IDP The Guru and the Godfather: Week 2

John Norton ("The Guru") and Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") are two of the most experienced and knowledgeable IDP analysts in the fantasy football industry. 

It's Week 2, and that means all we have are champs and chumps—undefeated managers looking to keep the good times rolling and winless ones who are wondering if they are the Hue Jackson of fantasy football.

You aren't. Breathe. Lot of season left.

At this early juncture, we still aren't sure if what we thought we knew about the IDP landscape in 2025 was spot-on or way off. Whether what we've seen so far this year was a fluke week or a sign of what's to come.

It can be a tad confusing.

But fear not, intrepid reader! The Guru is here to sort through the uncertainty and break down both what was and what will be in your IDP league.

And that other guy's here, too.

Hyperventilating, IDP-Style

There's only one place to start this week's edition of The Guru and the Godfather—the annual rite of passage in IDP leagues that is Week 1 panic attacks.

There is no shortage of prominent IDPs who start each year with a turkey that would make Butterball jealous, and 2025 is no exception. Which Week 1 dud worries you the least? Which one had you wincing a little and glancing at the waiver wire?

Guru: Zaire Franklin's Week 1 vacation cost me the game in the Kings Classic league, but I'm not concerned in the least. No one expected the Dolphins to win the Super Bowl this year. No one anticipated them being as bad as they were in week one, either. Denver is at the opposite end of the spectrum, so it will not surprise me if Franklin is the game's top linebacker in week two.

In my post-Week 1 Eyes of the Guru column, I always preach not to overreact to numbers, good or bad, unless there is a tangible reason to do so. When it comes to Jack Sanborn, there is a tangible reason to do so. The Cowboys had many of us convinced that he would be their every-down middle linebacker, green dot and all. They even showed us that during the preseason. When the game counted, he was sitting by the water cooler on passing downs. If you watch the first half of their game with the Eagles closely, it's not hard to understand why. Sanborn ended up a disappointing 2-4-0 on the day. He is a strong run defender and will have some good weeks, but a 76% play share will keep him well short of expectations, especially in matchups with teams that pass a lot. 

Godfather: Explain to me why Matt Eberflus handed the green dot to Kenneth Murray Jr. and decided to play Damone Clark over Marist Liufau. Explain it to me like I'm five. The Cowboys were trash at linebacker in Week 1. We'll see if personnel changes are made, but Sanborn's barely rosterable the way things stand now.

The Godfather also preaches patience early in the season—especially where edge-rushers are concerned. T.J. Watt of the Steelers barely cracked the top-50 in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring last week. Danielle Hunter of the Texans and Aidan Hutchinson of the Lions were all but invisible. All will be fine. It's the nature of the position. Panic drops have a habit of coming back to bite you. So on and so forth.

I'm not saying you should drop Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr, either. But Winfield's Week 1 is why drafting high-end defensive backs is a bad idea. It's not just that Winfield has held to just one solo and three assists, although that isn't ideal. It's that batterymate Tykee Smith saw more snaps near the line of scrimmage, while Winfield played mainly as a deep safety. If that continues? No bueno.

Setting the Edge

Like Darth Hoodie (pre-whatever now is), we're on to Week 2.

Which defensive lineman has the best chance of blowing Week 2 expectations out of the water? Which big name is about to lay an egg of his own—perhaps even a turkey egg?

Guru: "Expectations" is the keyword in this question, since they vary from manager to manager. After his week one goose egg, the expectations for Aidan Hutchinson are likely to be far lower than they were at this point last week. Many managers will hesitate to keep him in their starting lineups. Everyone knows that feeling of benching a star player after a horrible outing, only to watch him explode on their bench the following week. Don't put yourself through that in Week 2.

Will McDonald IV came out of the gate like a man on a mission. After he flamed out down the stretch last year, we heard the talk about how he has added muscle and weight to better withstand the physicality of defending the run over an NFL season. All of that is great, but there are two reasons I am concerned for him in Week 2. Despite the work he put in, McDonald was on the field for 55% of the snaps in week one. That might be enough for him to remain productive on most weeks, but he will need all the opportunities he can get to put up good numbers against the Bills. Josh Allen was sacked 14 times in 2024. That is six fewer than any other quarterback. Low snap counts and a tough matchup are a formula for disaster. 

Godfather: I've been beating the drum for Los Angeles Rams edge-rusher Byron Young as a value pick all summer long. I beat the drum for Young in Week 1 against the Houston Texans and their atrocious offensive line—and he responded with nine total tackles and a sack. And now I'm beating the drum for him again against the Tennessee Titans, who surrendered half a dozen sacks in Denver last week.

Last week in Cleveland, Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals didn't look like a guy who spent most of the summer holding out, logging three solos and his first sack of 2025 against the Browns. But the Jaguars allowed less than two sacks per game and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to edge-rushers in 2024, and Trevor Lawrence kept his jersey clean in last week's win over the Carolina Panthers.

Linebacker Lunacy

That Drue Tranquill of the Kansas City Chiefs and Pete Werner of the New Orleans Saints were top-three fantasy linebackers last week is about the most Week 1 thing ever.

Which linebacker is best positioned to be this week's surprise breakout? Which higher-end linebacker is going to be this week's Zaire Franklin of the Indianapolis Colts?

Two solos and two assists? Oof.