Week 12 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2025) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start 'em, sit 'em picks for individual defensive players.

The grass is not always greener on the other side. This cliché is tired but true, especially in the world of sports. Just consider the Chargers when they replaced Drew Brees with Philip Rivers. Ultimately, that swap worked for all involved, but Brees is the one with a Super Bowl ring and the better resume, while the Chargers could have used the Rivers pick to support Brees.

Another fine example is Sam Darnold, a quarterback discarded by four NFL teams. The USC alum has been trashed by fans and the media at every turn, including this week, yet he's produced Pro Bowl-caliber results in 22 of his past 28 games. Are the Vikings and Justin Jefferson better without him? Would Seattle and Jaxon Smith-Njigba be better off after a painful Week 11?

This concept applies to the defensive side of the ball, too. Consider the Jets, who “benched” both Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood in recent weeks. Both linebackers were subsequently dropped in at least 15% of IDP leagues, yet each is now back starting for Gang Green with improved metrics. In other words, backups are rarely an improvement over the starters.

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

K’Lavon Chaisson, New England Patriots

Chaisson has at least one half-sack in six of 11 games this season, while leading his team with 41 quarterback pressures. Now, Chaisson gets a Bengals offense averaging over 40 pass attempts per game with Joe Flacco under center. Cincy is also surrendering the fourth-most quarterback pressures per game.

While Flacco has done an admirable job avoiding sacks since joining Cincinnati, he has taken plenty of near-miss sacks and should be playing from behind in this contest. In a week with several key pass-rushers out with injury or on bye, the Bengals offer Chaisson a fine opportunity to outperform his current projections.

DL Fade of the Week

Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints

In 2024, Carl Granderson started every game for the Saints and played over 70% of the defensive snaps in nearly every game … until Week 12. From that point on, Granderson averaged less than 60% of the defensive snaps and totaled just one sack the rest of the way.

The Wyoming alum is on a similar track this year. He started 2025 by collecting 4.5 sacks in his first four games and averaging 80% of the defensive snaps. Unfortunately, Granderson’s usage has dipped drastically in the past month, with the former starter averaging just 62% of the defensive snaps and 1.5 fantasy points since Week 7.

Granderson is the 22^nd-most-rostered DL in fantasy, but his usage and production have been disappointing for weeks. Despite his hot start, he is just DL43 in fantasy points per game, and now he faces a Falcons offense that surrenders the third-fewest sacks per game. There’s no way he should be rostered in so many leagues with such a bad matchup.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week

Cody Simon, Arizona Cardinals

Mack Wilson Sr. has missed two games and is now on IR, opening valuable snaps on the interior of Arizona’s defense for at least a month. In the two games that Wilson has been out, Cody Simon has played 100% of the defensive snaps and averaged nine tackles per game while sliding into the MIKE position on a quarter of Arizona’s defensive snaps.

Simon was a versatile player during his time at Ohio State, and his massively increased role could pay short-term dividends for fantasy managers. The rookie managed 12 total tackles in a positive fantasy matchup with the 49ers on Sunday, and he has three more potentially favorable matchups in the next five weeks.

LB Fade of the Week

Shemar James, Dallas Cowboys

James has been, by all accounts, one of the best defenders on the Cowboys defense. He is their second-highest-graded tackler, has the second-lowest missed tackle rate of anyone on the defense with 100+ snaps, and is their fifth-highest-graded pass-rusher this year. Given those ratings and his film, we assumed the rookie had earned his starting role.

Unfortunately, the first week with DeMarvion Overshown and Logan Wilson both active led to a confusing mash-up with Kenneth Murray Jr. and Overshown as the designated starters. This was also the first game since James became a starter that he played less than 50% of the defensive snaps or more than 30% of special teams snaps.

James remains an intriguing fantasy asset, given his advanced metrics and what he has already shown. He also has an elite matchup on tap against the Eagles. However, his sudden role change with Overshown and Wilson in town makes it hard to trust James as anything more than an LB3 despite his talent, production, and matchup this week.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week

Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts

Since his return from suspension, Rashee Rice has lined up in the slot on 40% of his snaps. During that same span, Travis Kelce lined up in the slot on 34% of his snaps. Combined, Kansas City's two top target earners man the slot on most of Patrick Mahomes' dropbacks.

Kenny Moore II is Indianapolis' primary slot corner, manning that position on 78% of his snaps. On almost every snap he takes, Moore will be in position to cover either Kelce or Rice. Considering that the two are averaging 16 combined targets as a duo, with over half of those targets coming in Moore's area of the field, this should be a positive matchup.

DB Fade of the Week

DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys

Bland has been on a tear in recent weeks, notching seven or more tackles in each of his past four games while averaging 12.2 fantasy points per game. Unfortunately, he now faces an Eagles offense that remains one of the stingiest for opposing corners.

Philly averages the second-fewest pass attempts per game this year, while Jalen Hurts still carries the lowest turnover-worthy play rate in the NFL. This low-volume matchup led to Bland scoring just 2.5 fantasy points in their Week 1 matchup, and the script seems unlikely to change much this time.

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