Week 9 IDP Rankings for Fantasy Football (2026) - Defense Positional Rankings for LB, DL, DB

November 5, 2026

Fantasy football IDP rankings and IDP streamers for Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season. Chris's IDP fantasy start 'em, sit 'em picks for individual defensive players.

This year has brought with it a slew of injuries, something we discussed in our IDP Waiver column earlier this week. As we’ve noted before, the injury bug has seriously bitten and occasionally mauled superstars like Lamar Jackson, Caleb Williams, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and countless others. Luckily, we are finally getting some good IDP injury news.

Two of the biggest names in the IDP world are both reportedly returning to practice this week. Atop the good-news pile is the Rams’ optimistic outlook for last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, who is poised to return to practice this week. On top of that, Micah Parsons’ practice window is also opening, though Green Bay seems more cautious on his end.

The potential return of Parsons and Garrett is huge for IDP fans, proven by the fact that Garrett remains the fourth-most-rostered DL in fantasy despite missing the past seven weeks. Meanwhile, many teams can stash Parsons for the fantasy playoffs. Parsons is the 17th-most-rostered DL, suggesting that he can be had and help in a lot of shallow leagues, still.

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

Micah Parsons, Green Bay Packers

As we noted in our introduction, Parsons returned to practice on Wednesday in a limited capacity. This is massive news for one of the most talented edges in football, if not the most talented. While few need convincing how good Parsons is, remember he was eighth in Pass Rush Win Rate last year and third in 2024.

That said, manage expectations for Parsons and consider him an IR stash available in over 80% of leagues, not an immediate starter. He is currently cleared for individual work, and he’s stated he won’t return until he’s 100%. That said, it is encouraging to know he could be a full-go and ready for your lineup once he’s cleared.

DL Fade of the Week

Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

As we have mentioned before, this is a down year for Crosby’s fantasy production, despite his advanced metrics and pass-rush win rates remaining strong. While he is the most rostered and second-most-started DL in fantasy, he sits 48^th in fantasy points per game at his position this season.

Again, advanced metrics and film suggest Crosby will eventually start earning back the faith fantasy managers have in him, but the 49ers are a tough bet for his rebound. San Francisco is surrendering the fewest quarterback pressures, sports the best Pass-Block Win Rate, and allows the fewest sacks per game in the NFL.

The good news is that Crosby should avoid Trent Williams on 65% of his snaps, if the Raiders even deploy him against Williams at all. The bad news is that the 49ers right tackle (Colton McKivitz) is posting the best pass-blocking metrics of his career, allowing just nine total pressures all season.

Top Fantasy Linebackers of the Week

LB Riser of the Week

Devin Bush, Chicago Bears

Bush isn’t climbing our rankings much this week because so few teams are on bye, and Tampa Bay could fall behind enough against a strong Chicago offense that it doesn’t give Bush many chances. However, the data suggests this could be a bigger-than-usual game for Bush.

The Buccaneers are averaging the most rush attempts per game, a factor likely shaped by the injury to Baker Mayfield and an outlier rain game against Atlanta. However, the Bucs are still a heavy run offense when the Atlanta game monsoon is factored out. In fact, they lead the NFL in rush attempts in away games, and this one is on the road as well.

When you consider this game involves the top two most run-oriented teams in the NFL and two teams that both sit in the top half of the league in offensive plays per game, the script skews toward high volume. That is a good sign for Bush and his teammates, most of whom are readily available in most shallow leagues.

LB Fade of the Week

Robert Spillane, New England Patriots

We predicted Spillane would struggle for tackles against the Dolphins last week, and he did, though he bailed fantasy managers out with his first two pass deflections of the season. Unfortunately, Spillane has another tough matchup this week, which makes him a fade compared to his roster and start percentages.

The former Steeler remains the 23rd-most-started LB in fantasy, despite being LB61 overall in fantasy PPG. That is particularly concerning when you consider 82% of his fantasy points come from tackles and he is about to face the least run-oriented offense in the NFL.

While the Packers have ticked their rush attempts up slightly with the return of Josh Jacobs, the team is still 25th in rush attempts and leans on the pass with Jacobs on the field. That should remain the case against a Patriots offense that can keep this game competitive.

Top Fantasy Defensive Backs of the Week

DB Riser of the Week

Jacob Parrish, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Parrish was one of our IDP Waiver column adds earlier this season, and he’s rewarded fantasy managers with five straight games with two or more pass deflections. Better yet, he’s topped seven fantasy points in four of his past five contests. That production has him sitting at DB6 overall in PPG.

The NFL’s leader in pass deflections now has a strong matchup on tap against a Bears offense averaging the most offensive plays per game this year. With Chicago averaging a whopping 71.9 offensive snaps per game this year, it is hard not to favor a player like Parrish even more than usual this week.

DB Fade of the Week

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars

Hunter is DB10 in Standard IDP PPG this season, but that is largely on the back of one big offensive performance. In fact, 24% of his fantasy production this year came from his four catches against the Texans, and 36.8% of his total fantasy points came from that one game. Remove that game, and he is DB50 overall in PPG this season.

In other words, Hunter remains extremely reliant on offensive production to be a top-20 fantasy DB this season. That could be a problem, especially with Baltimore on tap.

The Jaguars are defeating their opponents by an average of 19 points per game this season, a wide margin that grows to 29.3 points per game when their defense holds opponents to 10 points or fewer. This is noteworthy because the Ravens are starting their third-string quarterback this week and are unlikely to make this contest competitive.

The only time the Jaguars made a real effort to involve Hunter on offense was in a competitive contest against the division-rival Texans. It is unlikely they will need to do that this week, which means Hunter will be incredibly turnover-dependent for fantasy production this week.

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