Week 2 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2026) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

September 17, 2026

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start 'em, sit 'em picks for individual defensive players.

Week 1 was our annual reminder that NFL head coaches don't care about fantasy football … at all. In fact, some evidence may suggest that they actively dislike a hobby that helps elevate the salaries of everyone in the league, with some schemes and game scripts seemingly engineered specifically to kill our fun … at least, that is how it can feel this time of year.

One of the clearest examples of this was Colston Loveland’s Week 1. The man averaged double-digit targets over his final five games last year, only to earn two against the Panthers. For IDP purposes, Malik Mustapha and Sonny Styles offer somewhat similar examples. These are players whose resumes and camp hype made them feel safe, but their Week 1 usage was anything but.

Of course, coaches aren't actually working to spite fantasy fans. Remember, confusing superstar usage usually comes from a logical place; be it the use of lesser players to exploit weaknesses, using stars to open as distractions who open things up for others, or simply taking what a defense gives them in the moment. Be patient with Loveland and Styles; their talent will win out soon.

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 per 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 elevate players like Travis Hunter and Marcus Jones.

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week

Donovan Ezeiruaku, Dallas Cowboys

One of several members on our preseason sleepers list who performed well in Week 1, Ezeiruaku surpassed even our wildest expectations against the Giants. While playing a sturdy 60% of Dallas’ defensive snaps and earning the start for a team light on pass-rushers, he finished fifth at his position in IDP Standard points.

We are particularly encouraged by the Boston College alum’s usage against the run and the fact he logged 10 tackles in a game, despite run support not being his strongest trait in college. Even better, he now faces a Commanders offensive line marred by injuries and allowing the ninth-most pressures in the NFL through one week.

DL Fade of the Week

Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos

Bonitto’s been a favorite of ours since he came out of Oklahoma in the second round, thanks to his bend and burst off the edge. That talent is why he remains a DL2 in our rankings, but his recent production and matchup don’t make it easy.

The Jaguars finished Week 1 with the fewest quarterback pressures allowed while attempting the third-fewest pass attempts. Admittedly, those numbers were inflated by an early blowout of a terrible Browns offense that let Jacksonville run the clock out early. However, it’s noteworthy that Jared Verse and company got nowhere against the Jags.

Denver struggled to move the ball against the Chiefs in Week 1 and could struggle again against an improved Jacksonville defense. With Travis Hunter able to shadow Jaylen Waddle and Bo Nix playing erratically, Denver could again fall behind early and rob Bonitto of valuable pass-rush opportunities.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week

Josiah Trotter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Trotter is another name from our preseason sleepers list who had a strong debut in Week 1. While his pick-six is the headline, Trotter’s 90% usage rate is the real thing to get excited about. The heir of NFL royalty didn’t start, but he took a big chunk of Lavonte David’s vacated role, and he totaled 11 tackles while doing so.

If you were to subtract his interception for a score, Trotter still would’ve finished as LB10 in his NFL debut. That kind of upside is rarely available in 98% of IDP leagues, like Trotter currently is.

LB Fade of the Week

Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles

Campbell is firmly within our LB2 tier for the rest of this season as a former first-round talent who finally took on a full-time role in Week 1 after dealing with injuries and competition as a rookie. However, this week's matchup offers a lower floor than usual.

Going into Week 1, the Jets were one of the preseason favorites to have the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. Despite that projection, Gang Green controlled Tennessee from the first snap and won the game handily. As a result, the Titans attempted the fewest rush attempts and the fourth-fewest offensive plays in Week 1 … against a bad opponent.

If the Titans cannot compete against the Jets, there is little hope they will do so against Philadelphia. That means another low-volume rushing game for Tony Pollard and company, which translates to low volume for Campbell and opposing tacklers.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week

Kevin Winston Jr., Tennessee Titans

Winston was an extremely underrated prospect coming out of Penn State. He was the 28^th player on my big board based on pure talent, but 45^th overall due to notable injury concerns. Thankfully, the former Nittany Lion has been as advertised in run defense, finishing his rookie year as PFF’s highest-graded run defender in the secondary.

He picked up where he left off in Week 1, playing every snap and collecting 10 total tackles despite his team struggling from the start. Considering how badly the Titans fared against a middling Jets attack, it is fair to assume Winston will see a lot of run volume against a Philadelphia squad that regularly leads the league in rush attempts.

DB Fade of the Week

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

Camp reports suggested Hunter would play 40% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps this year, a considerable but tolerable decline from his plus-60% rate from last season. Sadly, the result was much worse in Week 1, with Hunter seeing just 7% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps and totaling just 2.3 points in Standard IDP Scoring.

While Hunter’s figures were influenced by a blowout of the Browns that let Jacksonville rest and protect players like Hunter, his usage was still concerning for those of us who thought he was a surefire DB. We had the expectation he would average three or four catches per game to cushion his cache, and that may no longer be a probability.

Hunter should still possess one of the highest ceilings of any defender in fantasy every week, because any week could be the one where the Jaguars throw him a deep touchdown on offense. However, it is next to impossible to consider him a safe bet to finish as DB1 overall in points per game, like he did last year.

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