Week 10 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2025) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start 'em, sit 'em picks for individual defensive players.

Week 10 is a unique one when it comes to byes. At first glance, this week is not so painful. Unlike the massacre of Week 8 when six key teams were out, a manageable four squads are gone. Additionally, while the loss of the Cowboys, Bengals, and Chiefs is bad news for the offensive side of the ball, the defensive losses are minimal.

In fact, our weekly rankings will lose just 11 defenders from our regular top 150 starters. When you compare that to the 38 starters that we lost to byes in Week 8, losing 11 isn't so bad … but there's another side to this coin. Namely, you must consider the premium matchups we are losing with Cincinnati, Dallas, and Tennessee all on vacation.

The Cowboys and Bengals are both top three in pass attempts per game, while K.C. is eighth. Worse, the Titans allow the most sacks in the NFL, while the ‘Boys, Bengals, and Titans are all bottom 11 in pressures allowed. In other words, every offense on bye this week is one you would target with your fantasy DBs and DLs. That’s a significant but underappreciated loss.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

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 Assisted Tackle

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

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week

Jalon Walker, Atlanta Falcons

It was hard not to get excited while watching Walker against the New England Patriots. We were exceedingly high on the rookie all offseason, with the Georgia alum ranked fifth in my final NFL Draft prospect rankings this past spring. We hoped that the Falcons would deploy him as a hybrid every-down player, but they've been slow to do that.

Thankfully, we started to see Walker break through in terms of usage and results against the Patriots. Not only did he notch his first multi-sack game and his first forced fumble, but he logged a career high in snaps and run support opportunities while getting more freedom to roam the field. Plus, Atlanta is giving him more stunts, playing to his strength.

Dubbing Walker our Riser of the Week was tough because Jaelan Phillips' trade to Philadelphia earned him a big jump in our season-long projections. However, Walker was so impressive and the potential is so high that it was nearly impossible to ignore him.

DL Disappointment of the Week

Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints

Granderson started the year on a hot streak, totaling four sacks and 20 total tackles in his first four games. Unfortunately, the advanced metrics suggested that rate could not continue, and he’s proved them right. Granderson has just 5.5 total fantasy points across his past five games, despite premium matchups against the Bears and Rams.

Worse, Granderson has just seven total quarterback pressures and a negative pass-rush grade in his last four games. Now, he faces a Panthers offense that is 21^st in pass attempts per game on the season, but is averaging the third fewest over its past three games.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week

Drake Thomas, Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight was a popular IDP sleeper for many, though we were lower on him than consensus. It appears we were onto something there, as Drake Thomas stole Knight's starting job four weeks into the season. Since then, Thomas has been an underrated fantasy contributor.

While Thomas is not yet seeing 100% of the defensive snaps, his usage has risen to 80% or higher in each of his past three games. That rate could rise even higher if Ernest Jones IV is out with injury, forcing the already ascending Thomas into an even bigger role. That increased usage could drive Thomas toward the top of the LB2 tier.

Even if his usage rate does not rise, this North Carolina State alum is worth considering as an LB3 available in 97% of IDP leagues (just 1.5% fewer than Knight, who isn’t playing). Thomas is averaging a solid 8.4 fantasy points per game since becoming a starter, which would make him LB23 overall over a full season.

LB Disappointment of the Week

Kenneth Murray Jr., Dallas Cowboys

Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus likes to run a lot of 4-2-5 formations, meaning only two linebackers are on the field. This limits the opportunities for a third linebacker in any Cowboys rotation. That spells bad news for Murray Jr.

While Jack Sanborn is out with an injury and Murray has been playing 100% of the defensive snaps with Shemar James, that usage is unlikely to continue. The return of DeMarvion Overshown is just around the corner, with most reports optimistic that he will return after the bye.

On top of Overshown’s return and the ascension of the rookie James, Dallas just traded for Logan Wilson. While Wilson struggled this year with the Bengals, he is a former Pro Bowler and team captain who was added to improve a weakness. Wilson, James, and Overshown are likely to push Murray into irrelevance sooner rather than later.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week

Dane Belton, New York Giants (If Jevon Holland is Out)

Belton bares mentioning in this space not because he is a long-term asset, but because he is a DB2 in our rankings with a big qualifier. Namely, Belton is a surefire fantasy starter for us this week … unless the starter he has been subbing in for is back. If that happens, Belton likely becomes unusable this week.

Since Jevon Holland went down with an injury, Belton has averaged 7.8 fantasy points per game. He has thrived in situations where opponents lean on the run and a short-area passing game, which the Bears have employed in recent weeks. So, Belton is a low-end DB2 if Holland is out. However, Holland drives him to the bench when healthy.

DB Disappointment of the Week

Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles

Last week, we noted that DeJean's stock may be down, and it's a continuing concern. The ultra-talented hybrid defender draws a lot of his fantasy value from tackles. He gets those tackles because he plays a nickel/safety hybrid role that is historically good for fantasy. His combination of talent and role was tantalizing, even if it hasn’t fully matured.

Unfortunately, all reports are that the Eagles' trade for Michael Carter II could force DeJean into a purely outside corner role. That typically means far fewer opportunities for tackles and an increased reliance on matchups, since he won't be in the box to tackle running backs as often.

Philly taking a regular DB2 asset and turning him into a matchup-dependent spot starter is bad for our purposes, even if it makes sense for its defense as a whole.

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