Murphy in particular kind of wreak havoc on this offensive line in the Super Bowl so hoping for more of the same here and obviously Leonard Williams as well.

5:56Uchena and Wozu to mark with the Marcus Lawrence dare call are all the other options kind of worth considering none are really must starts for me but depending on your other options they may be better than some of the kind of non obvious defense alignment for you alright we did it that was the first game of what 270 something that will cover this year but the first one is in the bag how am I doing so far are we back in game shape did I miss anything should I just shut the and move on to the next game yeah let's do that we're heading like this. I'm going to go down under now for the 49ers and the Rams next on Thursday night for us Westerns which is I think Friday morning in Australia let's start with the 49ers and their defensive line Nick Bosa looks like he might play in this one I don't know it's all over the place it's up and down we'll have to find out closer to game time it's not the best matchup for pass rushers like if Stafford is back on his MVP tip like last year he was one of the tougher quarterbacks to bring down despite a really less than ideal offensive line.

6:56But we did wait an entire year of not having Nick Bosa said you know not play him in our lineups when he's healthy so he's edge nine for me this week he'll be a starter in most lineups for me this year the rest of the 49ers defensive line can probably go kick rocks right now if we're being honest like well we'll monitor monitor from afar from for this week and then kind of adjust after that. At linebacker Fred Warner is in he's LB eight for me seems like he too is healthy and ready to go drink drink green law is a little more interesting in that I wasn't crazy about drafting him this year because he has so many like season long red flags but I think as long as he's healthy and not to spend it or anything like that week to week we can treat him as a starter in nonchaliformats I have him as like a low end LB three somewhere around there right now. Defense a back Malik Mustafa will hopefully be back otherwise it's Marcus sigil and jai your brown at safety safety Mustafa would be my preferred play of that bunch if he's in there I remember the Rams being a good matchup for safeties last year but we're not banking on that just yet I would like to play Mustafa in nonchalile leagues if I can if he's not active for the most part I'm not going to be excited about the safety group.

8:10Up to and stout should be a good safe option in Cb required leagues this week Rams are typically like an 11 personnel heavy offense and I don't think that will necessarily change this year so while we're still hoping stout gets an overall good snap rate increase this year. This should at least be a matchup that allows for that right off the bat so I'm happy with him in lineups here for Cb required leagues for the Rams that their defensive line I mean miles Garrett. Aaron Donald Byron Young Coby Turner got damn like so obviously we're playing miles Garrett we're playing Byron Young and Coby Turner as well it's not the best matchup but there are still you know these are still some of the best options at the position Aaron Donald is probably the most interesting one right now obviously two years removed from being probably one of the best players in the league and then retiring I don't think we'll be looking at like a significant decline from what he once was however I think it's not going to be a good matchup. I think it was however I'm willing to temper expectations for at least his first game back it's in Australia against then above average offensive line it makes it a little bit tougher that Brock party owned like the best pressure to sack conversion rate in the league in 2025 I would not be surprised if week one is a quiet one for Aaron Donald as he just react limits to life in the NFL and is you know potentially eased into the Rams lineup as well so he comes in as I think it's DT 13 for me.

9:36So really kind of a boom bus upside play much like like a Chris Jones for example who's also in a poor matchup but for now let's see how Donald kind of looks in in a really weird first game back and kind of reset expectations from there so high and DT 2 only because of the upside but he's not in that must start territory at least for week one at linebacker we're playing Nate the Landman he's locked in for now no reason really to be afraid about starting him this week and what should be a decent matchup. As for Omar spates I'm really treating him as a deep league option only I don't think the Rams are going away from their one linebacker heavy off defense under Sean McVey and and so spates his snap share likely going to be below 70% which you know we don't love for defense of backs I think lake is my Quentin lakes or my preferred option of the bunch camera curl also good probably Trent McDuffy as well and then I'm really hoping to see cam kitchens get a true kind of every down workload this year I think he's earned it as a very good and I think it's a great way to get focused and I think it's going to be a great way to get a good shot. His look at it as a very good NFL safety and he's actually been a pretty good tackle for IDP so I think there's potential there with cam kitchens I just like to see that snap share hit 100% first but otherwise yeah Quentin Lake, Cam Koral, Tremock Duffy for CB required leaks.

10:49Those are the top options for me. Alright, onto this Sunday slate let's start with Chicago and Carol line up the Bears linebackers I think we're going to see both TJ Edwards and Devon Bush in full time roles this year so they're both playable for sure I'm treating really either as like high end plays just yet. I don't know how tackle friendly Carolina's offense will be, but if you have every downline backers, like these guys are in the conversation at least at defensive line for the Bears, the Panthers are actually gonna be without both. They're starting offensive tackles to start the year, which is obviously unfortunate for Bryce Young. And something we might be able to take advantage of for our opposing past rushers. This week Montez Sweat is obviously gonna be the primary option for us is a really steady edge to option here. The other spot is gonna be kind of interesting with either Austin Booker or Dale O'Dayngbo. One of those guys should emerge this year, ideally it's Booker because he's just the more exciting option. I'm not forcing him into lineups just yet,

11:50but I wanna see how the snap share shakes out and if he can improve as a past rusher as well. But should be at least a decent matchup if you are planning to play him. At defensive back, I'm starting Dylan Theteman. We gassed him up last week on the My Guys show and talked about his potential ideal usage even in the preseason takeaway videos. So I'm ready to have him in lineups now. Xavier Woods would only be really kind of a deep leak play for me as he should mostly be playing deep. At cornerback, Kyler Gordon is on the short term injured reserve to start the year. So this has I think potentially open the door for the rookie fourth round pick Malik Muhammad to step into what should be a pre favorable role in Dennis Allen's defense as their nickel slot defender. So Muhammad gets a matchup here obviously against the Carolina Panthers who were actually one of the league's most 11 personnel heavy offenses in 2025. And no real reason to expect to kind of drop off in that regard. So this should at least give Malik Muhammad enough snaps on the field and also give Dennis Allen

12:51more reason to blitz him and rack up tackles. So he'll be on a large enough workload that I kind of like Malik Muhammad this week. He's become kind of one of my preferred streaming options heading into week one and potentially for as long as Kyler Gordon is on the shelf as well. This is usually a pretty nice role in Dennis Allen's defense. So keep an eye on Malik Muhammad. CB required league should definitely be targeting him at least as somebody to hold if you're not comfortable with starting in week one. But I think it is a good matchup here for week one. All right, for Carolina and we'll start with their defensive line. The Bears have a pretty good offensive line. It'll just be a matter of if Caleb Williams can kind of maintain that really impressive pressure to second version right from last year, which was a big improvement from his rookie year. So obviously I still like Jalen Phillips this week as more of kind of an edge too in lineups and then Derek Brown. As more of a DT2 in balance scoring, he could probably be considered a DT1 in like tackle heavy scoring. At linebacker, we're starting Devon Lloyd. Definitely love Lloyd's potential still this year. And he will be wearing the green dot with new LB2 candidates

13:53in Bobby O'Karachay and Tyrell Dotson. So this will be interesting, right? Because O'Karachay appears to be the safest bet since Dotson was added to the practice squad. I'm not excited about starting Bobby, though I don't know if he'll be just because I don't know if he'll be in an every down role. And I don't know if Dodson will be activated on Gandy. Ideally, we can kind of just chill here and avoid O'Karachay or obviously Dodson this week. Dodson definitely don't count on starting him either way. But O'Karachay, I feel like if you have him, you probably had other linebacker setting into last week that you'd figure you'd be able to start ahead of him anyways. So stick with those guys for the most part. If for whatever reason Tyrell Dodson is an active on Gandy, Bobby O'Karachay would be a safer bet for deeper formats, still because I'm not sure I trust that being in every down role just yet. But Devon Lloyd definitely feel good about him. And DB, Tyrevan Merrig and Nick Scott are both playable for the most part. Merrig definitely the preferred option because we know he should get some ideal usage once again

14:55this season. And he's been really effective with that usage. So I think we'll be good with him once again this season. Other than that, Chow Smith Wade is the nickel corner here. The Bears were not an 11 personnel heavy offense last year. So there might be some lost snaps for Smith Wade in this game and probably not the best CB streaming option because of it. Okay, moving on to Cincinnati and Tampa Bay next. Let's start with Cincinnati's defensive backs. I talked a little bit this off season about Jordan Battle. And I can't help but feel he's a player that could be on a short leash this season. Like the team has already like in prior years shown hesitancy in deploying him as a full time starter. And he really struggled last year once he did finally get that full time role. The Bengals defense as a whole was a bismill. But battle was undeniably one of the reasons for that. Despite being a really good IDP. So my concern really is whether or not the team rotates him off

15:57in certain situations just to help alleviate some of those concerns. And this is really just a personal hunch. Like and I think I have a good chance of being wrong since Kyle Dugger is really the only loan replacement on the roster right now. But I think until I see it, I see like a 100% snap role for Jordan battle. I'm going to treat him kind of as a low end safety too for week one. And then see if I can feel more confident about him heading into week two if that makes sense. At linebacker, I like Barrett Carter. I've grown fond of Barrett Carter. I'm in like with Barrett Carter. If he doesn't start putting out though, I'm not going to fall in love with Barrett Carter. It's just not going to happen. But he needs to be better than what he was in his rookie year. He's getting the green dot again. And I think there should be an improvement from last year. I mean, honestly, it's going to be hard to be worse. So we can only go up from here, right? Anyways, I've got him as LB26 or 25 this week. We'll see how it goes. Meanwhile, Dmitrius Knight Jr. is the deep league option again. No major changes expected here from last year.

16:58He's likely not playing in every down role. Maybe the coaching staff thinks he's improved enough to play him more. But until we actually see that this week, I'm just not going to assume. So we'll treat him as a deeper option for now. All right, the Bengal's defensive line options really consist of Dexter Lawrence and boy, a Maffe for me right now, like Lawrence, I'll have to play in DT required leagues. Maffe, maybe like a DL three or four, but the Bucks offensive line is a pretty good one. Baker is decent. Baker Mayfield is decent at avoiding sacks. We should all be healthy this week. I think a defensive line. I don't think outside of very deep leagues that we need to be forcing boy, a Maffe into lineups just yet. All right, going on to Tampa Bay and their defensive line, the Bucks defensive line should have a better matchup than what the Bengals are going through in this one. We know there are issues with that offensive line in Cincinnati and Joe Burrow being who he is always trying to make plays out of nothing is going to hold the ball and he's going to take sacks. So can Ruben Bain start his NFL career off-hot? Is the question, right?

17:59I don't hate the idea of Ruben Bain in week one. I've actually got him as like edge 23 this week because I think there's potential there. Is that just me being hopeful? Maybe, but there will be sacks in this game against Joe Burrow. Just that's just how it is. So Ruben Bain, yes, yes, Diabbi. They I think they have a real shot here to cook, but I'd be fine streaming either one. I'm not starting them over like high end studs, but I think they're definitely start up if that makes sense. At linebacker, it's Alex Anzaloni as a kind of a low end LB3 and I'm really staying away from LB2 right now for the Bucks, at least until we get some kind of confirmation of who the LB2 will be, whether it's Rookie Josiah Trotter or Christian Roseboom or God forbid Servassia Dennis. And then we have to know what the snap share is going to be as well. So just staying away from this one for the most part, I think Anzaloni is the fine option as an every down role. But let's wait and see what that LB2 role looks like because I don't even think Todd Bolzes is fully sold on who it's going to be just yet. The Bucks do have at least defensive backs that we can use though.

19:02Antoine Winfield's, Tyke Smith, Jacob Parish. And maybe even Keonte Scott, we got options. For now, I'm treating Parish as kind of the preferred IDP option ahead of Keonte Scott. If only because of that last preseason game, Scott did not get the day off with the rest of the starters. Well, Parish did. Now this could be for many a reason, including the team just wanting to give the Rookie more reps. I'm not 100% sure. But ultimately, I'm not too concerned that it's a negative for him. I just rather see it to be sure. It's week one. I'm treating Parish as a kind of Scott as more of a low end CB2. Jacob Parish more as like a high end CB2. So that could definitely flip after this week. And once we know for sure, but again, it's week one. Why risk it guys? Why? All right, let's go on to New Orleans and Detroit next. And we'll start with the same slime backers. It's easy. It's Kaden Ellis. Pretty much just Kaden Ellis. If you're in a deeply, you can start Pete Werner. But let's just keep him to deep leagues for now. Ellis is the only one that I really actually think is going to be worth being in lineups

20:04for the majority of us. So yeah, pretty easy breakdown there. A defensive back. So this one is a little bit more interesting for the Saints. I'm very interested to see if Jonas Sanker will play an every down role or if he'll get like typical nickel usage, meaning that he's not need when he's not needed in the slot that he'll come off the field. So the Lions are kind of like a middle of the pack team in terms of utilizing 11 personnel, which is where we'll see that nickel come off the field more. So this should be a real test of I think what to expect from Sanker this season. If he's going to stay on the field in all situations, then we let him cook and shoot him up the ranks. But for now, I don't think there's really a need to risk it if we're not fully sold on the workload just yet. But yeah, aside from Sanker, the rest are all just kind of deeper league place. A defensive line, Carl Granderson and Chase Young are the top options. I'm Jordan, if you nasty, but mostly just young and grando. I'll be interested to see how the Lions offensive line holds up this year without Taylor Decker

21:06and with Penny, so we'll switch sides again. But I think this can still be a very good offensive line. And I believe in Jared Goff as well. So I've got young and Granderson as like deal three auctions this week, which I know people are going to be mad about with Chase Young in particular because he was so effective last year. And if you want to start him, like definitely do. It's just that they're ended up being better players and matchups that I like a little bit more this week. One such defensive line that I obviously like this week is Aiden Hutchinson. He's defensive line one for me this week. And he shouldn't be on any benches. Tyler Schuck had one of the worst pressure to sack conversion rates in the league last year. So we open with a really nice match up for Hutch deeper leagues. I think you can take a swing on DJ one of them as like a volume play. Because of the match up, he offers some streaming value there at linebacker. We're obviously starting Captain Jack Campbell. After that, I know there's like a lot of Devon White enthusiasts out there who want to see him repeat his production from last year. And to that, I'd say let's wait and see.

22:08Don't force him into lineups expecting the same production. First of all, because his role is different as is the defensive scheme. Like he's no longer LB1 on the roster. He's actually not even LB2 as Derek Barnes projects for more playing time in that spot. White is the base package linebacker in Detroit, meaning that he'll only be on the field when the team deploys a base package, which for most teams is rare. But the Lions led the league in that regard last season. So if they do that again, there's room for White to be somewhat productive for deeper IDP formats. But because he's also going from like a more ideal defense for tackle production in Vegas last year to a more kind of man heavy scheme of Detroit on top of the loss of snaps, I'd rather sit him week one just to see how it shakes out. Like I'd rather play Derek Barnes this week, just because it seems like the playing time will be better for Barnes. But I also believe he'll get more work on the edge, which kind of nullifies some of that playing time increase enough that neither are really auctions for me in at least the

23:10shallower formats at defense. A back obviously no bright and branch or Kirby Joseph for this one. They're on a short term injured reserve. So it's a vauntay Maddox and Chuck Clark, I believe if I had to pick one this week, it would be Maddox who should be designated as a cornerback in most platforms. And he should get the more ideal deployment in that kind of Brian branch role. So he's a little risky because we haven't seen him in this role before. But I'm not overly concerned about him if you want to use him as a cornerback. All right, onto Buffalo and Houston. Next, the bills linebackers. Let's start there because Terrell Bernard looks like he'll be healthy and available. Making him kind of the clear top option here and a finer fine start in most formats. The second spot is the one that for now, I think we should avoid. I was looking at Caleb E. Larm's or as kind of the obvious leader for that LB2 spot. But the final game of the preseason, Sardorian Williams get the day off while KEO played with the backups. So this is kind of an opportunity for us to get more concrete information and there's

24:12no real reason to force a play here if we can avoid it. So I'd be fine just letting this one simmer for a week until we get that information. defensive line is a little interesting here for the bills because the Texans offensive line is still not great. Though CJ Stroud was at least better last year at not letting pressures turn into sacks as much as he did in 2024, for example, where he was going to kill down there. But again, this is an offensive line with weaknesses. So Greg Russo, Bradley Chubb, Ed Oliver are all playable in like different formats. Russo more for the larger range of leagues and then Oliver for like DT required and then Chubb for more deeper formats at DB for Buffalo, Cole Bishop and Choncy Gardner Johnson should be solid starts in this matchup. Both of their roles should be safe. They're both like safety three options for me and IDP right now. So not necessarily top plays or must plays. But again, it's DB and I think the playing time is there that could let this be a good week, a week, good week for either player really. And then in CB required leagues, I wouldn't mind sweet D offered in this spot.

25:13The Texans were among the more 11 personnel heavy offenses last season and they should be again this year. So that would be ideal for a nickel corner like Alfred to get more playing time. And he was a really effective tackler last year. So hoping that translates to his role now in Buffalo in Houston. We'll start with their defensive line. We're starting Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter. It's not the best matchup. The bill's offensive line. Like it really isn't going to make things easy for them, but we didn't spend top draft capital on Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter just to park these guys on the bench in week one, right? Like if they don't have these massive weeks right out the gate, don't panic. But as always, we play the elite defensive lineman for their elite ceilings. And if we don't play them, that risk of missing out on that ceiling just becomes more detrimental than the risk of them putting up a dud week, right? So yeah, the bills offensive line is really good. Josh Allen isn't unsackable at the very least. So I'm definitely playing these guys linebacker Aziz al-Shayir and Henry to Oto O both should be in every down rolls here or at least very close to it for hanky to toes.

26:18Both have the potential, I think, to over or under delivered to the norm compared to like the rest of the every down linebackers. I tend to lean to them under delivering a bit, which is why they're more in that kind of LB three to four range of the ranks. But I'm open to being surprised here. I'd play Aziz al-Shayir over h2o if given the choice, but both should be solid here. And then a defensive back, it's really jalen Petri and Kamari Lasseter that I'm interested in for week one. Petri should be in, I would say most lineups and then Lasseter remains kind of a solid play for CB required leagues where he's at least facing a really good offense and should get some action. But that's really it for week one. Okay, Baltimore and Indianapolis is next. Let's start with the Ravens defensive backs. We know Kyle Hamilton is going to start for us. He should get work in the slot around the line of scrimmage. And if that holds offence is decent, then there's work for him to be had there. Then we got the the glizzy gobler, Marlon Humphrey, as Johnny the Greek likes to refer to him. He's the other option that I like in this one. Humphrey is going to get his targets, but he's also a decent enough tackler that I think

27:21again, if this holds offence is above average, as they were last year under Daniel Jones, then we could get some nice CB required production there. At linebacker for the Ravens, we're starting real one Smith. He'll get his work. You don't need analysis from me to tell you to start real one Smith this week. He's going to see his fair share of Jonathan Taylor. That's for sure. The other linebacker spot is really just for deeper leagues though, right? Whether it's Teddy Buchanan, if he's ready in time to get the start, that's kind of unclear just yet. Honestly, I'd probably feel better about this LB2 spot this week. Buchanan wasn't active because then Trenton Simpson would be in that spot. He'd get probably the safer workload without anyone breathing down his neck for playing time, if that makes sense, right? If Buchanan is active, then there's at least some chance that the team eases him in since he's been recovering from a torn ACL off season and hasn't seen any game action since barely any practice time too. If Buchanan is active, then maybe they split some time between him and Trenton Simpson, which would have me waiting on this spot for the most part.

28:24Once I see the snaps and how they shake out, then I'd be okay adjusting from there. If Buchanan is active, I'd rank Simpson higher in the ranks than where I currently have Teddy Buchanan in that LB58 at the moment, if that makes sense. Then a defensive line. We get to see Trey Hendrickson as a Baltimore Raven for the first time. It's not an easy matchup since the Colts arguably have a top five offensive line. Daniel Jones was pretty good at avoiding SACs last year for the most part. I don't think I'd be benching Hendo in most leagues. He's still a high end edge two for me because of that SAC upside. After Hendrickson, I think I'd maybe have Namdi Mattabique as a low end DT2 if he plays because he's coming off a serious neck surgery and he could be eased in. Then it's an edge two battle between Mike Green and Tavius Robinson. It seems like Robinson is the team's preferred option, which is always a bummer for us, my Green believers. Deep leagues can maybe squeeze some value out of Robinson in more ideal matchups than this one, but we'll keep monitoring to see if Green can work his way back up the depth chart.

29:28All right, moving on to the Colts now. We'll start at their linebacker. We kind of have to start at linebacker because what a shit show this is set up to be. All because CJ Allen really missed enough time in training camp to lose kind of that front runner status as the team's green dot linebacker. Because of that, what we've heard from camp and what we saw in the preseason is that there appears to be a very heavy rotation among this linebacker core with the King Davis Gator, likely the safest bet of the group, though, even then I'm not fully ready to trust him as we only saw him for I think one defensive series in the preseason. If you can afford to avoid this linebacker core for now, I would, Davis Gator, I think would be the option that it feel best about if you have to start someone from this group. But again, he's like, LB 45 somewhere around there. So there's a lot of other linebackers that I'd start over him this week. Ideally, over time, we'll see Allen get a full time role as the year goes on. But until then, I think we'll need to be patient here to avoid really kind of a very low

30:31floor. I think Jalen Carly's is probably the other option here. But again, he'll likely be rotated as well. And I'd only feel okay about starting him in deeper leagues and where you can play him as a defensive back. So sleeper specifically still makes zero sense whatsoever because sleeper doesn't care about IDP. But I take advantage of it if you can and while you can, I guess a defensive line for the Colts de Forrest Buckner and Lyotto, Lock 2 are the guys. I'm noticing now that this PFF depth chart doesn't even have a lot to as a starter, which is truly insane. But that's what happens when the company's priorities revolve around cutting corners, I guess. Anyways, we'll definitely have better graphics next week. And definitely, Lyotto is a starter and a quality starting option for IDP because the Mar Jackson is a very sackable quarterback. He will hold onto the ball and look to make plays. It's not easy to bring him down, but he does allow for opportunities for Sacks because of his willingness to hold the ball, which is great for Lotto and Buckner specifically

31:34and they should be in most starting lineups. Buckner is going to be in all DT required lineups and then Lotto is a high end edge too for me. I defense a back, AJ Halsey is a little banged up already. It seems so I think his weak one status is a bit of a concern, but if he's healthy and back practicing, I definitely feel better about him in lineups. He should be the one to get the better usage, specifically playing that old Nick Crossroll that led to him being the IDP safety one last year. Halsey definitely has the potential for IDP. So if he's healthy, I'd play him. I'll be watching to see Kim Bynum's usage as he's expected to wear the green dot at least for now. So whether that moves in close to the closer to the line of scrimmage or not will be interesting as well. But yeah, if Halsey doesn't play that I think Hunter Wooler would be a potential streaming option in a good spot for those deeper leagues. And then at corner, I don't think I'd be putting Justin Wally into lineups here against the Ravens just yet mostly because the Ravens aren't likely to play enough 11 personnel to keep that Nickel defender on the field enough.

32:35So Baltimore was again, one of the I think dead last actually in 11 personnel rate last season at just 30%. So if that holds, we'll be avoiding most Nickel defenders against them and Wally is a hold on the bench for now in week one. All right. And Jacksonville next, the Browns defensive line, I like Jared Verne, Jared Verne this week, but that's probably about hit here in week one Mason Graham in deep DT required leagues is an option and a player I think should improve this season. But only for those deeper DT required formats right now, I'm mostly just looking at Verne as an option here. In what should at least be a good matchup? I don't think Jacksonville's offensive line is going to be all that great and we're waiting on that big year three leap from verse as an IDP. So that should start off on the right foot as he looks to kind of make an impact here for his new team. At linebacker, Carson Chouestiger is going to be in lineups, don't need to question him and he'll be a top play most weeks if he plays like he did as a rookie. Quincy Williams is going to be I think the deeper league option for now, not that I don't

33:37think his playing time is a concern. It should be pretty close to an every down role. And we saw Devon Bush find a lot of success last season. So we'll see if Quincy can kind of bounce back. He's been a very ineffective tackler for the most part. So he'll need to buck that trend to be more than just an LB3 this season. But I think a fine play for week one in deep performance at defensive back. It's Grant Delpitt and Ronnie Harrison. Don't expect to see much a manual McNeil Warren in week one. I don't hate Miles Hardin as a CB required option against this Jags offense that should play a decent amount of 11 personnel and Tyson Campbell as well. Should be a fine option here. So both of those guys I don't mind in CB required things moving on to Jacksonville. We'll start with their defensive line because the Browns have what a bottom of the league offensive line and a Sean Watson at quarterback. Right. What can go wrong? Well, I'll tell you what could go right, which is that we should be able to start our defensive linemen against them with confidence and Josh Heinz Allen and Trevon Walker are definitely

34:39in play this week. I think I have Josh Heinz Allen as DL six overall for week one. So really like his potential to kick off the season in a big way in a great matchup. And then Trevon Walker, I think makes for a solid edge tube candidate this week. But I don't know that I trust the rest of the Jags defensive line for the most part. So to really be considering them outside of just the deepest leagues in week one at linebacker. We're only starting for a in week one. We know there's a battle for LB two there between Ventral Miller and Branson calms. But we don't have enough clear data from the crazies and to really trust one over the other right now. I'm really hoping you guys can just avoid this one. And once we have more data after this week, we can go from there. So just for a little con for week one. And then a defensive back Travis Hunter for sure. What else needs to be said? We've gassed up Lisa and I'll guide enough this off season and we're that we're not not putting him in our week one line ups where it makes sense. After Travis Hunter, I like Jordan Lewis as I can see be two.

35:40The safety is I'm not crazy about Antonio Johnson Eric Murray, but they're fine if we need just full time starting safety. Okay, a couple more one o'clock games to cover. It's a full slate ladies and gents. So the next one is Atlanta and Pittsburgh starting with Atlanta's linebackers. Divine Diablo should be the only one that we trust in week one. He's the green dot. They'll be the safest bet for playing time because I'm really kind of expecting a rotation in those LB in that LB two spot between the rookies Kendall Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. I still think Daniels should be a stash where you can afford to hold him because if something happens to Diablo, then Daniels would be the green dot and Diablo's look, he's missing time would not be completely unexpected. So there's upside there for having Kendall Daniels as a stash right now. And if that rotation turns out to kind of favor him as well by like a decent amount, then we could potentially be using him as a starter in deeper formats in the meantime. Week one, let's just make sure to avoid the I think the non Diablo options right now at

36:42defensive back Xavier Watts, one of Gary Davenport's guys from this off season. He'll be a solid safety to for me in the ranks. Jesse Bates I have more in the safety three range that could definitely flip flop coming out of this week and both of them are really solid starts either way. But for now, that's just kind of how I'm treating them. I'll also be really interested in Billy Bowman Jr. If he's ready for week one or not, he didn't land on the pup. So that was a good sign, but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be good for week one. I think I'd probably chill on any of like the non safeties for Atlanta this week, since we don't know if this new coaching staff will deviate a deviate a ton from like the Steelers lack of 11 personnel last year. I think it'll definitely be better than what it was last year. But this is another situation where if Billy Bowman Jr plays, maybe they ease him in any way. So if he doesn't play, then we probably see I think Avion Terrell in that nickel spot. But we'll target that position more, I think for future matchups than this one in particular.

37:43And then Atlanta's defensive line. Man, that falcons defensive line. I mean, Samson, have you came if you have to, but like everyone else is just not an option for week one. There's no one good enough here to be excited about. And the matchup is an ideal either. So why would we mess with this group like they're back to being the falcons NPCs just a bunch of non playable characters that we can mostly ignore until they give us any real reason to pay attention to them for the Steelers starting with their defensive line, TJ Watt, Alex Heismeth are both going to be starters for us pretty much any week with their healthy and active. The fact that they draw matchup against to a tongue of I lower this week is even better. Because Michael Pennicks Jr for you know, all his flaws was actually good at avoiding sacks. Well, toa, well, but there's a reason he's like one conkey away from retirement. So as IDP managers, we should be hoping that toa kind of holds the starting spot for as long as possible because it's better for our past rushers. And this week we get a pretty damn good past rush to start against him right with the Steelers.

38:45Like even Nick Herbig for deeper leagues, I don't mind as a low end edge three this week, even without knowing how good his snap share will be. It's more about the matchup than anything. And then cam Hayward would be like the top option for DT required leagues for me. I have hopes that we'll see a Keanu Benton leap this season, but doesn't mean I'm willing to start him week one for now. Okay, at linebacker Patrick Princess, Patrick Queen remains an LB3 option. I know that there's hope for a better season under Patrick Graham, like what we saw with Devon White last year. But until we actually see that, consider me a skeptic. I'll keep him in this range for now. The other hope from from the Steelers linebacker core is that Peyton Wilson finally gets like a steady LB2 role that is close to an every damn workload. But again, until we actually see it, it's only hope for now. Since Graham hasn't deployed two full time linebackers before. And we've seen Peyton Wilson get cocked before despite being a more effective IDP than Patrick Queen. So we just can't have nice things.

39:46So I'm fully prepared for my hopes to be crushed here, which is why like Peyton Wilson comes in as I think it's LB47 for me in week one. I'm really hoping I can move him up with some good encouraging usage after this week at defensive back. No dish on Elliott speaking of hopes being crushed. So it'll be just one brisker as the best defensive back IDP option. I like him as a quite a bit actually as like a DB fringe DB one DB two. I think there's potential there with him, but not really overly interested in the rest. Since two is probably not going to give these corners much to work with. If I had to guess I could be wrong, but no point in betting on that for week one. All right, Jets and Titans next. Yeah, not the most like what, you know, what if this is like a secret banger, at least for IDP, right? Like I'm not going to lie, I kind of interested to see how this one shakes out. Like there's enough IDPs that I'm interested in this game to, I guess not ignore the Jets and the Titans, but let's start with the Jets defensive line. And the interest for me on this line, it's got to start with David Bailey, right?

40:49Who is obviously one of the more highly tired rookies in this class. He was drafted second overall. There's high expectations there. And usually I'm setting expectations relatively low for rookie defensive lineman. Like I'm always kind of tempering. And that includes David Bailey. But I think at least to start the year for week one, there's a really nice matchup for him to kick things off on the right foot. Like he's going up against the Tennessee Titans, who were one of the best pass rush matchups in the league in 2025, due to cam ward again, owning one of the higher pressure to second version rates in the league. And behind one of the league's worst pass blocking units. And that offensive line, it didn't really receive any significant improvements this off season, which could really cause war to struggle under pressure again. And ultimately just keep this as a great pass rush matchup this year. So Bailey, definitely one of the more refined pass rushers in this class. I don't think it would be a surprise to see him get off to a good start in week one. So I have him as kind of a solid edge to in lineups right now.

41:51And then to Vandrey sweat comes into play as like a DT2 option. And then I'm really kind of shooting for upside as a potential streamer after that. It would probably be Will McDonald's as an option. I don't think Will McDonald's will be a great option most weeks. But when the matchup is really good, I think we can lean on him for upside where needed. And then the tendency is one of the more boom bus options at the position. And the fact that he's playing behind Kingsley and Iqbara, it seems as well. We're really only kind of looking at him as a potential streaming option. And you know, the the non David Bailey's really are all streaming options on this jet defensive line right now. At linebacker, we've got tomorrow, your Davis and Jamie, sure what to choose from both solid options. Though I wouldn't be surprised to see Tennessee not exactly be the most linebacker tackle friendly offense. But both should play decent size roles. Davis played every snap and and sure would should play be close to it. Like this should be I think a good sample to look at Jamie and sure what's playing time in this jet defense to see if he loses any snaps in certain packages.

42:54Or if I'm just acting paranoid again, we'll see a defense a back. Make up its Patrick. Yes, Jane Belton. Yes, both can be starters for us with Belton probably offering more potentially more tackle upside. But I think Minka is likely to say for bet here at least for week one. I'm mostly not going to play any corners in this match up just yet because I want to see how Tennessee's offense looks. Not just if they get any better, but also they were the most 11 personnel heavy offense in the league last season, which was a positive for nickel defenders. But a new coaching staff this year could really change that dramatically. So Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Their projected slot. He'll only be a deep CB required league option for me this week. And then we can kind of adjust going forward. All right, let's move on to the Titans. Now we'll start with their defensive line actually because Dermain Johnson, who was on the other side of this jets Titans matchup will be facing his former team for the first time and probably draws a positive pass rush matchup. Johnson is maybe a bit riskier than David Bailey, like despite being a former first round pick.

43:56He's not going to be as widely rostered just because he has like this history of kind of injuries and lackluster play. But I think he's shown enough flashes to be considered as a potential streamer this year in certain matchups. And if healthy, I think could eventually become like a consistent player in our lineup. So he's going against again, his former team and Geno Smith, who owned one of the worst pressure to second version rates in the league last year. So kind of an enticing prospect at least for sack potential for week one, he'd be streaming candidate for me, German Johnson. Everybody else in Tennessee. I mean, obviously we're starting Jeffrey Simmons. There's no real question about that. The rest I'd kind of wait and see on at linebacker. Unfortunately, Cedric DeGrey suffered a concussion due to a UTV incident that has now placed him in the NFL's concussion protocol. This means he's probably unlikely to play in week one. What I did was I took him out of the week one IDP rankings. I don't think it's worth kind of hedging and waiting to the last minute to see if he's going to play or not.

44:56It's it's week one. If another injury happens, like there's still probably every down linebackers on the waiver wire right now. If another injury happens to another linebacker, there's going to be a run where guys are scooping those players up. Right. So I want people to get a replacement now because the chances of him playing this week are very, very low. Get yourself an every down waiver wire replacement. Now you can still hold Cedric Gray. And if he magically somehow is able to play this week, then yeah, you put him back in the lineup. You don't really need my rankings to tell you that. But I think just make sure you have a replacement ready. Just even if you are waiting into the last minute, I want to make sure everybody gets those every down players while they're still available. If we're looking at a potential in team replacement, it seems that it'll be James Williams. That's how it looked in the preseason at least with Anthony Hill kind of serving as Cody Barton's backup. And then Williams just getting more work with the starters, including as an LB3 in base packages.

45:56I'm not getting too excited about Williams. I already had questions about Cedric Gray's role this year. So I wouldn't be surprised to see maybe even a potential rotation with Anthony Hill here. I would really only be playing James Williams in deeper leagues. I think he might still have DB eligibility on sleeper. If he does, that makes him a little bit more enticing, but he's not going to be a high end option for me. I think there's enough question marks about how Tennessee is going to deploy their LB2 that is not Cody Barton. This here just to kind of hold on week one. So definitely not going to be cracking probably even the top 50 for me this week, just as we kind of wait and see. So I'd be looking elsewhere for a potential Cedric Gray replacement. Okay, at DB, we'll also have some points of interest to watch this week. As we're going to be targeting Gus Bradley strong safety, pretty heavily this season, whether that's who we think slash hope it will be in Kevin Winston Jr. or if it's the surprise candidate, Amani Hooker. I'm still starting Winston since I think he can be productive regardless of deployment, but he definitely go from like a DB to to a DB one on a weekly basis.

46:59If we see that prime usage, uh, and Alante Taylor is the top 10 cornerback IDP option for me right now until we really see otherwise. Okay, now it's time to move on to the 4 p.m. game starting with the Cardinals and the chargers starting with the Cardinals linebackers. Um, Mac Wilson is going to be the play in most formats. Jack Gibbons for deeper formats. We should not be playing Cody Simon in this one. I only say that because there might be a lot of IDP gamers for last year that relied on Simon and expect kind of more of the same, but he is not a starter right now. And he's currently behind Jack Gibbons on the depth chart from what we saw in the preseason. So this would also not be an every damn role for Gibbons or Simon. So deeply, deeply, only for for Jack Gibbons. Uh, Mac Wilson is a solid option as the green dot where you need him at defensive back. Buddha Baker is going to be in most lineups. This we know the other spot is Andrew Wingard taking over for Jalen Thompson. Unfortunately, not that Dadre on Taylor Demerson. So we'll have to wait even longer for daddy TD to be back on IDP radars.

48:00But right now we should avoid him. Wingard can be fine in the meantime. The corners could be fine since Justin Herbert obviously can sling it, but this is also still expected to be probably a pretty run heavy offense if they can. So I don't think the Cardinals have any guys that we must be starting at corner if that makes sense. At least this week at defensive line Josh sweat is okay here. The chargers, uh, they do at least appear to be healthy at offensive tackle for now. So that's a big upgrade from last year for them. And it doesn't really bode well for our edd rushers against them. So sweat is more of an edge three for me this week. Walter Nolan, I know everyone gets excited about Walter Nolan. He's currently healthy and I know we're all hopeful that he can maintain and or build on his IDP production from last season. So if you have him, I'd be fine treating him as a low end DT one this week because I don't want to damper anyone's excitement for him too much. And that interior of the Chargers offensive line is really going to be its weakness.

49:00So let's put him out there, see what he can do and then we'll adjust from there for the chargers. Let's start with their linebackers. It should be Dianne Henley. The easy only one that we're starting in week one. Like if you want to get ahead of things in deeper leagues as a potential like early waiver claim then Troy Dianne makes sense. Denzel Paramann is on IR. Junior Colson has been air locked into oblivion. And then who knows if he'll ever reemerge. So it's really just Troy died that could be the LB2 here. I think what ultimately end up happening is probably being some nasty rotation with Delshon Phillips and then maybe Marlow Max. Marlow, Marlow wax as well kind of mixed in. So I'm not exactly championing it a bit to get any of the non-Henley linebacker options in my line up this week. So we'll just hope for a more efficient season for Mr. Henley than what we got last year. At defensive line, Tule is in play for sure. Koleal Mack also in play. These are really the two right now. Like I'm somewhat curious to see if a key mezzador cuts into Max Snapshare as the season goes on. Just considering that Mack is getting much older and the team spent

50:04a first to grab mezzi. But I'm not expecting that to start in week one. So I'd be happy with Koleal Mack in like non-shallow leagues and then Tule has like an edge two option this week. At defensive back, it's Darwin James. That's really it. Elijah Moldin will be the other safety with Tony Jefferson coming in on certain packages. But out of the corners and safeties for this team for week one, it's really just Darwin for me here. If we see anything encouraging for anyone else, we can consider them in future weeks. Okay, on to Miami and Las Vegas next. We're going to start with Miami's linebackers. We're starting Jordan Brooks and Jacob the Rockfather Rodriguez. Both are going to be in every damn roles. Both should be high end IDPs. I'm hoping we get a really nice start with Rodriguez. Unless you're like completely stacked at linebacker, he's going to be in pretty much every lineup in my opinion. I have Brooks as the LB3 overall and the Rockfather as LB12 overall. I'm excited. I'm hoping we hit a really nice start. But even if it's just like a fine IDP game, I'm not worried. Chwessinger, Carson Chwessinger had a really slow start last year as well if you

51:08remember. And we have a full season of games with Rodriguez as the Green Dot to be excited about. So LFG on this one at defensive back. Man, I'm waiting to see at safety. I'm not starting Dante Trader since the preseason seemingly seemed to push him behind Michael Tafe and Zane Anderson. Whether that was preseason, shenanigans or not, I'm not willing to make like a clear proclamation. So for week one, just avoid this group and then we'll adjust coming out because Kyle Lewis has also been moved to officially as a safety on Miami's Dept chart. So there's going to be some shenanigans there. I want to just wait and see at cornerback. I do feel pretty decent about Chris Johnson in CB required leagues. What we saw in the preseason was ideal usage that put him as the team's primary nickel corner and he stayed on the field in non-nickel packages with the starters, which is exactly the usage that we should be targeting for our CD required formats. So

52:10CJ not 2k has a chance to cook here, although CJ not 2k probably not the most flattering nicknames. CJ 2slay. No, oh, I'll keep workshopping. I apologize. Let's move on at defensive line at chop Robinson and Zach Sealer are the best options. It's a good enough matchup that I'd like to see the potential for an encouraging kind of year three start for for for chop. Get off to a good start here for a good in a good matchup. He's still more of an edge three for me. I've really thrown myself off with CJ 2slay. Just brutal. Yeah, but yeah, chop Robinson more of an edge three for me at least until we actually see it, but we could get a fine start here. We'll see and then Sealer more of a a DT2 and then Josh Uj if you're desperate for the Raiders defensive line is really easy. It's Max Crosby and we should get a good match up here against the Dolphin's offensive line and Malik Willis. I've got maximum Crosby as VL4 this week. After him, it's like Quitty Pay if you want to stream

53:13anyone. At linebacker, I'm starting both to Kobe Dean and Quay Walker. Dean is the dot Quaker should still play a near every down roll though. So they're both solid starters and they should be most weeks. Jeremy Chin at defensive back is in the other starting bot for us for the Raiders. The other starting safety for the Raiders should be trade in Stukes. I think we talked about it in the preseason week three takeaways, but Stukes is the projected starter now ahead of Isaiah Pullemau. It seems like Stukes will get some decent usage or at least better usage than what we saw from Pullemau when he was the starter because Stukes can play in the slot and he operates as Toron Johnson's direct backup for that nickel spot. So I'll be curious to see how that usage shakes out and if it affects Toron Johnson at all. I don't think it will. I think Johnson will be a fine CB required starter here, but also we don't know exactly what kind of offense Jeff Hathley and company are going to run here for Miami. So I think I'd be surprised if they were like super heavy 11 personnel given the lack of wide receivers they have, but we'll see. I have Johnson

54:15as a low NCB2 this week at least for now. Okay, moving on to Green Bay and Minnesota. Let's talk about the Packers linebackers first because I think there's a question, you know, whether a change of scenery will allow for Zaire Franklin to bounce back to his former LB1 self or will he kind of be continuing to be mid like last year. And then also what will Edgerton Cooper's role look like as the LB2? Will he get different usage? Will he come off the field at all since Franklin is wearing the dot? And then can he to bounce back to what we saw production wise in his first season? So I'm glad this one is in the 4 p.m. Windows. I can watch it a little closer, but for now I'm fine starting both of those guys in weekly lineups here at defensive line for the pack. Man, it's rough right now. No micaparstance at least for the first four weeks. Lucas Van Ness has been mid AF so far in his career, but he should play a lot and maybe falls into production as a result, but I really hope we have better options this week. Sorry Packers fans. I just don't love this one.

55:19We'll adjust from here, but at defensive back. I like the Packers defensive backs more. So there's that Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams are really solid options. Javon Bullard isn't a nice spot in the slot because Kevin O'Connell's offense on the other side should play decent amount of 11 personnel, especially with guys like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Anderson, Javon Jennings as the top three healthy options there. So we could get some decent production out of Bullard in a pinch. I think Keisha Nixon as well for CB required leagues should be in a nice spot here with this matchup. Nixon is mostly playing as a boundary corner right now, but that Minnesota offense should generate enough for him to stay in our lineups in CB required leagues. Okay, Minnesota and their defensive line, it is episode one of Dallas Turner's breakout season. It starts here because this Packers offensive line at least on paper. Who knows if they'll get better, but right now like that O line is about disconcerning as the defensive line. So Packers in the trenches has me concerned, but that could be a good thing for our pass rushers on the opposite side. So I'm mostly excited about Dallas Turner here,

56:23though I know this is also a good thing for Andrew Vinginkel. I'm still like a skeptic overall about AVG, but this is a good matchup and you know, it could be a good week here to you know, start strong and just make my face takes about him look bad early. But yeah, both of these guys should be in a nice spot this week. At linebacker, like the cashman is in. He's a high end LB1 for me. Like cashman is and Eric Wilson should also be a solid play as more of kind of an LB3. You'll notice guys like for the most part, how we drafted these guys is how we should be trading them and starting lineups for week one. Once we get the data to say otherwise, beyond these first couple of weeks of the season, then we can adjust and switch it up. So as long as there's nothing major to react to, we don't have to overreact to even anything we see in week one. Just trust how you drafted these guys. And again, as long as there's not a huge data point to react to, that we can mostly stick with it until we see a bit of a larger sample size. Okay, DB is going to be interested, interesting here for the Minnesota

57:23Vikings because Harrison Smith came back to Minnesota after sitting out all of training camp and seemingly contemplating retirement. I don't know what his workload will look like in week one, but I don't think we need to force him into any lineups right now. I mostly just stick with Josh Mattelis and Byron Murphy Jr. for like CB-repart leagues, at least to start this week. Okay, the NFC East time block starts here with Washington V Philly as our last 4pm game up first, starting with the commander's linebackers because I don't like how this one is shaping up at least to start the year. And I wrote about this one in the rankings article because I really just want to see the usage for sunny styles before I really feel comfortable about having him in starting lineups. Like there have already been reports out of the commander's training camp that the green dot for this defense will likely be a rotating role between Frankie Luvu and sunny styles. That gives me enough reason to believe that both players will be coming off the field in certain packages to make way for the other to wear the dot. The same goes for Leo Chanel, by the way, who will likely be rotating in base

58:27packages and not seeing every down roll either. So right now I've got all three lower in the ranks then they potentially could be this season going further if things go well. But if they go as we expect with this shit rotation, then yeah, this is about the range like LB4 to 5 for me. And like I said in the article, I really hope this is the only time this season that I actually ranked Cody Barton ahead of sunny styles because we at least know that Barton will be the green dot in Tennessee and is safe a safe bet for snaps at the very least. Otherwise, Dan Quinn will definitely be getting an invoice from my future therapist. All right, at DB, we're starting to cross that one we at least don't have to be afraid of. He should get a nice roll again, coast of the line of scrimmage and he's coming off a safety one overall IDP season. The other safety will be Jeremy Reeves who can be a fine option for deeper formats. And then Mike Sanderson is the preferred CB require option though he's more in that kind of CB2 range for me this week. The Washington defensive line, I think is mostly going to be Odafe away from me in week one. Doran's arms strong might join that

59:30potential once he's back from suspension after this week, but probably won't be a high end option. So really just looking at away as an edge three here in a tougher matchup against the Eagles. And speaking of the Eagles, let's talk about them next and their defensive line, which should be in a much better matchup because the commander's O line is in a tough spot without Jeremy Tonsil. So I'd expect Jane Daniels to be under pressure quite a bit this season. For me, it's Jonathan Grinard first from this group, though I'm not expecting like a massive week from him since he's coming off injury as well. And then after Grinard, it's Jalen Carter for DT required formats. And then it's between Jalex Hunt and Nolan Smith. I'd expect an even-ish rotation between the two, but we'll see their solid streaming options in a good matchup this week. At linebacker, Zach Bonn and G-Hod Campbell are safe starting options for the most part. I think there's red flags for both of these guys that keeps them probably out of like true LB1 territory, but we'll see how they do this week. I think the both play full-time roles. So at the very least, they have that upside to

1:00:32outperform expectations or under deliver compared to their peers. We'll see how things go week one. I have Bonn as I think in LB2. Campbell is like a friend. I'll be three LB4. All right. And then defensive back. Cooper Dijin is the top option. After that, there's nobody really exciting. Like Dijin is a DB1 option in all formats, really, especially in CB required leagues. Andrew McCuba is like fine for deeper leagues, I think, but yeah, not excited. So just a Dijin play until someone else emerges alongside him. And then the other half of the NFC East Block takes us to Sunday night football where surprise, surprise. The NFL has decided to showcase the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. So let's start with the Dallas linebackers where the top option for me is Demarvian Overshone and then it's D Winters. I think, and I say I think because we didn't get any indication in the preseason, but I think we'll get two full-time guys here. I certainly feel better about Overshone now that he's healthy compared to Winters who was awful as attacker last year,

1:01:33but maybe he can get better in a new system. We'll see, or maybe we see Jason Barham rotating in as well. I think Barham is very clearly the LB3 right now. And if we see him get enough playing time in week one, then maybe he's an option for us in deeper formats going forward. For now, though, I don't think there's any reason to be putting Barham in lineups until we know for sure. At DB for the Cowboys, Caleb Downs is expected to be the team's nickel defender. And if he stays on the field in non-nickel packages, then he's going to cook for any P like ideally, that's what we'll see early on. But I wouldn't be surprised if he comes off the field on occasion. At least early in the season, we saw that with Nick Mnwari last year, Kevin Winston as well. We saw with Kyle Hamilton and his rookie year, both like all of those guys started in slightly smaller roles, but then they became inevitable and saw their snapsures increase after that. So I wouldn't be surprised if that's the starting route for Downs. I still like him enough to have him like as a low-end DB2. And then

1:02:33Jalen Thompson in a kind of similar range. And then Doron Bland is more of like a CB2. Those are the guys that I'm rolling with for the Cowboys DBs right now. On the defensive line, I still like Quinten Williams for DT required leagues. I think he can be good here against the Giants offensive line and Jackson Dart. Roshan Gary would be probably my preferred edge bet for the Cowboys. I just think he's the safest bet for playing time heading into week one while we might see Donovan Ezorakwu and Malachi Lawrence among others kind of rotate a little bit more. Doesn't mean they can't be productive, but it does make them a little riskier as all. So for that first week, I'd feel best if we stuck with Quinten and Roshan Gary. On the Giants defensive line, we've got strong options. Not an ideal matchup. The Cowboys offensive line is probably average, but Dac did a really nice job last year not letting pressures turn into sacks. But I would have a really hard time benching top tier talent like Brian Burns and Abdul Carter this week. We definitely bet on the talent still in cases like this and we'll probably have no real matchups where we're benching

1:03:35these guys anyways. So Abdul Carter, Brian Burns are in starting lineups. Kave on Tibito is probably one. I don't love in this matchup just because he's kind of third in that pecking order and not really sure that will change much this season. So in a slightly tougher matchup, I'm not as excited about Tibito. At linebacker, we'll roll with Tremaine Edmonds and even our Val Race should have a pretty safe roll. Edmonds is going to be a starter in most formats while Reese comes in as more of like an LB3 just until we see what that usage will be. I tend to think he'll get some work playing on the edge and rushing the passer, which as always, it creates upside, but at the same time, it lowers that tackle floor. So if that usage is there, then he'll live in this kind of more full-time boom bust territory at the linebacker position. But if not, then we could potentially move him up. I know he recently got DL eligibility on sleeper as well. He'd be locked in DL2 for me if you could put him into that spot. So that's nice to have as well. And then there's the DBs. The giants have several legit IDP DB option, but there's one I'm most intrigued by slash worried about.

1:04:41And that's Tyler Nubin. I talked about it a fair bit during those preseason recap videos, but Nubin had a really bizarre preseason. And it often suggests that the coaching staff was not sold on his spot in the starting lineup. He often played with the backups. He even rotated with Jason Pinock in our deris Washington at times. The team was seemingly testing out other candidates to start next to Javon Holland, basically. So I'm not excited about the giant safeties, but for Nubin specifically, who came with higher IDP expectations for this year and is obviously likely on more rosters, he'd be one that I would be benching for week one just to make sure there are no snap shenanigans that will have to navigate basically. And look, the position is just too deep to be taking unnecessary risks. And right now, Nubin at least feels like one of the potential week one risks. So keeping him out of lineups until we know for sure, for CB required leagues, I actually feel better about those guys. Paulson, a Dibo and Andrew Phillips specifically, because I think this

1:05:42is a nice matchup for them for a Dibo. He should get lots of action in the past and game. And then for Phillips, Dallas is likely going to play a decent amount of 11 personnel that he should stay on the field more this week. So I have the corners ranked a little higher than the safeties in New York this week, at least for now. If we see there are no concerns with Nubin's playing time, then we could put him back in that kind of startable territory. But if Harbaugh and company are still concerned about him, then we probably move on from Tyler Nubin. Okay, last game of week one Monday night football Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs. Let's start with Broncos linebackers. We get a Kingleton showcase game in prime time in week one. Can he get back to his Uber tackling ways and potentially get some positive regression in the big play department to be that LB1 again. I don't hate this matchup for him to kick off this 2026 season. So he's a mid-range LB2 for me this week. Justin Sternad is really a deep league option only not going to be an every down player and has a long history of inefficient tackling. So not overly pumped about him outside of very

1:06:43deep leagues. At DB, I have no reason to believe that Tellano who Fonga and Brandon Jones won't be weekly starting options for IDP this season. So they're both in that DB2 range for me this week until we see otherwise. Jekwan McMillian is a fine nickel corner in the right matchups. But I don't love this matchup for him unless he's going to line up on Travis Kelsey a lot. Last year, we actually saw both outcomes. He had one game of 87% of snaps against the Chiefs and another of just 51% because the Chiefs don't use a lot of 11 personnel. So for me, McMillian is more of kind of a fringe CB2 CB3. I'd feel much better about Riley Moss in this one for sure. And then a defensive line, Zach Allen and Nick Benito should be in most lineups. My homes has been difficult to sack in the past, but these guys should get a lot of opportunities in this one and Allen stays as a DT1 for me. Well, Benito is like a fringe edge one edge two. After that, I'm not really interested in any of the Broncos defensive lineman for week one with Jonathan Cooper on the commissioner's exemplest.

1:07:45And then for Kansas City, it's, uh, look, it was a tough matchup for the Broncos defensive line, but arguably an even tougher one for the Chiefs as the Broncos have one of the best offensive lines in the league. And bonix was really, really good at not allowing pressures turn into sacks last year. So as much as I've been gassing up George Carloft as this off season, I worry about his week one potential at least. And I've got him as a low end edge to this week, still startable because of playing time and a potentially stronger floor. I just don't think the upside is there this week, potentially future weeks though. And then the same thing with Chris Jones, he's more of like a DT2 from me this week because of a core matchup. And even though he always has upside, the tougher matchup just really lowers that potential for me. At linebacker, I'm definitely good with Nick Bolton this week. No concerns there. And then Drew, Drew Trinkel would be the other option. I know he's missed a bunch of time in camp though. So not sure if he's confirmed for this game. If not, we might find some streaming potential with Jeffrey Bossa, but really only for like deep, deep Gen leaks.

1:08:46And then final position group of the final team of the final game of the first week. And it's a very interesting one at least the Chiefs defensive backs. Now, Jamari Conner might not be available for this one. And if not, then we should see Christian Roland Wallace play more safety. So if Conner does play, then I think what I'll be doing is avoiding Christian Roland Wallace because it's still not obvious enough between him and LaGeria Smede for who is going to play that slot role at least from what we saw in the preseason. So this week, I think will it will be important for that information in my opinion. And I just wouldn't f around with it too much. If Conner plays, I'll probably start him. If Conner doesn't play, then I'll feel better about Roland Wallace and potentially start him in those CBR requirements. But for now, let's at least wait until we get more info. Cool. Cool. Because that will be a wrap for week one's IDP start sit show and a wrap on episode 500 of the IDP show. So shout out to

1:09:49Josh, Bobby and Adam who obviously handled the large majority of those episodes. Congratulations to those guys for reaching 500 podcasts in the IDP show channel. Very exciting stuff for them and plenty more still to come on the channel. So make sure you're locked in. I will be linking the IDP rankings article in the episode description. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section. Just don't forget to like and subscribe as well. I'd greatly appreciate that and it would help me a ton as well. So thank you guys. I will be back recap recapping the top takeaways from week one Sunday night slash Monday morning. But until then good luck in week one. At peace out.