Coach: Sean McVay 7 PPG
QB: Caleb Williams 28 PPG
Progress was swift for Caleb Williams under new HC Ben Johnson, leading the Bears to their first playoff win since 2010. (and against the Packers, no less) A significant step forward took place during his sophomore year as well, as Caleb finished the year as the QB8 with a dramatic increase in his passing yards and TDs. Williams was largely slightly above average in most metrics, with 231 passing yards per game (12th in the NFL), 1.59 passing TDs per game (11th), and 22 rushing yards per game (13th). What was not great was his completion percentage (it sat at 58%, 35th among qualified QBs), and he’s made a name for himself as an inconsistent thrower. Williams is one of the friendliest offenses for fantasy success long term, and he’s a worthy starter for any fantasy team.
RB/WR/TE: Breece Hall 20 PPG, Jadarian Price 16 PPG, Luther Burden 16 PPG, Zay Flowers 15 PPG, RJ Harvey 15 PPG 6th men: Kyle Monangai 15 PPG, Josh Downs 15 PPG, Marvin Harrison Jr. 14 PPG, Rachaad White 14 PPG, Brian Thomas Jr. 13 PPG, TJ Hockenson 13 PPG, Malik Washington 13 PPG, Brian Robinson 11 PPG, Xavier Worthy 10 PPG, Colby Parkinson 10 PPG
While there was consistent shade thrown at Breece Hall for a myriad of reasons, he’s still a stud muffin delux for the IFL. Hall isn’t quite an elite RB, but he falls just outside that workhorse tier, with a 64% snap share (12th among RBs), 15 carries per game (17th), 66 rushing yards per game (15th), 22 receiving yards per game (12th), and a tragic .31 TDs per game (38th among RBs). It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how he bumps up into the mid-20 PPG mark. I’m not concerned about competition, even in a new offensive environment. What does concern me is the retread playcaller (they hired Frank Reich, who is garbage) and brought in Geno Smith to play QB (also oh so bad). We’ve seen what Breece does in these tragic conditions, and it’s still very good.
Jadarian Price is an intriguing RB in that he wasn’t the best running back on his team in college, but somehow he ended up as a late 1st round pick for the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks. They certainly had a need at the position, which makes me very sus about them reaching on a prospect who didn’t deserve to get drafted there. Price never received over 120 carries in any given season and posted a respectable 6.0 YPA. (he also was a zero in the receiving game, 15 career receptions) Opportunity-wise, Price will have half a season or so to prove he is capable of starting ahead of Zach Charbonnet. I am wary of Price’s profile, as there are a plethora of red flags; however, he has opportunity, and that’s all you need. He’s on the starter borderline in what should be an early-season timeshare with him getting the bulk of the carries.
We are on target watch in the Windy City, as their ‘alpha’ receiver was jettisoned to Buffalo. That leaves Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Colston Loveland as the primary pass catchers vying for targets. Burden has often been picked as the trendy pick to lead the team in targets and for good reason. Ben Johnson has a rich history with slot types dating back to his time in Detroit, and Burden was gaining momentum to end the year, and it feels like we’re gonna get a PPR deluxe option from Burden here, with high reception totals and good YAC. Look for him to be a quality mid-end RB/WR/TE starter and obviously a St. Brown ceiling as time goes on.
Zay Flowers did well to post a 15 PPG season through a season where Lamar Jackson wasn’t right for most of the year. He posted career highs in receptions (86), receiving yards (1211), and tied his career high with 5 receiving TDs. We’re three years in with Flowers, and I think we have a good idea of his ceiling. I don’t see a path to another gear here in a run-heavy environment, but he’s a decent option if the expectation is a back-end offensive guy or a bye-week filler.
It was a tough start to Harvey’s career, as he rendered himself unstartable as the pass-catching back for the Broncos. His snap count didn’t exceed 41% until Dobbins went down in week 10 and he was sharing snaps with Tyler Badie. When Harvey owned the backfield, he came alive and didn’t score under 18 points after the Week 13 bye. Dobbins is back, and Denver selected Jonah Coleman with a day 2 pick. Projections for Harvey are all over the place, but I just don’t see how he can be anything more than a back-end starter with Dobbins taking the majority of carries again, and Coleman in the 15-20% snap range like Badie was when all three were healthy. This PPG projection has RJ bumping up his carry load a bit from last year, but it’s still a really tough situation for consistency.
PK: Matt Gay 8 PPG
PN: Jeremy Crawshaw 11 PPG
DT: Osa Odighizuwa 11 PPG (Tommy Togiai 11 PPG)
Osa Odighizuwa has been a quality role player for the Dallas Cowboys, pretty much from the jump his rookie year in 2021. He was traded to the 9ers for a 3rd round pick this offseason (the round he was drafted btw) and signed to a 4-year $80 million contract. Through 4 years, Osa has been locked in as a 45-tackle, 3-4-sack player. In a new environment, it’s possible this changes, but it’s hard to count on a mystery box increase in production. I bet he’ll be back to his regular role-playing ways, and that’ll be bye-week filler numbers.
DE: Will Anderson 18 PPG, Jared Verse 17 PPG
As it happens with young EDGE players, Will Anderson has slowly gotten better through three years in the league and last year culminated in his best yet. Anderson finished with 54 tackles, 12 sacks, 3 FFs and a TD, good for an EDGE6 finish. His 36 pressures tied for 10th in the NFL; he was named a 1st-team All-Pro, and he finished 2nd in the DPoY voting. I think this is about where Anderson will stick around through his career, especially with the Texans. A top 5-10 EDGE season is about where he can stay around unless the tackle numbers really shoot up. He’s a quality run defender, but not sure the scheme provides him opportunity to eat up tackles in the 70(ish) range. Still, he’s an elite asset and provides week-winning upside any given play.
Jared Verse was a part of the moment of the 2026 offseason, when he was included in the Myles Garrett deal. Verse is expected to lead the Cleveland Browns defense, which is being built up with playmakers on all three phases. Verse is not Myles, however, but is a top 15 EDGE by most metrics. In 2025, he posted 58 tackles, 3 FFs, 7 sacks, and a TD, good for an EDGE9 finish in IFL. He tied for 10th in pressures with 36, and his biggest critique through two seasons is converting pressures into sacks. Hopefully that occurs in year three, and if it does, he has top 5 upside. Lotta new variables in his value and we’ll see what his pressure/sack numbers look like on what will be one of the worst teams (particularly offenses) in the NFL.
LB: Jack Campbell 22 PPG, Arvell Reese 18 PPG, Zaire Franklin 16 PPG (Demetrius Knight 14 PPG)
It was a delicious season from Captain Jack Campbell, who showcased why he was a premier LBer prospect. He tallied 176 stops (2nd in the NFL), 3 FFs and 5 sacks, finishing as the LB1 in the IFL. It took time to take over from Alex Anzalone as the playcaller and 100% snap guy for the defense, but it was obviously the right call. Now it’s just all about consistency with Jack and recreating that magic. He’s slotted for annual top 5 production until proven otherwise.
Through the rookie process, no one looked as special as Arvell Reese. It’s pretty crazy he didn’t get more fanfare, especially in IDP circles, as guys like Sonny Styles and Jacob Rodriguez had the focus of a quality class. I think it’s because Reese has a hybrid, all-purpose quality to his game, but the Giants drafted him to play inside linebacker next to Tremaine Edmunds. Reese is tasked with eating up tackles in space for the Giants, and there is overall LB1 upside here if he can provide big plays too. His usage early on in the season is important here. If he’s an inside LBer full time, he is my favorite to finish as the #1 rookie IDP scorer.
Zaire Franklin has been a mainstay in IDP lineups since 2022, but his production took a tumble last year, relegating him to a low-end LB3. His tackle totals dropped by almost 50 despite not missing a game, and he only registered 3 big plays, versus 10 from the year prior. He was traded to Green Bay in the offseason, and there is hope last year was an aberration. The tackle totals are the most important factor here. He must return to his 160+ tackle days if he’s to be worth the contracts he’s being paid in the IFL. (especially the 2-year $30 million Tiff is paying him) Modest progression is baked into the PPG, and he’s slotted as a top 32 option.
wrote this out before doing safety projections, so here’s an extra blurb
Demetrius Knight, of the Charlotte 49er fame, started from Day 1 in Cincinnati and posted sporadic results. While he was a starter, he never became a 100% snaps player, with Logan Wilson and Barrett Carter maintaining that role through his first season. His production was modest, posting 106 tackles, 1 FF, 2 INTs, and 3 sacks. The big plays kept him in the starting conversation, but it will be difficult to maintain if his opportunity doesn’t increase. I like him more as a bye week filler, but he’s not a bad floor play for IDP.
CB: Ja’Quan McMillian 11 PPG, Jaylen Watson 11 PPG
Ja’Quan McMillan is the slot corner for the Broncos and plays around 70% of snaps weekly. He’s a decent tackle producer on this opportunity, but did regress a bit with 25 fewer stops. The big plays were aplenty, with 2 FF, 2 INTs, 4 sacks, and a TD. McMillian will need to eat up tackles to remain startable, but he’s capable. He’s on the fringes of starting corners.
Jaylen Watson stepped into a starting role opposite of stud muffin Trent McDuffie and performed adequately for IDP managers. There were some lows, but he rounded up as a decent option with 64 tackles, 2 INTs, and 2 sacks. Locked into another boundary role with the Chiefs, he should be rostered and started in pass-happy scripts. He is a bit injury-prone, so make sure to have a backup plan.
S: Kamren Curl 15 PPG, Nick Cross 15 PPG, Xavier McKinney 15 PPG (Malaki Starks 12 PPG, Javon Bullard 11 PPG)
From Washington to LA, Kamren Curl has proven himself as a box safety delux. He finds himself in a perfect environment as well, as the Rammies don’t care for starting two full-time linebackers. Curl is tasked with often helping in the run game. He plays about 50% of his time in the box, but I’m not sure if 122 total tackles are replicable. He did it before in 2023, however, so a regression certainly isn’t guaranteed. He’s certainly a top 10 safety.
After providing nothing his first and second years in the league, Nick Cross exploded and has since produced back-to-back S2 finishes in IFL scoring. He propelled his success into a second contract with the Commanders and is a locked-in starter again. They have a brand new DC in Daronte Jones, who has coached in Minnesota since 2022 under Brian Flores. That should be music to the ears of Cross owners everywhere, as Flores has produced plenty of productive seasons for his safeties in recent years. While it will be tough for Cross to finish as a top-2 safety every season and post 130+ tackles with Sonny Styles in front of him, look for Cross to still provide top-16 returns.
Despite playing deep more often than a fantasy manager would like, Xavier McKinney continues to eat as a quality IDP safety. Last year was a 3-year low in tackles and big plays, but he still finished as the S8. A new defensive scheme is in town, but Xavier deserves our trust as an automatic weekly starter and top 16 option. He’ll easily get 100+ tackles and 3-5 big plays, with a ceiling in the 120s, 7-8 big plays.
Off: Atlanta Falcons 10 PPG
PPG: 315
W-L: 6-11
X-Factor: Breakouts on the offensive side of the ball.
The last three years have been a consistent buildup of talent and resources for Curt, but it’s just not quite there yet for Chiefs Kingdom. The last three years, the team has shockingly been similar, and the x-factor has been the same. Will we see an offensive breakout from the youngsters? The defense is again ready to rock, but for the playoffs to be a possibility, some guys will need to step up.
From the 2025 projection article
From the 2024 projection article
