Coach: DeMeco Ryans 6 PPG
QB: Matthew Stafford 30 PPG (Patrick Mahomes 29 PPG)
After barely being a fantasy factor for three straight seasons, Matthew Stafford came alive for an MVP campaign. He finished as our #1 overall player to boot, with a 33 PPG output, perhaps becoming the most surprising #1 finisher in our scoring ever. Despite just 1 total rushing yard! Stafford finished first in both categories that matter for our purposes: passing yards per game (276) and passing TDs (2.71). (both by a country mile too) His 46 TDs to 8 INT was incredible as well. It’s hard to project him to repeat these numbers, which are the best of his 18-year career. I think there will be some regression, but he feels like a trustworthy QB1 so long as he’s healthy.
RB/WR/TE: James Cook 28 PPG, Rashee Rice 19 PPG, AJ Brown 18 PPG, Nico Collins 18 PPG, Travis Kelce 16 PPG 6th men: Chimere Dike 13 PPG, Jalen McMillian 11 PPG, Bryce Lance 10 PPG, Xavier Worthy 10 PPG, Colby Parkinson 10 PPG
We got another delicious season from James Cook, whoooooo maybe/kinda/sorta is on this way to a better career than his older brother Dalvin? Conversation for another day. He was given an elite workload, as the 190-lb back should now be the trademark name to put to rest that 200-lb backs can’t succeed as featured runners. On just 57% of the snaps (20th among RBs), he ranked 3rd in carries per game (18.18), 1st in rushing yards per game (95.35), 23rd in receiving yards per game (17.12), and 7th in total TDs (.82). 309 carries is nothing to sneeze at. Cook has back-to-back seasons of double-digit rushing scores, pointing to quality usage inside the 5 (ranked 11th in this metric with .94 carries per game). As we head into year 5, it should be more of the same, as Cook is locked up long term and has proven himself to be one of the more consistent and healthier backs in the league. He is a pillar of a championship-contending team.
It just feels like a matter of time until Rashee Rice falls into the void of irrelevancy, but for now, he’s somehow still locked into a high-volume role with the greatest QB of our generation. Rice again fell into legal trouble after failing probation, having to spend 30 days in jail while rehabbing a knee injury. The Chiefs failed to bring anyone of substance into the receiving room, so they’ll be running it back with the same cast of characters. Rice led the room with 6.63 receptions per game (5th in the NFL), 71.38 receiving yards per game (10th), and .63 receiving TDs per game (5th). He was also a target monster inside the redzone, finishing 2nd in the NFL with 2.25. So long as Mahomes is ready to rock for week 1, Rice is gonna feast again.
It’s been a bit of a slog from a fantasy perspective for AJ Brown, who was one of the worst values in fantasy football over the past two years. While he’s been paid a healthy amount in both the AFC and NFC, he’s posted barely startable numbers in run-heavy offenses in Philly. Frustrated with his opportunity, he forced his way out, going to a best-case-scenario landing spot in New England as Drake Maye’s number one receiver. A new situation provides uncertainty, but I don’t think it will be worse (16 PPG or under). Will AJ return to the 150 target days and double-digit TDs? It’s in the range of outcomes. However, I think we should see a 1,200-yard season, along with 7-8 scores, and that’ll put him in as a quality 3-4 RB/WR/TE for IFL purposes. It wouldn’t surprise me, however, if he exceeds the 20 PPG threshold.
Nico Collins has settled into a quality #3 RB/WR/TE for IFL squads. As a late 3rd-round pick from the 2021 draft, that is an excellent outcome, and his GMs think so too as they’re paying him $29 and $37 million, respectively. Nico Collins finished with 8 targets per game (16th in the NFL among WRs), 4.73 receptions per game (18th), 74 receiving yards (8th), and .4 TDs per game (25th). He’s a quintessential WR1 in a mediocre offense, and he’ll continue to dominate targets unless there is a significant progression with the youngsters behind him.
Travis Kelce’s decrease in production again in 2025, but he was still startable despite missing 1,000 yards for the third straight year. Travis averaged 17 PPG, as his yardage and TDs both increased a touch. We saw the fewest targets (108) and receptions (72) since 2015, and I think this’ll continue to trickle down as he gets older. Thankfully, there still is a lack of target competition, so Kelce is primed for another season full of opportunity. He gets the back-end starter treatment.
PK: Brandon Aubrey 12 PPG
PN: Corey Bojorquez 10 PPG
DT: Quinnen Williams 16 PPG
After a disappointing 2024, which saw Big Q only provide 37 total tackles, he bumped that total up to a respectable 51. That’ll get some run for IDP and in our tackle-incentivized DT scoring. Quinnen Williams was shipped over to Dallas in a post-Parsons trade, providing some stability for a defensive line left with questions, particularly in the interior. He provided quality pressure numbers in 2025, still ranking as a top 5 interior disruptor with 26 pressures, but he’s notorious over his 8-year career for not actualizing sacks. (he has one season over 7 sacks) All that said, we should see some sack progression, as hitting only 2.5 sacks is bound up in some positive luck. He’s a solid DT and a top 10 option in his new environment.
DE: Jalyx Hunt 15 PPG, Myles Murphy 15 PPG (Rashan Gary 13 PPG, Cameron Jordan 13 PPG, Mike Green 12 PPG)
Quietly, Jalyx Hunt became an IDP factor on a team that loves to use a heavy rotation. The 2024 3rd round pick from Houston Christian came to the Eagles as a developmental project, but showcased that he was capable of being a top 32 option on just over 700 snaps. Now 25 and heading into his 3rd season, we’ll see how high his ceiling is. He provided some stats that give me pause for progression, including 3 INTs and a TD. I’d like to see more tackles (had 52 last year) to raise his floor a bit.
Myles Murphy should be squarely on everyone’s IDP breakout list. After Trey Hendrickson exited the lineup in Week 11, Murphy played over 75% of the snaps the rest of the way. (sans one game) Through that period, he averaged 16 PPG, including the 0-point clunker in the middle. I like him to see his tackles increase to the 50-60 range and potentially hit the 10-sack mark. There are youngsters pushing him for snaps in premium prospects Cashius Howell and Shemar Stewart. A top 16 finish is in play.
LB: Cedric Gray 19 PPG, Nick Bolton 19 PPG, CJ Allen 14 PPG (Demetrius Knight 14 PPG, Omar Speights 11 PPG)
Cedric Gray was a revelation for a Tennessee Titans team that needs young pillars to build around. Gray, a 2024 4th-round pick out of North Carolina, earned a full-time role out of training camp and never looked back. He was a tackle monster, finishing 4th in the NFL in combined stops. He had a minuscule 4.1% missed tackle rate and should safely retain his starting spot with the new defensive-minded coaching staff. The Titans hired HC Robert Salah, who has a history of starting two full-time linebackers. Opposite of Gray will be the question mark of who will start, and Gray should be the run and chase backer who soaks up stats. Keep an eye on a progression in the big play department, as he only had 1 sack in 2025.
Nick Bolton returned to elite LBer status, finishing 7th in total tackles and 8th in the IFL LBer rankings. The center of the Chiefs’ defense since 2021, Bolton has occasionally been criticized for inconsistent play, but largely is a tackle eater and a competent all-around player. Nothing has changed with his role in the defensive ecosystem, so it’s safe to project him as a quality top-16 option again.
It was one of the best drafts in recent memory for the inside linebacker position, seeing a beautiful 7 taken within the first two rounds. The 6th of which was Georgia’s CJ Allen, who is slated in perhaps the best position for instant IDP success. Gone or unproven are most of the incumbents, and Allen is widely considered the most talented of the bunch. In college, Allen posted modest tackle and big play numbers with 76 and 88 tackles in 14 and 13 games, respectively. On the big play side, he provided 3.5 sacks, an INT, and 2 FFs through both starting seasons. In his initial projection, he was slated for a 16 PPG season, but it’s shaping up to be a bit of a slog to get on the field. Allen has missed most of camp with a hamstring strain, and Davis-Gaither and Jaylon Carlies are shaping up to be the Week 1 starters. That could change as the season wears on, but for now, it’s not guaranteed.
CB: Paulson Adebo 13 PPG, Zyon McCollum 11 PPG
Rarely, if ever, do I rank a corner, let alone a boundary corner, to have a 13 PPG season. That’s how special Paulson Adebo is and how he loves to get in on every play possible. He is a special hustle player and was on pace to lead all corners by a country mile in tackles before a Week 7 injury cost him six games. Outside of Cooper DeJean, Adebo is the favorite to finish as the CB1. Adebo has shown that a scheme change won’t stop his tackle-heavy ways, and I don’t see it being a major regression issue here, too.
Zyon McCollum has been a quiet contributor for the Bucs since 2022. The 2022 5th-round pick out of Sam Houston State has been viable for IDP purposes when healthy and should remain so under a CB-friendly Bowles scheme. Zyon was on his way to another top 32 season before a hip injury against the Falcons in Week 15 ended that. He’ll be back on the starting radar, likely to post 70(ish) tackles and 1-2 big plays.
S: Caleb Downs 15 PPG, Kyle Hamilton 15 PPG, Evan Williams 14 PPG (Ty Okada 13 PPG, Bryan Cook 12 PPG)
It was the best-case-scenario landing spot for Caleb Downs, who is going to play near the line of scrimmage as their slot corner. We don’t quite know his usage yet, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s an all-purpose safety in a similar fashion to Derwin James. While they are different players athletically, Downs can certainly impact the game in a similar cerebral fashion. At a 15 PPG projection, the expectation is he’ll be a top 16 safety from the jump.
Kyle Hamilton is one of the best IDP safety and overall defenders in the NFL right now. He delivered another quality season, with 105 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 sack. Not exactly groundbreaking numbers, but it felt like many safeties usually near the top of the leaderboards struggled a bit with production. It’s just a reminder that we probably shouldn’t be paying even the best safeties like linebackers in the IFL, and thankfully we don’t.
We got a near full-time snap season out of the 2nd year of Evan Williams, who is developing into a quality safety for the Packers. Playing opposite Xavier McKinney, he had to beat out Javon Bullard for a full-time role in the defense. (Bullard plays in the slot now) Williams doesn’t wow with his play, but he delivered 100 tackles and 3 INTs, good for a S21 finish. Another S2 season would do well to solidify him as a consistent option, and he has some juice to enter the top 16 if things break right. He’s now being coordinated by Jonathan Gannon, who provided plenty of fantasy success for his safeties in Arizona.
Off: Indianapolis Colts 13 PPG
PPG: 336
W-L: 11-6
X-Factor: The d-line providing serviceable, startable numbers. If one of the EDGEs breaks out, really watch this team.
Jai quietly went to work, building another squad that is one of the best in the NFC. He brought in impactful free-agent signings for the short and long term and has been patient with development on some rookie contract prospects. Overall, this is a healthy roster that can remain competitive in the short and long term.
