Week 5 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2025) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start 'em, sit 'em picks for individual defensive players.

Many of us spend the first few weeks of every NFL season thinking the same thing: "This season is really weird. I've never seen anything like this.” Sometimes that comes in the form of the entire league pivoting from historic passing numbers to a run-centric formula; other years, it’s a rash of early injuries or teams refusing to feature the rookies they drafted in the top 10.

This year is honestly like every other, in that it leaves us thinking, “This year is unlike any other.” Did anyone expect Trevor Lawrence to prefer Parker Washington over Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter? Did you bet Ladd McConkey would be sixth on his team in targets going into the final drive of Week 3? Who had Ashton Jeanty as RB36 through three games?

We mention these outliers to illustrate that this year is as frustrating as any other. Whether coaches refuse to feature a top pick or a talented passer fails to put everything together when he’s been handed everything, every year begins with its own headaches. Brilliant drafts fail through no fault of the manager, while bad ones thrive through luck. Sometimes, luck is all this is.

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

IDP Scoring System for Rankings

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

• 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

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week

Mykel Williams and Bryce Huff, San Francisco 49ers

We will cheat and choose two risers this week, as both have an elite matchup during our initial bye week. While T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Montez Sweat, Alex Highsmith/Nick Herbig, and Jalon Walker are all on bye, we also have Nick Bosa out for the year, creating a vacuum at edge-rusher. That means you may have to chase the matchups.

The Rams grade as the worst pass-blocking unit in the NFL after finishing third-worst in 2024. While the Rams are only middle of the pack in pass attempts, the 49ers are fourth, and this rivalry has involved high-volume passing contests before. So, this matchup is not elite, but it is strong for a bye-week streaming option.

As for the players themselves, Huff is a fine streamer in most formats this week. Almost all of his advanced metrics are top 20 at his position, making him a fine stream against weak pass-blockers. Meanwhile, Williams is a boom-or-bust deep play this week, but his playing time is steady, and he has the talent to surprise in a favorable matchup.

DL Disappointment of the Week

Eagles Pass-Rushers

The Eagles have historically had a deep and talented pass-rush rotation under general manager Howie Roseman. Still, even Roseman had to make cap sacrifices by letting Josh Sweat walk in free agency the same year Brandon Graham retired. These losses were tolerable given what the team had in depth, but injuries are testing that depth.

Nolan Smith Jr. was just put on IR, taking the quickest edge-rusher off Philly’s board. Meanwhile, ultra-talented interior rusher Jalen Carter has reportedly aggravated his injured shoulder. On top of that, the Eagles face a Broncos offense that ranks first in pressures allowed this year and has surrendered the fewest sacks in the NFL.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week

Akeem Davis-Gaither, Arizona Cardinals

An athletic prospect who never materialized in Cincinnati, Davis-Gaither is finally getting the opportunity to start in Arizona. Better yet, he has played over 75% of the defensive snaps in each of Arizona’s past two games. During that short span, the former Bengal has a combined 18 total tackles.

While Davis-Gaither is not a roster consideration for those in shallow IDP leagues, he is an athletic linebacker who can help in coverage and against the run. His usage with the Cardinals is promising, plus four of his next six games are against heavy run attacks that should play into his strengths.

LB Disappointment of the Week

Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts

It may officially be time to worry about Franklin after we have preached patience with him for four straight weeks. Mind you, that does not mean you should drop the man in shallow leagues. It simply means you should worry about him much the same way most fantasy analysts are worried about Brian Thomas Jr.

Franklin has spent two straight years atop the fantasy rankings at his position. He also mans the middle of a defense that has historically produced big-time fantasy contributors, regardless of the name on the back of that jersey. So, it made sense to continue ranking Franklin highly every week, even when he disappointed.

With that said, Franklin is the fourth-most-rostered LB in fantasy right now. However, he is LB53 in standard IDP scoring. It is fair to wonder if this decline in production is the result of the Colts no longer facing a regularly large deficit. The opportunities that Indy’s linebackers usually get correlate with opposing offenses running out a lead.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week

Kamren Kinchens, Los Angeles Rams

Kinchens is a ballhawk whose limited athletic scores have not hindered his ability to make big plays in the passing game. His snap share has also solidified this year, with the Miami alum seeing 82% or more of the team’s snaps in every single game.

The Rams also have a strong matchup for rangy defenders this week. The 49ers are third in pass attempts per game this season, and that rate is independent of who lines up under center. Brock Purdy is attempting 36.5 attempts per game, while Mac Jones is lobbing 40 throws per contest. That is a fine volume for a safety who can play deep or at the line.

Do note that the 49ers' passing attack is severely depleted with Purdy, Ricky Pearsall, and Jauan Jennings all out for this game. However, this team has been pass-heavy even with Purdy and Jennings out. Worse, the Rams offense could force San Fran's hand early. This could become a blowout with multiple Los Angeles interceptions.

DB Disappointment of the Week

Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals

It is the first week of byes, so the value of any serviceable DB goes up this week. Therefore, we will cheat and list Budda Baker here even though everyone on Arizona's defense has an increased opportunity for sacks and turnovers against the least efficient offense in the NFL.

With that said, we warned you in the preseason that Baker's fantasy production depends on elite tackle volume, as he averages just 1.5 forced turnovers and 1.05 sacks per season. As a result, Baker has finished as a top-5 fantasy DB in four of his nine career seasons, but he needed to lead the DB position in tackles in three of those four seasons.

Unfortunately, Baker's tackle production has never been consistent, as evidenced by his past three games. As a result, the former Husky is the third-most-rostered DB in fantasy, but he ranks DB62 overall in fantasy points per game. While he is difficult to bench against a mistake-prone Titans offense, Baker's real and perceived values don’t add up.

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