Week 6 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2026) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

October 15, 2026

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start 'em, sit 'em picks for individual defensive players.

Suspensions have been the name of the game this week, with the NFL handing down multiple swift, well-deserved suspensions to kick off the league’s business week. Rams offensive lineman Alaric Jackson was suspended for an after-game punch, 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was suspended for a headbutt, and Montez Sweat got a PED ban.

Conspicuously absent from this wave of suspensions, at the time of this writing, was Minkah Fitzpatrick. We mention this because Fitzpatrick committed two consecutive flagrant penalties against KC Concepcion Jr. on the same drive in Week 5. First, he ripped Concepcion’s helmet off with a facemask, then he knocked the receiver out of the game with a violent head shot.

Perhaps Fitzpatrick’s “intent” wasn't as obvious as Jackson's or Greenlaw’s, or perhaps the delay in punishment reflects on-field vs. off-field conduct. However, Fitzpatrick’s actions changed Cleveland’s game plan and opportunities. Worse, only Fitzpatrick’s actions impacted the game and injured a player. Thus, his lack of punishment amid a wave of suspensions was noteworthy.

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 help elevate players like Travis Hunter and Marcus Jones.

Top Fantasy Defensive Linemen of the Week

DL Riser of the Week

Abdul Carter, New York Giants

We have pushed Carter on you for nearly two years because his advanced pass-rush metrics are elite, and his college film was even better than Micah Parsons’. However, Carter has yet to break out for fantasy, and that’s dropped him off many rosters … but that could finally come this weekend.

Carter currently ranks first among all defenders in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate metric, logging a win on a whopping 36% of his pass-rush sets. Better yet, he faces a Saints offense that ranks 26^th in Pass Block Win Rate this year while surrendering a whopping 49 quarterback pressures off the edge in just five games.

Adding insult to injury, Carter takes approximately 59% of his snaps over the right tackle, meaning he should face Taliese Fuaga frequently. Fuaga has surrendered 21 pressures and four sacks this season while grading as the NFL’s 12^th-worst pass-blocker amongst linemen with at least 250 pass-block snaps.

As if that weren’t enough, New Orleans is averaging the second-most pass attempts per game this season. Meaning there should be plenty of volume and opportunities for Carter to translate his elite metrics into production against an underperforming offensive line.

DL Fade of the Week

Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

Crosby was a contender for DL1 all offseason and the third-highest-scoring defensive lineman in 2025 in both points per game and total points. However, we may have ignored some obvious red flags, particularly around his health and fit in Las Vegas’ 3-4 base scheme.

As of this writing, Crosby is the most rostered DL in fantasy. Conversely, he ranks 59^th at his position in points per game and 52^nd in total points. Worse, he faces a Bills offense that averages the fourth-fewest pass attempts in the NFL and the ninth-fewest sacks.

While Crosby's advanced metrics suggest he will rebound and isn't droppable in any IDP league, his matchup and recent production suggest you may want to bench him for a better streamer if you have a close matchup this week.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week

Divine Deablo, Atlanta Falcons

Deablo is hardly a “must-start” in shallow and traditional IDP leagues, ranking as a low-end LB3 even on a good week. However, his matchup this week is stronger than it looks on paper, and that moves him up more than a dozen spots in our rankings. That jump makes him a significant riser with four teams on bye.

The Bears currently lead the NFL in rush attempts per game, a title they’ve held with and without Caleb Williams under center. Atlanta doesn’t project to blow Chicago out, either, so Ben Johnson can keep leaning on the run instead of his elite receiving weapons. That makes for a strong game script for Deablo.

Remember, Deablo faced the third-most run-heavy offense in the NFL last week and registered his best fantasy performance of the season. He could set another personal milestone in this strong matchup.

LB Fade of the Week

Dee Winters, Dallas Cowboys

In an admittedly small sample size together (one game), Dee Winters saw his lowest snap share of the season, and he played in the slot more with DeMarvion Overshown on the field. While that is far from a guaranteed formula, it is worth noting that Overshown hopes to return this week and could change Winters’ role if he does.

More significantly, the Cowboys-Packers script is projected to be pass-heavy. In fact, Green Bay and Dallas are the two most pass-heavy offenses in the NFL. Worse, the Packers are averaging the fewest rush attempts in the league, and Dallas is right behind them.

With this game script skewing toward the secondaries and away from the linebackers, it is tough to trust any linebacker in this game. This is especially true for Winters, since we still don't know how Overshown will affect his role long term.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week

Mansoor Delane, Kansas City Chiefs

As we noted in our IDP Waivers column, Delane leads all defensive backs in fantasy points per snap this season. The LSU product is the 60th-most-rostered DB in fantasy and the 55th-most-started. Yet, he is producing heavily in a defensive scheme that routinely produces fantasy-friendly corners (Trent McDuffie, L’Jarius Sneed, etc.).

Justin Herbert also has the highest turnover-worthy play rate of any starting quarterback this season. That only adds to Delane's potential upside this week.

DB Fade of the Week

Tyson Campbell, Cleveland Browns

Campbell is a pure outside corner facing Zay Flowers this week, a seemingly high-volume matchup given Flowers’ role this season. That may be why Campbell is the 25th-most-started and 24th-most-rostered DB as of this writing, despite being 75^th at his position in scoring.

Unfortunately, Campbell’s slow start is not the only reason to fade him this week. The Ravens average the third-fewest pass attempts per game this season. Worse, Campbell takes 89.4% of his snaps at the right boundary, while Flowers takes just 24.6% of his snaps out there.

Given that Cleveland and Baltimore are two of the NFL's most run-heavy offenses and Baltimore’s top receiver rarely plays where Campbell always lines up, this could be a poor matchup for a heavily used defender.

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