IDP Starts Week 1: Every Starting Defender, Ranked, With Lines and Totals

SHORT ANSWER. The best IDP starts for Week 1 are Jordyn Brooks (Dolphins at Raiders), Jack Campbell (Lions vs. Saints) and Carson Schwesinger (Browns at Jaguars) at linebacker; Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. (Texans vs. Bills) and Aidan Hutchinson (Lions vs. Saints) on the line; and Budda Baker (Cardinals at Chargers), Jordan Battle (Bengals vs. Buccaneers) and Nick Cross (Commanders at Eagles) in the secondary. Micah Parsons, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Jonathan Greenard, Cameron Jordan, Nnamdi Madubuike and Cedric Gray are all out and cannot be started. The full board is below.

HOW THIS BOARD IS BUILT. Every name here was checked against the current depth chart for the team he actually plays for in 2026, then against Friday's official injury report, then against the posted line and total for his game. Production figures are 2025 regular season totals. No player appears on this page without all four checks clearing. That matters more in Week 1 than in any other week of the year, because a great deal of the IDP content published this weekend is still running last season's rosters, and the 2026 offseason moved more defensive stars than any offseason in recent memory.

THE ONE RULE THAT DECIDES IDP WEEK 1. Tackles follow snaps, and snaps follow game script. A defense that is ahead plays more snaps than a defense that is behind, because the offense in front of it keeps running the ball and stopping the clock less. Flip it and the same logic explains why underdog defenses rack up tackles: the opponent grinds out long drives. That is why the two numbers next to every name below are the spread and the total. A high total plus your defense getting points is the best tackle environment in football. A low total plus your defense laying nine is the worst.

TIER 1 LINEBACKERS - START WITHOUT THINKING. Jordyn Brooks, Dolphins at Raiders (+3, total 40.5): led the NFL with 183 tackles in 2025. The total is the second-lowest on the slate and it still does not matter, because he is on the field for every snap. Jack Campbell, Lions vs. Saints (-7, total 49.5): 176 tackles and 5 sacks, and New Orleans is a seven-point road underdog that will be throwing. Carson Schwesinger, Browns at Jaguars (+8.5, total 39.5): 156 tackles as a rookie and the biggest underdog script of the early window. Nick Bolton, Chiefs vs. Broncos (-2.5, total 43.5): 154 tackles on Monday night. Jamien Sherwood, Jets at Titans (+1.5, total 38.5): 154 tackles and 8 passes defensed.

TIER 2 LINEBACKERS - CONFIDENT STARTS. Blake Cashman, Vikings vs. Packers (-1.5, total 46.5), 144 tackles. Bobby Okereke, Panthers vs. Bears (+3, total 47.5), 143 tackles. Foyesade Oluokun, Jaguars vs. Browns (-8.5, total 39.5), 143 tackles and 11 passes defensed. Demario Davis, Jets at Titans (+1.5), 143 tackles. Alex Singleton, Broncos at Chiefs (+2.5, total 43.5), 135 tackles. Roquan Smith, Ravens at Colts (-3.5, total 47.5), 130 tackles, and with Teddye Buchanan ruled out beside him his workload goes up, not down. Quay Walker, Raiders vs. Dolphins (-3), 128 tackles. Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen, Steelers vs. Falcons (-6, total 41.5), 126 and 120. Zaire Franklin, Packers at Vikings (+1.5, total 46.5), 125 tackles in his first Green Bay season.

TIER 3 LINEBACKERS - MATCHUP STARTS. Zack Baun, Eagles vs. Commanders (-6, total 44.5), 123 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Edgerrin Cooper, Packers at Vikings (+1.5), 118 tackles. Akeem Davis-Gaither, Colts vs. Ravens (+3.5, total 47.5), 117 tackles in the best combined script on the board. Eric Wilson, Vikings vs. Packers (-1.5), 115 tackles with 6.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, which is a genuinely unusual profile for an off-ball linebacker. Tremaine Edmunds, Giants vs. Cowboys (+3, total 48.5), 112 tackles on Sunday night. Kaden Elliss, Saints at Lions (+7, total 49.5), 107 tackles and 3.5 sacks in the single best tackle environment of the week.

TIER 1 LINE - THE SACK SPOTS. Danielle Hunter, Texans vs. Bills (+1.5, total 44.5): 15 sacks in 2025, the most of any lineman playing this weekend. Will Anderson Jr., same defense, same game: 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. A Houston front getting points at home in a 44.5-point game is the pass-rush environment of the day. Aidan Hutchinson, Lions vs. Saints (-7, total 49.5): 14.5 sacks, and New Orleans is a seven-point underdog playing without Cameron Jordan, which means the Saints throw. Jeffery Simmons, Titans vs. Jets (-1.5, total 38.5): 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss from the interior. Montez Sweat, Bears at Panthers (-3, total 47.5): 10 sacks.

TIER 2 LINE. Laiatu Latu, Colts vs. Ravens (+3.5, total 47.5), 8.5 sacks and the best pass-rush script of the one o'clock window. Josh Hines-Allen, Jaguars vs. Browns (-8.5), 8 sacks. Jared Verse, Browns at Jaguars (+8.5), 7.5 sacks in his first year in Cleveland. Zach Allen, Broncos at Chiefs (+2.5), 7 sacks. Calais Campbell, Ravens at Colts (-3.5), 6.5 sacks and a larger role with Nnamdi Madubuike out. George Karlaftis, Chiefs vs. Broncos (-2.5), 6 sacks. Jalen Redmond, Vikings vs. Packers (-1.5), 6 sacks. Gervon Dexter Sr., Falcons at Steelers (+6), 6 sacks from the nose.

DEFENSIVE BACKS - THE TACKLE SAFETIES. In tackle-heavy scoring the safety spot is the cheapest reliable production in the format, and the rule about underdogs applies twice as hard. Jordan Battle, Bengals vs. Buccaneers (-3.5, total 50.5): 125 tackles in the highest-total game of the week. Budda Baker, Cardinals at Chargers (+9.5, total 47.5): 120 tackles and the largest underdog spread on the board. Dane Belton, Jets at Titans (+1.5): 120 tackles. Nick Cross, Commanders at Eagles (+6, total 44.5): 120 tackles. Jeremy Chinn, Raiders vs. Dolphins (-3): 114. Nick Scott and Tre'von Moehrig, Panthers vs. Bears (+3, total 47.5): 111 and 103. Xavier McKinney, Packers at Vikings (+1.5): 107 tackles and 10 passes defensed. Talanoa Hufanga, Broncos at Chiefs (+2.5): 106 tackles and 11 passes defensed. Kyle Hamilton, Ravens at Colts (-3.5): 105 tackles from the nickel.

RULED OUT - DO NOT START THESE PLAYERS. Micah Parsons, Packers (knee, on the PUP list; the club has said Week 5 is the earliest he can return). Kerby Joseph, Lions (knee, PUP). Brian Branch, Lions (Achilles, PUP). Jonathan Greenard, Eagles (pectoral). Cameron Jordan, Saints (hamstring). Nnamdi Madubuike, Ravens (neck). Teddye Buchanan, Ravens (knee). Cedric Gray, Titans (concussion), who finished fourth in the NFL with 164 tackles last season and is therefore the most damaging absence on this list for anyone who drafted off 2025 numbers. Patrick Jones II, Panthers (back). Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Browns. Joseph Ossai, Jets (foot). E.J. Speed, Texans. Jer'Zhan Newton and Deatrich Wise Jr., Commanders. Billy Bowman Jr., Falcons (Achilles). Nick Emmanwori, Seahawks.

QUESTIONABLE - CHECK BEFORE KICKOFF. Chris Jones, Chiefs (calf, limited Friday). Tuli Tuipulotu, Chargers (hip). Za'Darius Smith, Falcons (shoulder). Christian Rozeboom, Buccaneers (foot). Joey Porter Jr., Steelers (back). Xavier Woods, Bears (groin). Chamarri Conner, Chiefs (knee, with reporting that he is not expected to be available Monday). T.J. Sanders, Bills (knee). Austin Ajiake, Colts (hamstring). Shemar Stewart, Bengals (knee) is doubtful. If you are starting any of these players, have the next man on his depth chart ready to swap in.

A NOTE ON POSITION LABELS. Depth charts list edge rushers at weakside and strongside linebacker in a 4-3 template, which is why Maxx Crosby, T.J. Watt, Brian Burns, Khalil Mack and Trey Hendrickson show up at linebacker slots. In most IDP leagues those players are defensive linemen, not linebackers, and starting them in an LB slot is one of the most common Week 1 lineup errors. Check your league's position eligibility before you set a lineup off any depth chart, including this one. Every player in the linebacker tiers above is an off-ball linebacker whose 2025 tackle total confirms the role.

SOURCES AND METHOD. Starting lineups from current team depth charts. Injury designations from the league injury report as of Friday, September 11. Spreads and totals as posted for the Sunday and Monday slate. Production figures are 2025 regular season totals. Every player's team was verified against his current roster page before publication, which is the step that catches the offseason moves most Week 1 lists miss. If a number here is wrong, it is wrong because the source was wrong, not because it was written from memory.