IDP The Guru and The Godfather: Week 4

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 4 of the 2025 season, and that means it's too early to completely freak out about slow starters or victory-lap guys who came roaring out of the gate. It's also getting late early where those sluggish IDPs are concerned.

No one wants to jump ship early on a defensive player who's just a late bloomer. But it's getting to be time with some to consider heading for the exit. Wait too long to say goodbye, and you risk appearing a…

The internet truly is filled with wonders.

While that song rattles around in your head, John and Gary are here to break down Week 4 in IDP leagues—beginning with players who deserve either praise or a pink slip.

Taking Stock

Once is a fluke. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a trend—or so they say.

Of the surprise defensive stars who have emerged over the season's first three games, who has the greatest potential to keep riding the wave and racking up points?

Conversely, which slow-starting IDP with a hefty price tag in drafts is headed for a full-on wipeout of a season?

Guru: One of the big surprises of the early season is the resurrection of Devin White's career. I don't know if it will last beyond 2025, but he has performed well on the field and, except for the hiccup of a mediocre Week 3, has been highly productive on the stat sheet to date.  The Raiders have always been the Island of Misfit Toys, where talented castoffs go to find their tribe and leave their baggage behind. We have seen what White is capable of from a talent perspective. I've seen nothing to make me think he will fizzle out again.   

Normally, when a defense stinks, its linebackers put up big numbers. The Bengals have been so bad that all the production is coming from the secondary. Logan Wilson has 10 tackles and 10 assists to date, with zero splash plays. I've often said that he is the most talented linebacker this team has had since Reggie Williams. If you have any idea who that is, you either live in Cincinnati or are old, and probably both. That said, the Bengals made a huge mistake in parting ways with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. I said it when they fired him, and now all we have to do is look at the 3-0 Colts. I still believe in Wilson's talent and ability, but I'm very concerned about the scheme. I fear it could virtually ruin his value for us this year. 

Godfather: The Guru wants Anarumo back to save Logan Wilson (and Cincinnati's defense), and this guy is over here wondering if he isn't breaking Zaire Franklin in Indianapolis.

It's not intentional—a lot of what Franklin is being tasked with right now is a result of a linebacker corps that desperately needs E.J. Speed back or Jaylon Carlies healthy. Without a No. 2 linebacker who can be trusted even a little, Franklin isn't just a focal point of opposing offenses. He's being deployed differently than the player who had over 165 tackles each of the last three seasons. 

It's not hopeless—Carlies will be eligible to come off injured reserve in Week 5, and the Colts' game scripts have been weird three weeks in. But Franklin is third on his own team in tackles. If that doesn't worry you, check your pulse—you might be dead. Another bad stat line in Los Angeles this week, and it's big red button time.

Meanwhile, Rams edge-rusher Byron Young's sack streak isn't going to last forever. He's also probably not going to stay on pace to crack 100 tackles. But Young has been a force this season. He has more tackles than Franklin does—at least four solos in all three games. If he can stay anywhere close to this start, there's a real chance that he can have an 80-stop, 12-sack kind of season.

Those are Maxx Crosby-esque numbers. Ain't saying. Just saying.

Walking the Line

Let's get to winning Week 4. Y'all know how this works.

Which less-than-obvious starter along the defensive front is best positioned to break stuff in Week 4? Which big name won't break anything but the hearts of IDP managers?

Guru: Alex Highsmith has already been ruled out for week four, so Nick Herbig will get the start against Minnesota. The Steelers don't miss a beat when he plays, and Herbig had an 82% play share last week.  Since taking over for Highsmith early in week two, Herbig has a sack, forced fumble, and an interception. Meanwhile, the Vikings have given up nine sacks, two batted passes, and a turnover to edge defenders, and the position averages more than ten tackles against them. 

If anyone on the Bengals defense gets to Bo Nix this week, it would likely be Trey Hendrickson. That said, Denver has given up three sacks on the season, none of them to edge rushers. Hendrickson doesn't make a lot of tackles anyway. Add the fact that the Broncos are allowing an average of 2.3 tackles and 2.3  assists to the position as a whole, and we might have a recipe for a goose egg from Hendrickson this week.

Godfather: How did I know the Guru would mention Herbig? And my IDP Dud of the Week in Week 4 is Hendrickson, so great minds.

With the gift of 20/20 hindsight, the Chicago Bears would probably pass on giving edge-rusher Montez Sweat a four-year, $98 million contract back in 2023—the 29-year-old has just 6.5 sacks over the last two seasons combined. But Sweat got home for the first time this season in last week's win over the Dallas Cowboys, and the offensive line he faces Sunday in Las Vegas is allowing an average of four sacks per game.

Carl Granderson is off to quite the start to his seventh professional season—the 28-year-old has 3.5 sacks already this season and ranks third among defensive linemen in The Godfather's Default ID Scoring. But in news that should surprise exactly zero people, the Buffalo Bills are a terrible fantasy matchup for edge-rushers—the Bills have allowed 21 sacks over their last 20 regular-season games and are giving up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to edge-rushers in 2025.

Erasing the Chalk