Week 4 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2026) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

October 1, 2026

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start 'em, sit 'em picks for individual defensive players.

Congratulations are due to Travis Hunter, a player many projected to lead all defenders in total fantasy points by a wide margin this season. The Heisman winner nabbed the first interception of his career in Week 3, which was a big milestone. Unfortunately, that one play also accounted for 34.1% of his total fantasy points this season … and it wasn’t even a pick-six.

Thankfully, Hunter remains in our DB2 tier this week because he has a plus matchup against the Bengals. If the Jaguars decide to use Hunter to shadow Ja'Marr Chase, a tactic they have yet to commit to, then the alleged “two-way-player” could stand to see a lot of volume. However, Hunter's long-term fantasy prospects remain truly concerning.

Hunter is the ninth-most-rostered DB in fantasy but is DB60 in standard IDP points. While his career-high defensive usage against the Patriots is encouraging, his offensive snaps remain in the single digits. Worse, his defensive production remains in line with shutdown corners like Patrick Surtain II. Thus, it is fair to wonder if Hunter is worth rostering in shallow leagues.

IDP Scoring System for Rankings

6 points per Defensive Touchdown

4 points per Forced Turnover (FF/INT)

3 points per Sack

2 points per PD, FR, Safety

1-point Solo Tackle

0.5 points per Assisted Tackle

Note: These rankings are also based on leagues that start one player at each defensive position (DL, LB, DB) and two DFLEX.

Final Note: Our projections include offensive stats and special teams touchdowns, which help elevate players like Travis Hunter and Marcus Jones.

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week

Lukas Van Ness, Green Bay Packers

After disappointing production in his first three years and speculation that Green Bay could pass on his fifth-year option this offseason, Lukas Van Ness is having a proper breakout season. He currently ranks first in ESPN’s pass rush win rate and is fifth at his position in standard IDP scoring.

To make matters even better, Van Ness now faces an undrafted rookie quarterback in Week 4 and an offensive line that has struggled to keep its passers upright or healthy. While Jalon Daniels is mobile, he is also raw and untested behind an offensive line that rates 24^th in pass block win rate this season.

DL Fade of the Week

Byron Young, Los Angeles Rams

It is hard to bench Young, given that he rates fourth among edge-rushers in pass rush win rate and has pressured the quarterback through three weeks. For that reason, he remains in our DL2 tier despite an incredibly tough matchup this week.

The Eagles offensive line is winning its pass sets at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL this year, and both of their offensive tackles are top 10 in pass block win rate this season. Worse, Philly is averaging the 20th-most pass attempts per game. While that number could spike against a strong Rams offense, the matchup is still concerning.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week

Arvell Reese, New York Giants

We covered why Reese is an intriguing waiver claim in our Week 4 IDP Waivers column, but the reasons merit repeating here.

Reese is proving to be a more adept and reliable run defender than many of us anticipated early in his career, as most of us viewed him to be best suited as a pass-rushing standup linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. Thankfully, Reese is showing he has the chops to start inside with a double-digit-tackle week in his third career start.

However, what makes Reese an even bigger riser for us this week is the prospect that Brian Burns’ injury could mean the rookie gets enough snaps on the edge to eventually qualify as a DL for fantasy. If Reese can give us steady LB2 numbers and eventually slot that production into our DL position, then he’s an easy riser.

LB Fade of the Week

Foyesade Oluokun, Jacksonville Jaguars

Those in deeper leagues should not consider dropping Oluokun, as his production and film keep him in the low-end LB2 tier this year. However, his name and past production are elevating his current usage and profile beyond what it deserves.

Oluokun is currently the ninth-most-rostered LB in fantasy, but he is LB38 in standard IDP points per game. Worse, those stats are elevated by an interception of Deshaun Watson that was thrown directly to the defender. Without that gimme big play from a bad quarterback, Oluokun is averaging a meager 4.5 standard IDP points per game.

While injuries and game script have hurt Oluokun’s fantasy value so far, this week’s contest against the Bengals projects to be pass-heavy and will again limit the safe plays he used to thrive on. It is hard to view him as a true LB1 right now, which is how IDP managers are rostering and using him.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week

Christian Benford, Buffalo Bills

Drake Maye will likely find his way out of his current struggles, but it is unlikely to happen against a Bills team sporting the second-best quarterback pressure rate and the sixth-most sacks in the NFL this season. New England’s struggles up front match poorly with Buffalo’s revamped pass rush, which is bad news for Maye.

To make matters worse, Maye currently sports the worst turnover-worthy play rate amongst all NFL quarterbacks. That, plus Buffalo’s ability to get pressure, should create opportunities for Benford, who is already averaging a strong 7.5 standard IDP points per game over the past two weeks.

DB Fade of the Week

Nick Emmanwori, Seattle Seahawks

This is not a long-term fade for Emmanwori, as we still believe he has the most fantasy upside of any defensive back in the NFL this year. However, he has struggled with injuries early in the season and has yet to see more than 52% of Seattle’s defensive snaps.

While it is risky to bench Emmanwori, knowing this could be the week he gets a full snap share and dominates an already struggling Chargers offense, it’s also hard to keep him as our DB1 overall until we see him play like that this year. Our top defender going into the season is not a surefire shallow league starter in Week 4, and that makes him a fade.

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