IDP Start-Sit, Studs and Duds: Week 3

A week ago at this time, there were two kinds of IDP managers—undefeated juggernauts and winless punching bags. Nothing but extremes. Some gray was added to the picture in Week 2—there were a number of 1-0 teams who stumbled and 0-1 teams who got up off the mat.

But for some unfortunate souls, it is Threat Level: Midnight. It's time to officially start freaking out. Not just like hyperventilating a little and swearing a lot freaking out, either. It's time to start throwing things and leaping out of windows.

Because some IDP teams are 0-2. And there is officially nothing worse in the universe than being a fantasy manager who is 0-2.

OK, so maybe a couple of worse things.

That's hyperbolic, of course. Potentially dangerously so. Wanna know the quickest way to turn a two-game skid into a three-game skid? Getting cute. Yes, Zaire Franklin's tackle numbers have been poo so far this season. But after three straight years with over 165 stops, it's not unreasonable to expect a rebound—just as it's not unreasonable to expect Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt to log a sack…soon.

It's still too early to give up on slow-starting stars. But as injuries mount and mid-range IDP options fail to meet expectations, there are more than a few difficult lineup decisions in Week 3.

That's where IDP Studs and Duds at Footballguys comes in.

Each week during the 2025 season, I'll highlight Individual Defensive Players who are poised to exceed expectations (Studs) and those who, for various reasons, are riskier than usual (Duds).

This isn't necessarily to say that every "Stud" is a must-start (it depends on your other options) or that every "Dud" should be glued to your bench (just that the odds of a letdown week are greater than usual).

Numbers in parentheses denote ranking in fantasy points allowed to that position in 2024 in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring. 

IDP STUD OF THE WEEK

LB Quay Walker, Green Bay (at Cleveland) (2)

When the Packers declined Walker's fifth-year option a few months ago, some predicted he could be on his way out of Titletown—especially with Edgerrin Cooper widely expected to take a step forward in 2025. But while speaking to reporters, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said that Walker remains in Green Bay's long-term plans.

"My expectations are really, really high [for Walker]," Gutekunst said. "The only reason we didn't do the fifth-year option is a lot of the outside linebackers are calculated into that number, so it didn't make a lot of sense. We're going down that road with him [to negotiate an extension], as well to see if we can make that happen as well."

Sure enough, Cooper has been on fire the first two weeks of the season, posting top-five numbers at his position. Walker has been quieter, but he has a respectable 17 total tackles through two weeks. The Browns stink on offense again this season, but just as in 2024, they sit right at the top of the league in fantasy points allowed to linebackers.

IDP DUD OF THE WEEK

EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Houston (at Jacksonville) (29)

Anderson's arrow has been pointing up from the moment that the Texans made the bold move to double-dip on Anderson and quarterback C.J. Stroud in the 2023 draft. It's a move that paid off big-time, with Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox calling Anderson one of the NFL's best defensive cornerstones.

"Anderson doesn't have the overall resume of Maxx Crosby," Knox wrote, "but he's done enough to represent the younger generation of edge-rushing sack artists—a group that includes the likes of Jared Verse, Travon Walker and Nik Bonitto. The Houston Texans star has already recorded 18 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, 61 quarterback pressures and 82 total tackles in just 29 career games. The 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year should be in the mix for a Defensive Player of the Year award within the next few seasons."

Anderson has been on a roll to start the season—in both games this season, he has tallied four total tackles and gotten to the quarterback. But fun fact: The Jacksonville Jaguars don't give up sacks. The 32 sacks Jacksonville allowed a year ago were the seventh-fewest in the NFL, and so far in 2025, Trevor Lawrence has been dropped all of once.

WEEK 3 IDP STUDS